Women of the Revolution

One emblematic image from the Revolution that continues to captivate the popular imagination is that of the woman soldier or soldadera. This mujer valiente (valiant woman) has been immortalized and romanticized in songs and movies, such as La Adelita and La Valentina. The soldadera’s destiny was probably more tragic than fictionalized stories depict.

A powerful representation of revolutionary women is the 1967 film La soldadera, where the main character, Lázara, survives the war, at times as camp follower to a federal (government soldier), and at others as a companion to a revolucionario. The film’s more realistic portrayal of the Revolution offers a sharp contrast to the 1958 movie Si Adelita se fuera con otro, where the woman soldier Adelita is an idealized archetype.

Photo:
Si Adelita se fuera con otro. [Movie poster, 1948]
Mexican Movie Posters, ca. 1940–1969.
Stanford Manuscripts Collection: M0945, Box 7.