ere the
Mexican Military Map Commission still has its headquarters. Captain
Huerta accompanied the Commission to Jalapa, the capital of the State
of Vera Cruz, and served there through a period of eight years,
receiving his promotion to major in 1880 and to lieutenant-colonel in
1884. During this time he had charge of all the astronomical work of
the Commission, and he also led surveying and exploring parties over
the rough mountainous region that extends between the cities of Jalapa
and Orizaba. While at Jalapa he married Emilia Aguila, of Mexico City,
who bore him three sons and a daughter.

In 1890 Huerta was promoted to a colonelcy and was recalled to Mexico
City. As a reward for Indian campaign services Huerta was promoted to
the rank of brigadier-general. In Mexico's centennial year of 1910,
when Francisco Madero rose in the north, and other parts of the
Republic gave signs of disaffection, General Huerta was ordered south
to take charge of all the detached Government force in the mountainous
State of Guerrero. Almost simultaneously with his arrival in
Chilpancingo, the capital of the State of Guerrero, almost the whole
south of Mexico rose in rebellion. The military situation there was
soon found to be so hopeless that Huerta was recalled to Mexico City.

After General Huerta saw General Porfirio Diaz off to Europe at Vera
Cruz, he returned to the capital and placed himself at the disposition
of Don Francisco L. de la Barra, Mexico's new President _ad interim_.
President de la Barra dispatched him with a column of soldiers to
Cuernavaca to restore peace.

Huerta placed himself at Senor Madero's complete disposition when the
latter was elected and inaugurated as President at Mexico. Madero, for
reasons that are self-evident, was anxious to propitiate the military
element, and to secure the cooperation of the more experienced officers
in the regular army for the better pacification of the country.
Accordingly, when Zapata and his bandit hordes gave signs of returning
to their old ways, refusing to "stay bought," President Madero sent
General Huerta back into Morelos, at the head of a strong force of
cavalry, mountain artillery, and machine guns, numbering altogether
3,500 men, with orders to put down Zapata's new rebellion "at any
cost." At the same time President Madero induced his former fellow
rebel, Ambrosio Figueroa, now Commander-in-Chief of Mexico's rural
guards, to cooperate with General Huerta by bringi