| Conventionist Army | |
|---|---|
| Ejército Convencionista | |
| Leader | Pancho Villa,Emiliano Zapata |
| Dates of operation | 1914 (1914)–1917 (1917) |
| Merger of | División del Norte Liberation Army of the South |
| Split from | Constitutional Army |
| Country |  Revolutionary Mexico |
| Allies | Félix Díaz,Aureliano Blanquet |
| Opponents | Carrancistas |
| Battles and wars | Mexican Revolution: |
TheConventionists were a faction led byPancho Villa andEmiliano Zapata which grew in opposition to theConstitutionalists ofVenustiano Carranza andÁlvaro Obregón during theMexican Revolution. It was named for theConvention of Aguascalientes of October to November 1914.
Prior to the formation of the Constitutionalists and Conventionists, the two groups worked together to defeat GeneralVictoriano Huerta. Huerta had overthrown PresidentFrancisco Madero and taken over the government in 1913. Opposition to Huerta was led byVenustiano Carranza, along with generals Pancho Villa andÁlvaro Obregón. They were loosely allied withEmiliano Zapata. Together, they defeated Huerta in 1914.[1] At theConvention of Aguascalientes in the fall of 1914, the winning revolutionary factions were unable to agree on the future direction of the country, and a civil war ensued between the Constitutionalists and Conventionists.[2]
The Conventionists called for more radical, immediate land reform, with which Carranza's government did agree.[1] They also wanted to implement thePlan of Ayala (1911), written by Emiliano Zapata, calling for the redistribution of land.[3] In addition, Villa and Zapata wanted a decentralized federal government with more state autonomy.[4] With this, the Conventionists garnered the support of the countryside.
At the start of the civil war, the Conventionists captured Mexico City in late 1914. There were approximately 150,000 soldiers in both factions in 1915.[1] By spring of 1915, Obregón began to defeat the Conventionists. Zapata retreated to his home state, occasionally sending troops to Villa. Villa was defeated at theBattle of Celaya, followed by losses at León, Santa Ana, Aguascalientes, andAgua Prieta.[5] By 1917, Carranza was elected president and the civil war was over. Guerilla skirmishes would continue separately by the armies of Zapata and Villa near their home states. In 1919, Zapata was killed by Carranza's government.[1] Villa signed a peace treaty with Carranza's successorAdolfo de la Huerta in 1920, but died in an ambush three years later in 1923.[6]