Cavalry Coronel Valentina V. Ramirez

                                                               By Peggy Bonilla
 
Liberal and revolutionary, Valentina fought in armed battles with the same or even greater fervor and courage than the intellectuals leading the revolutionary movement of 1910. And thus, like most other myths, it would seem that all historians know something though none possesses the exact truth, because that, abstract to the end, doesn’t belong to anybody. So it is up to the thoughtful reader to discern and judge as true or not, the existence of certain renowned people and facts.
I must admit and state here that during my research I found three women who claimed to be the real revolutionary Valentina, but we have to believe the army – they have her record of service in the Mexican Army and Air Force Museum. She is Maria Valentina de Jesus Ramirez Avitia. What is certain, is that she participated in at least 20 battles, for example in the Bloody Taking of Topia, Durango that lasted 3 days and nights, the battle of Culiacan and Mazatlan, Sinaloa, where under the direction of Ramon F. Iturbe, she marched in dressed as a man and armed to the hilt.
It would seem that the women of the revolution were all of the same mold, with the same profile, and identical courage depicted in their struggles with the Federal army, or with any of the factions they came upon. Adelitas, Valentinas, Juanas Gallo, Chamuscadas, Rieleras and others.
In the seventies, I found “La Valentina” during one of my trips, she too was touring the same route and got off of the bus we were traveling on before I did; she lived in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California. She was an old woman dressed in an army uniform, with the insignia on her hat indicating her rank. Three stars. Cavalry Coronel. Veteranship received in 1962, proven and signed by Bellow revolutionary Ramon F. Iturbe.
It would seem that I had forgotten all about it over the years until one day I came across a photo and a newspaper story that said that she was turning 103 years old and they had honored the famous Valentina on several occasions. She has a tender, sad, tired look, but with a magnetism that doesn’t let you look away from her face. Those who have dealt with her used to say that she carried herself like a man. To tell the truth, more like a military person. She lived a long life; nomad that she was, death had a hard time finding her to take her away. Being a revolutionary, she displayed her battle wounds proudly. She’d tell her caretakers: give me a pill for the gunshot in my ribs, for the one in my shoulder, the one in my leg, etc. She died at the age of 113 in a hospital in Brawley, California where she had been confined for the last five years of her life. She asked to be cremated, and her remains, just as she wished, were scattered into the blue sea of San Felipe, Baja California. Why not try to spread the word about the life and works of powerful women, who decided to get out of the kitchen and show talent in service to the common good. They show political sensibility. Dreaming of a better place to live. That is what Mexican Revolutionary Women are all about.


                                                        

                                                         

                          The Adelitas
For many Adelita, is woman who stands out among the revolutionary forces in Mexico back in 1910. She is merely a nonexistent character, again though, some say that most women really did exist and was an icon of female Mexican Revolution.
She joined the troops of Francisco Villa, and was also known as Marieta, though many think the Adelita and Marietta were the same woman. Finally was shot by Pascual Orozco.
In current times the nickname "Adelita" are attributed to women entering the armed struggle. However the more time has to return this legend since everything is poured in terms of this character can never be proven, merely survive the hypothesis.

On women in the revolution

People at El fuerte celebrate