EUFEMIO ZAPATA (ca. 1864–1915)
Eufemio Zapata, older brother of Emiliano Zapata, had the reputation of being a "macho" man who was both admired and feared. An extraordinary recruiter for the Zapatista movement, Eufemio was a key player in the Revolution of the South and a founding member of the Revolutionary Junta of the South and Center of the Republic, established June 2, 1913. Eufemio and the troops he commanded were among the first to occupy Mexico City and to be headquartered in the Palacio Nacional. He was subsequently a prominent figure at the famous first meeting between his brother Emiliano and Francisco "Pancho" Villa in Xochimilco.
Eufemio Zapata was a hard drinker long before the Revolution, and by 1915, with Zapatismo in decline, he had become a habitual drunk. On June 18, 1915, he beat and insulted the father of one of his fellow Zapatista commanders, Sidronio "Loco" Camacho. Camacho's son immediately sought revenge and shot Eufemio down in the streets of Cuautla. Camacho threw Eufemio, still alive, on an anthill outside of town and left him there to die.
