A historical leader of the Mexican Revolution, and a character in “Eyes of Zapata.” Emiliano Zapata believed that farmers and other peasants had the right to own and rule the land, and he fought against many of Mexico’s most powerful leaders, ultimately establishing a following devoted to promoting the agrarian concept that the social system ought to center around farming. In Cisneros’s story, Emiliano is a freewheeling figure who keeps multiple lovers at once. Although he is married to María Josefa, he also loves Inés, with whom he has two children, Nicolás and Malena. The nature of his devotion to Inés is unclear, but it’s obvious that she means something to him, as he cares deeply about Nicolás, whom he takes with him to battle—he returns the boy to Inés almost immediately, after a violent experience puts Nicolás in harm’s way. Despite this obvious affection, Emiliano refuses to talk to Inés about their relationship, avoiding all discussions that might define their love.
Emiliano Zapata Quotes in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories
The Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories quotes below are all either spoken by Emiliano Zapata or refer to Emiliano Zapata. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Eyes of Zapata
Quotes
We drag these bodies around with us, these bodies that have nothing at all to do with you, with me, with who we really are, these bodies that give us pleasure or pain. Though I’ve learned how to abandon mine at will, it seems to me we never free ourselves completely until we love, when we lose ourselves inside each other. Then we see a little of what is called heaven. When we can be that close that we no longer are Inés and Emiliano, but something bigger than our lives. And we can forgive, finally.
You and I, we’ve never been much for talking, have we? Poor thing, you don’t know how to talk. Instead of talking with your lips, you put one leg around me when we sleep, to let me know it’s all right. And we fall asleep like that, with one arm or a leg or one of those long monkey feet of yours touching mine. Your foot inside the hollow of my foot.
Related Characters:
Inés Alfaro (speaker), Emiliano Zapata
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Emiliano Zapata Character Timeline in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories
The timeline below shows where the character Emiliano Zapata appears in Woman Hollering Creek and Other Stories. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Eyes of Zapata
As she watches her lover—Emilano Zapata—sleep in her bed, a Mexican woman named Inés reflects on their relationship, the history of...
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Inés, whose two children—Nicolás and Malena—also belong to Emiliano, reveals to readers her ability to rise like a bird over the town. From her...
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Emiliano hates talking about Inés’s father. Inés thinks these two men make such “perfect enemies” because...
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Inés continues to tell the story of her relationship with Emiliano. Upon returning from fighting with the cavalry (years ago), Zapata stays with Inés and leads...
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Overtime, Inés has learned there are women in other villages that Zapata loves, too. One of them is María Josefa in the nearby Villa de Ayala. During...
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...beyond the others. That’s my magic. You come back to me.” Still, she wonders what Emiliano has told María Josefa about her. She imagines her lover saying, “That was before I...
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...she and her children have grown accustomed to sleeping in hills and forests to escape Zapata’s enemies. These enemies even burn her house one night while she’s weak with a fever....
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As their strange relationship continues, Inés explains to readers, Zapata continues to come and go as he pleases. Eventually he takes their son Nicolás with...
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As Zapata’s revolutionary successes rapidly decline, Inés tries harder and harder to understand the nature of their...
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...in Mexico City. She also sees Nicolás as an adult, a man who disgraces the Zapata name by quarrelling with the government because he thinks he deserves a larger portion of...
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