Many of us who love history are likely to appreciate colorful characters doing exceptional deeds in interesting settings. After all, life tends to write much better stories than any fiction possibly could. And to tie that in with our real world, seeing how these ocurrencias contributed to shaping it, raises historical accounts way above the imagined realm of fiction. Among all historical epochs, one that's literally overflowing with colorful characters is the time of the Mexican Revolution. Just reading a simple Wikipedia article on it is quite exciting already. So just imagine what a dramatized version of it would be like!
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Two TV Series Telling the Story of History
The two shows I would like to introduce here are El Encanto del Águila and Pancho Villa: El Centauro del Norte. I would call neither of the two superior to the other, as both have their own shortcomings, but if you watch them back-on-back, maybe along with some serious documentaries (or just reading along Wikipedia), they do provide an interesting insight into the times and faces of the Mexican Revolution.
A Brief Historical Overview
The early 20th century already offers a highly interesting, as not to say photogenic, setting, moving slowly from the overdecorated military of the 19th century into the era of peaked caps and drab uniforms. Even in civilian life the clothes ranged from the ranch style, reminiscent of American Western films to the top hats and long dresses of the urban elite. Since this is Mexico, there is also a good amount of the stereotypical peasant hats and sarapes... So what was the (hi)story again?
By 1910 an aging Porfirio Díaz (old man with drooping white mustache) had been president for three decades, and was about to be reelected once more. While the rich profited from the modernization of the country, the wide masses had been systematically exploited, and were thus ready to revolt. Francisco Madero (small guy with black goatee) took it upon himself to successfully oust Díaz and was ready to push through reforms, but was assassinated in a military coup by Victoriano Huerta (peaked cap and dark round sunglasses), helped by an opportunistic US ambassador. Other leaders of the revolution organized themselves against Huerta, led by Venustiano Carranza (older fellow with long white goatee), Pancho Villa (chubby bandit with mustache), Emiliano Zapata (skinny peasant with impressive mustache), and Alvaro Obregón (handsome guy in smart uniform). Once Huerta was gone, Carranza took up power, intending on keeping it, which turned the others against him. Eventually Carranza had Zapata killed, Obregón had Carranza killed, and later on Pancho Villa too, making him the last caudillo before the revolution became fully institutionalized.
No Spoilers, It's History!
This is no fun, I feel like I just ruined the whole experience. But then again, these are all known facts every Mexican kid knows from school. In fact, I would say it's helpful to became familiar with these characters to fully enjoy the series. After all, being fictionalized accounts, they each tend to tell the same historical facts in their own ways. And since the characters really offer themselves so perfectly for dramatization, both shows become quite enjoyable.
The Eagle's Charm and The Centaur of the North
El Encanto del Águila tries to focus on the various chapters of the revolution, highlighting the individual characters participating in each one. In thirteen episodes of 20 minutes each, it creates a visually impactful story, where each character gets to shine in their own way. As for the historical accuracy... yes, there have been some blunders, albeit minor ones. Also, as I was reading Wikipedia along with watching the show, I got this weird impression that it was the only historical source they used for creating the series!
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El Centauro del Norte is obviously based completely on Pancho Villa, introducing all other characters from his perspective. Even the whole story is being narrated by Villa himself, which I really liked. The series combines historical facts with the numerous legends that have sprouted up around this bandit turned revolutionary, which have since been proven false. However, they do create a great narrative as he himself may have told it. The generous use of historical film material throughout the show add another great touch. Ironically, it was the cast of Villa himself that I enjoyed the least, as I believe Enoc Leaño was much better for this role in El Encanto del Águila.
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Additional Challenges...
If I got you excited about watching some historical shows about the Mexican Revolution, I may have to disappoint you a bit: They are not easy to find, even here in Mexico. El Centauro del Norte is available on Star+ (for those who have it) and I managed to acquire it in a very slow and tedious process. El Encanto del Águila was even more difficult to get, having to sign up to some sub-standard Mexican streaming platform. Now I'm noticing, there are plenty of clips of it on YouTube of a few minutes each, but I'm not sure if that would make up the entire show.
El encanto del Águila Trailer from Cactus Film Mexico on Vimeo.
Also, you really need to speak decent Spanish to enjoy either of these series, since I could not find any subtitles for either of them, not even Spanish ones(!) let alone dubbed audios. However, if all this poses no problem to you, and you even managed to get hold of either of these shows, I can recommend watching them. In any case, here are the teasers / trailers.
To see more reviews of TV series I have enjoyed, please visit my Binge on This post collection.