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Introduction: Beyond the Adelita Archetype In the popular imagination, the women of the Mexican Revolution are often relegated to the romanticized archetype of the Adelita—a loyal camp follower, a source of comfort and domesticity amidst the chaos of war. While the soldaderas who fulfilled these crucial support roles were undeniably vital to the revolutionary armies, this narrow depiction obscures the multifaceted and often martial contributions of women in the conflict. It is within this historiographical lacuna that the story of Petra Herrera emerges, a figure who defied the gendered expectations of her time to become a respected and formidable military leader. Herrera’s life,…