Amelio Robles Ávila
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Amelio Robles Avila was a colonel during the Mexican Revolution. He was born a woman with the name of Amelia Robles Ávila on November 3, 1889 in Xochipala, Guerrero. His father was named Casimiro Robles and his mother Josefa Ávila. His father was a wealthy farmer who owned 42 acres of land and owned a small Mezcal factory.
Early life
Amelio had two older brothers Teódulo and Prisca. Amelio was 3 years old when his father died and his mother married Jesús Martinez, who was a worker that was dedicated to livestock. His mother and Jesús had 3 more children, Luis, Conception and Jesús Martínez Avila. Amelia and his siblings was raised in the Catholic religion. Amelia helped in forming part of the Society for Mary’s daughters.
Amelio studied up until the fourth grade at the school for young ladies in Chilpancingo.
From a young age Amelio showed an interest in activities that were not the norm for women at his age, learning to ride and tame horses and handling weapons. Even before joining the army, he was treasurer in a Maderistas club in Xochipala, which was suspected to have been formally started after the fall of Porfirio Díaz.
Between August and November 1911, Amelio took a commission to travel to the Gulf of Mexico with the purpose of obtaining money from the oil companies for the revolutionary cause.
Army life
Before his entry into the army, a fortune teller visited him in school and predicted that he would go to war.
Also there is no measure that tested the frequency of transgender individuals in the Mexican Revolution, there is evidence now that shows Amelio was not alone. Maria de la Luz Barrera, Zapatista and Petra/ Pedro Jiménez all adopted a male identity during the war.[1]
Amelio chose to enlist in the army instead of agreeing to an arranged marriage set up by her mother. Amelio joined the army when General Juan Andreu Almazán passed through Xochipala in 1911 as pressure mounted against Porfirio Díaz to resign as president.
Between August and November 1911, Amelia was sent to the Gulf of Mexico in a Commission in order to obtain money from oil companies for the revolutionary cause. Two years later, he began to dress as a man and demanded to be treated as such. From 1913 to 1918, Robles fought as "el coronel Robles". with the Zapatistas under the command of Jesús H. Salgado, Heliodoro Castillo, and Encarnación Díaz.
In 1924, Amelio supported General Alvaro Obregón against the Delahuertist rebellion under the command of General Adrian Castrejón, where the Delahuertista general Marcial Cavazos died and Amelio was hurt. It was here when he decided to adopt a new identity and assumed the name of Colonel Robles. He always showed a masculine appearance and an openness with his sexual preference. During this time is when he met Angela Torres in Apipilulco and raised his only daughter Regula Robles Torres.
Due to his courage and bravery, he won the title of lieutenant, major and then colonel. He made sure to never allow anyone to call him coronela.
Following the military phase of the Revolution, Robles supported revolutionary general Álvaro Obregón, president of Mexico 1920–1924, during the 1924 rebellion of Adolfo de la Huerta and in 1939 supported Almazán in the presidential election.
Awards
Toward the end of Robles's long life, Robles received various decorations acknowledging distinguished military service: a decoration as a veteran of the Mexican Revolution and the Legion of Honor of the Mexican Army. In 1973, Robles received the title of Mérito revolutionario.
Death
On his deathbed Robles made two requests, that he received honors for his military service and that he was dressed as a woman in order to commend his soul to God.
Robles died December 9, 1984, aged 95.
References
- ^ Cano, Gabriela (2009-01-01). "Amelio Robles, andar de soldado viejo. Masculinidad (trangénero) en la Revolución Mexicana". Debate Feminista. 39: 14–39.
- López González, Valentín (1980). Los Compañeros de Zapata (Ediciones del Gobierno del Estado Libre y Soberano de Morelos edición). México.