She was a quiet little girl, never standing out. She roamed in the shadows, but when her only family, Mateo, lost his life in the revolution, she stepped into the light with fire in her eyes. This is the story of the Mexican Revolution in the eyes of Camila Sánchez, a nineteen year old. Joining the forces under Francisco “Pancho” Villa as a soldadera, she witnesses the drastic changes throughout the revolution and embarks on a journey for peace in both her country and in herself.

The revolution started on November 20th, 1910, when people had gotten enough of Porfirio Díaz’s tyrannical rule and wished for their rights to be returned, but one uprising lead to another. The people’s needs were never addressed, resulting in the changing of four different presidents before Álvaro Obregón brought back a once again peaceful, but changed Mexico in 1920. One of the major changes the revolution brought was land reform, where land was redistributed amongst the citizens. The social reform brought more equal rights, such as workers being able to go on strike, and public education for all. Aside from changes, many things stayed the same as well. Through war, culture remained untouched, so did the Mexican territory. The original goal of the revolution, to oppose dictatorship and re-elections, was also achieved. Although there was land reform, most people of Mexico continued to be in poverty, but both changes and continuities can still be seen today, for example, the Monumento de la Revolucion. Most revolutionaries are buried there: Madero, Carranza, Villa, etc, passing on their legacy.

The Mexican Revolution was one of the bloodiest wars to occur. It lead to the deaths of over two million people, many were just innocent citizens, and damaged a countless number of cities and towns. There were many casualties, but with the effort of everyone, Mexico finally ended the dictatorship that had suffocated it for so long. People received a better lifestyle, making it worth it in the end.