In 1911 he participated in the revolution led by Francisco Madero (1873–1913); when Madero failed to redistribute land to the peasants, Zapata intitiated his own programme of agrarian reform and attempted to implement this by means of guerrilla warfare. He later joined forces with Pancho Villa and others, overthrowing General Huerta in 1914; from 1914 to 1919 he and Villa fought against the regime of Venustiano Carranza. Zapata was ambushed and killed by Carranza’s soldiers in 1919.