rights for Indians, in which supporters of Zapata accused Carranza and the Constitutionalists of favoring the "heirs of the conquerors who continue abuse and cheat the oppressed Indians." Carranza was removed as president, and Villa's forces occupied Mexico City. However, the urban centers continued to be powerhouses of Constitutionalist support, and Villa's actions in the capital soon forced him to leave in 1915. Constitutionalist forces continued to hound him until he was defeated in battle in April 1915. The United States officially recognized Carranza as the president of Mexico in 1916, and in 1917, the population elected him. Constitution of 1917 Carranza's most important action as a Constitutionalist leader came in 1917, when the Constitution of 1917 was published. It was the culmination of most of the Revolution's goals, and perhaps the most important document in modern Mexican history. The signing of this document also began the reign of the Constitutionalists. Although Carranza was not in power long enough to enact many changes, his successors would strengthen the Constitutionalist movement in the 1920s. Zapata and Villa were assassinated, along with any other caudillo that threatened the power of the Constitutionalists and thereby solidifying their position. Later on, they would fight off the Cristeros, who were pro-Catholic Church rebels in the northern regions. But perhaps the most important move the Constitutionalists enacted was the establishment of a one-party system. This single party (the PRI) would dominant Mexican politics until the later years of the 20th century. See also Constitutional Army General sources Chasteen, John Charles. Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America. New York: W. W. Norton and Company Inc, 2001. Stefoff, Rebecca. Independence and Revolution in Mexico. New York: Facts On File Inc, 1993. Tannenbaum, Frank. Peace by Revolution: Mexico After 1910. United States of America, Columbia University Press, 1993. Factions of the Mexican Revolution History of Mexico Military history of Mexico