Carranza, Venustiano 1859-1920
Mexican political leader

Born into a landowning family in Cuatro Ci�negas, he became governor of his native state, Cohuila, which he led (1910) in the revolution against Porfirio D�az. In 1913 he became the leader of the forces that overthrew General Victoriano Huerta. After a power struggle with other revolutionary leaders, Carranza became President (1915); he was a moderate who favoured political reforms but opposed land redistribution and mistrusted the labour movement. After he failed to enforce the progressive constitution of 1917, he was overthrown (1920) by a reform coalition. He fled on horseback into the mountains but was overtaken and killed.