La Adelita
The Soldaderas played a vital role in the Mexican Revolution but most of them did not get the credit they deserved. Most women did not draw wages and were not official members of the various armies so they didn’t garner pensions of any kind after the war. Most of the Soldaderas went home and some had difficulty adjusting back to civilian life. Many died in poverty. The Mexican author Elena Poniatowska wrote a stunning and heartbreaking novel based on her own friendship with a Soldadera: Here’s to You, Jesusa!
