who was emiliano zapata
Updated March 31, 2017. Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919) was a village leader, farmer, and horseman who became an important leader in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). He was instrumental in bringing down the corrupt dictatorship of Porfirio DÃ­az in 1911 and joined forces with other revolutionary generals to defeat Victoriano Huerta in 1914.