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The Underdogs

by Mariano Azuela
INTRODUCTION
It begins in fire. On a dark night in the Mexican Sierra, an undisciplined band of Federales fighting for the
despised dictator Victoriano Huerta descend upon the rancho of Demetrio Macas, who has already won a
reputation for courage in the skirmishes of the Mexican Revolution. Although Macas initially drives the
intruders away, they return, setting his home ablaze and setting in motion the taut, violent drama of The
Underdogs, the most celebrated novel of the Mexican Revolution and the signature work of doctor, novelist,
and revolutionary Mariano Azuela.
A brilliant marksman and a popular leader, Macas assumes command of a band of disaffected peasants and
shapes them into a potent guerrilla fighting force. Despite their poor equipment and inferior numbers,
Macass men win a series of convincing victories over the hated Federales. Soon the band absorbs an
unlikely ally in the person of Luis Cervantes, a city aristocrat, or curro, whose disgust with the injustice of
his countrys society has led him to embrace the growing Mexican Revolution. Cervantes, a well-read
medical student, attempts to give the illiterate Macas an education in political idealism, and for a time they
appear to share a vision of a new and better Mexico. However, the brutal realities of life at war gradually eat
away at the ideals of the revolution, and the violence of Macas and his men becomes ever more difficult to
restrain. The fiery idealism that has scorched the foundations of power now threatens to erupt into an
inferno of anarchic rage, and the revolution that the common people had hailed as a blessing seems likely to
transform into the blackest of curses.
In The Underdogs, Azuela drew heavily upon his own firsthand experiences as a doctor in the revolutionary
army of Julin Medina, one of Pancho Villas generals. A dedicated foe of the privileged classes who
dominated Mexico throughout his youth, Azuela had been stirred by the promise of radical political change
that he saw in the Mexican revolution. Nevertheless, The Underdogs is neither a sentimental memoir nor a
one-sided, political propagandistic tract. An uncompromising artist, Azuela eschewed such simplicity.
Although the early chapters of his novel gleam with the idealism of a bold political cause, Azuela gradually
blends darker tones into his literary palette. His revolutionaries begin to reveal themselves as men of
ignorant brutality, and the more enlightened among them discover to their horror that they may be serving
only to erect an enormous pedestal upon which . . . monsters . . . might arise. Narrated with passion, filled
with arresting character sketches, and haunted by the specter of blighted dreams, The Underdogs is an
outstanding work of artistic and political realism, both speaking to the greatest hopes of mankind and
lending credence to our deepest fears.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1.

In the first chapter of The Underdogs, Macas has a chance to kill the Federales who will soon after
come back and destroy his house. However, he lets them go, and the only explanation he gives is
that it was not the Federaless time to die. What do this choice and this explanation show about
Macass character? Do these traits remain consistent throughout the novel?

2.

Some translators of The Underdogs have chosen to leave the nicknames of Macass men in their
original Spanish. How does translator Sergio Waismans choice to translate the names, for instance,
turning el Manteca into Lard and Cordoniz into Quail, affect the reading of the book? Do you
prefer seeing the names translated or untranslated? Why?

3.

Early in the novel, Macas and twenty of his followers fire two rounds at an ambushed group of
Federales and, somewhat astonishingly, every single shot results in a deadly wound. Why do you
think Azuela attributes such incredible accuracy to Macas and his men? Does his building up of their
legend detract from the realism of the novel? Does Azuela overly idealize Macas and the revolution
during Part One of the novel?

4.

Although the captured curro Luis Cervantes promptly identifies himself as a medical student, several
scenes pass before it occurs to anyone in Macass band that he might treat Macass gunshot
wound. What accounts for this slow response, and what does it suggest about the social gap that
separates the curro from the other men who fight alongside Macas?

5.

After having lived among Macass men awhile, Cervantes States his belief that Macas has not yet
understood the importance of his role in the revolutionwhat Cervantes calls Macas true . . .
high . . . most noble ambition. What prevents Macas from seeing his mission as Cervantes sees it?
How is the limitation of Macass vision emblematic of the shortcomings of the revolution?

6.

Although The Underdogs contains a few significant female characters, it remains fundamentally a
mans novel. Does Azuela do enough to represent the position of women in Mexican society and in
the revolution? What, if anything, would you have done differently to tell this aspect of the story?

7.

Having been a doctor in Julin Medinas army, which served Pancho Villa during the revolution,
Mariano Azuela had much in common with his character Luis Cervantes. Do you think Azuela uses
Cervantes to express points of view that were likely to have been similar to Azuelas? When? How
does Cervantess opinion of the revolution change as the novel develops?

8.

Discuss the relationship between Macas and Cervantes. What do they gain from each other? Does
each have something to teach that the other is incapable of learning? What, if anything, is lacking in
their friendship?

9.

It is a principal irony of The Underdogs that the revolutionaries who set out to rid their country of
oppression and injustice end up adopting the corrupt values and practices of their enemies. Why
does this happen? Does Azuela regard the betrayal of the revolution as inevitable, or does he see an
alternative?

10. Imagine that you are directing a film version of The Underdogs. What scene would you find most
interesting to dramatize, and why? How would you shoot the scene?

11. What do you think of Cervantess decision to leave the revolutionaries and immigrate to El Paso? Is
he to be praised for abandoning a cause he could no longer morally support, or is he to be
condemned for leaving his comrades in a desperate time?
12. Toward the end of The Underdogs, Macas and his men begin to encounter government forces armed
with machine guns. What does the rise of modern warfare signify for men like Macas, and for the
future of revolutionary uprisings in general?
13. In the next to last chapter of the novel, Macas tells his wife that, having started on a violent path,
he can no more stop fighting in the revolution than a pebble tossed into a canyon can stop falling.
What are the qualities of this image that make it effective and memorable? Do you think Macas is
right?
14. At the end of the novel, as Macas boldly defends himself in a last desperate battle, it seems likely
that he will be killed at any moment. However, instead of narrating Macass death, Azuela leaves
the reader with the image of him still fighting. What is the effect of this choice on the way the
reader finally perceives Azuelas hero and the revolution for which he fights?
ABOUT MARIANO AZUELA
Mariano Azuela was born into a grocers family in Lagos de Moreno, Mexico, on New Years Day, 1873. As a
boy, during summers spent at a small farm owned by his father, he learned the slang and vocal rhythms of
the common peopleeffects he was later to reproduce in his fiction. Although he enrolled in a Catholic
seminary at fourteen, Azuela soon abandoned his religious studies and, after a brief period of indecision,
became a medical student at the University of Guadalajara. After becoming a doctor in 1899, Azuela divided
his energies between medical practice and writing. The 1908 publication of his novel Los Fracasados (The
Failures) identified him as a novelist of promise.
In 1910, Azuelas peaceful pursuits were disrupted when a revolutionary force under Francisco Madero
overthrew the repressive dictatorship of Porfirio Daz. Azuela, who sided with the Maderistas, briefly served
the Madero regime as chief of political affairs in Lagos de Moreno. However, in 1913, in the
counterrevolution led by Victoriano Huerta, Madero was assassinated and Azuela joined the rebel forces of
Pancho Villa. As the result of a series of experiences similar to those of Luis Cervantes, a character in The
Underdogs, Azuela became head of the medical staff in the revolutionary army of General Julin Medina,
who served as an inspiration for another character in The Underdogs, Demetrio Macas. Forced to immigrate
to El Paso, Texas, Azuela settled there and reworked his memories of the revolution into a novel, Los de
Abajo, known to English-speaking readers as The Underdogs. In 1917, Azuela moved to Mexico City, where
he continued to write and practice medicine for the rest of his life.
Initially slow to win a popular following, The Underdogs captured international critical acclaim in the mid1920s, establishing Azuela as the preeminent novelist of the Mexican Revolution. In 1942, Azuela was
honored with Mexicos national prize for literature, and, in 1949, he received the national prize for arts and
sciences. He died in 1952.

The underdogs

Demetrio Macas is a peaceful Indian who knows nothing about revolutions.


When, as a follower of Francisco Indalcio Madero, he is hounded by the
political leader of Jalisco, he flees with his wife and child to the mountains.
There, federal soldiers come upon the fugitives at breakfast, and Demetrio
runs off. He returns with a gun, however, to prevent the wild and lawless
soldiers from raping his wife. Being no killer, Demetrio lets them go free, only
to have them come back with reinforcements and burn his fields. Demetrio
then joins a band of sixty sharpshooting rebel outlaws and helps them to drive
off twice that many soldiers. During the fighting, two of the rebels are killed,
and Demetrio is shot in the leg.
For two weeks, the outlaws remain hidden in a native village, looked after by
Indians who hate the government. Venancio, a barber-surgeon, tends to
Demetrios wound, and the village women use poultices of laurel and fresh
pigeon blood to heal him. An attractive young woman named Camila is his
nurse.
One day, the pseudointellectual Luis Cervantes blunders into the village and
explains that he has deserted the government forces because his
commanding officer assigned him to menial duty. Distrusting Cervantes glib
tongue and big words, the rebels pretend to condemn him to death. One
outlaw dresses in a priests robes and pretends to hear the deserters last
confession to determine whether he is a spy. Accepted eventually as a
revolutionist, Cervantes then urges the rebels to join the great revolutionary
leaders of Mexico. Camila falls in love with him. Although she makes her
feelings evident, Cervantes never encourages her, not even on the night of
the outlaws departure. Camila has never responded to Demetrios lovemaking
Demetrio is only an Indian.
Hearing from messengers that Victoriano Huertas federales have fortified the
city of Zacatecas, Cervantes urges the band to hurry to join the besiegers and
take part in the capture. He flatters Demetrio by telling the Indian that he is

more than a common rebel, that he is a tool of destiny to win back the rights of
the people.
Demetrio plans a surprise attack on one of the towns along their march, but
an Indian guide betrays the scheme, and the federales are prepared to resist.
A friendly citizen shows the rebels a back way into the town, however, and the
garrison is overwhelmed. The rebels find and stab the treacherous guard and
kill the federal soldiers who survived the attack.
By the time General Natera arrives in the district, Demetrios reputation has
grown so great that he is made a colonel in the revolutionary army. Failing to
take Zacatecas, the rebels are forced to retreat, discarding their booty along
the road. Demetrio thinks of going back to Camila, until news of General
Pancho Villas coming excites the rebels and gives them fresh incentive.
During the next battle, Cervantes and Solis, an idealist, take refuge in a place
where they think they will be safe. While they discuss the significance of the
revolution, Solis is struck and killed by a stray bullet. Demetrios gallant charge
turns the tide of battle for Villa and wins Demetrio promotion to the rank of
general.
While drinking and boasting in a tavern after the battle, Demetrio meets
Whitey Margarito, a vicious soldier, and La Pintada, a prostitute with whom
Demetrio goes looking for a hotel room. Her insistence that, as a general, he
should occupy a house of his own makes him decide to commandeer a fine
residence.
During the ransacking, Cervantes finds a valuable diamond ring and the
soldiers tear the pictures from books in the library. Whitey, joining Demetrios
forces, runs off with Cervantes woman companion while Demetrio is arguing
the matter of taking her instead of La Pintada, of whom he has tired.
Soon afterward, the rebels raid the house of Don Monico, Demetrios
landowning enemy, and burn the estate. Cervantes, having collected much

loot, suggests that he and Demetrio hide it in case they are forced to leave the
country. Demetrio wishes to share it with the others. Still an idealist, he
believes the rebel cause will triumph. Cervantes promises to get Camila for
his leader, as Demetrio still wants her above all.
Cervantes goes to the village and persuades Camila to return with him.
Believing that Cervantes is in love with her, she is surprised to find herself in
Demetrios bed. The next morning, La Pintada discovers Camila and offers to
help her escape. Camila refuses. She has found that she likes Demetrio, and
she decides to stay with him and the rebel army.
During the march against General Orozco at Jalisco, Whitey shows his cruelty
when he tortures a prisoner by tightening a rope around the mans neck until
his eyes bulge. Later, when kindhearted Camila persuades Demetrio to return
ten bushels of confiscated corn to a starving villager, Whitey gives the man
ten lashes instead. Camilas protests at the incident win her the enmity of La
Pintada, who has taken up with Whitey since Demetrio and Cervantes
discarded her. When Demetrio, siding with Camila, orders La Pintada away
from the camp, she becomes enraged and stabs Camila.
When Demetrio and his men reach Aguascalientes, they find Villa and
Venustiano Carranza, once allies, fighting each other. The federal forces,
taking advantage of the disunity among the rebel generals, defeat Villa at
Celaya. The defeat is a terrible shock to Demetrios followers, who cannot
bring themselves to believe that their idol has been beaten. The rebels are
forced to retreat.
Cervantes escapes safely across the border. From El Paso, he writes to
Venancio, the barber-surgeon, telling him that Whitey has shot himself.
Cervantes invites Venancio to join him in Texas, where, with the barbers
money, they can open a restaurant.
After Villas defeat, Demetrio finds the villagers no longer willing to help the
rebels. To them, he and his followers have become outlaws once more.

Somewhat discouraged, he decides to return home. He has been away two


years and has seen much, but he cannot answer his wifes questions when
she asks him why he kept on fighting. He lacks Cervantes glib tongue to put
his true feelings into words.
Trying to pacify the landowners of the region, the government sends troops
into the uplands after the outlaw band. Once more the rebels and the federal
troops clash. Outnumbered, the outlaws perish on the spot where two years
before they had won their first victory. After the fighting has ended, the soldiers
find the body of Demetrio Macas, his dead eyes still sighted along the barrel
of his gun.

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