- Soldaderas played an integral part in the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). They tended the wounded, cooked and searched for supplies, and were in charge of medicine, munitions, and mail. They gathered information on the front lines and moved into battle when a man fell. Soldaderas belonged to both the federal and revolutionary units and often traded supplies with each other. Corridos (ballads), folklore, and sentimental revolutionary songs, like “La Adelita,” celebrated them. “Adelita” became a generic name for the soldaderas, most of whose actual names went unrecorded. A few did emerge Page 341 →from the revolution with their names remembered for their heroic acts—the Narvez sisters (Guadalupe, Rosa, and María), Carmen Serdán, Dolores Jiménez y Muró (who became a colonel), and others. By 1910, the Mexican feminist and suffrage movements were well developed, and the revolution contributed much to breaking down traditional sex roles and making Mexican society more egalitarian. The postrevolutionary period signaled the fulfillment of many feminist political, social, and legal goals.
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