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The Birth of Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa, whose original name was Doroteo Arango and who was also known as Francisco Villa, was born on June 5, 1878, in Hacienda de Río Grande, San Juan del Río, Mexico. He was orphaned at an early age. In revenge for an assault on his sister, he killed one of the owners of an estate on which he worked. Forced to flee to the mountains, he spent his adolescence as a fugitive bandit leader. -
He Joined The Bandits
At first, he did what he could to survive by himself, but by 1896, he had joined some other bandits and soon became their leader.Villa and his group of bandits would steal cattle, rob shipments of money, and commit additional crimes against the wealthy. By stealing from the rich and often giving to the poor, some saw Pancho Villa as a modern-day Robin Hood. -
Francisco Madero's revolution
In 1909 Villa joined Francisco Madero's successful revolution against the dictator Porfirio Díaz. He was condemned to death in 1912 by his commanding officer, General Victoriano Huerta, but Madero had him imprisoned instead and Villa escaped. -
Villa Remains Rich
Picking up a rifle and joining a revolution isn’t what most people consider a wise career move, but the fact remains that the revolution made Villa rich. A penniless bandit in 1910, when he “retired” from the constant warfare of the revolution in 1920 he had a large ranch with livestock, a pension and even land and money for his men. -
Villa formed a military band
After Madero's assassination in 1913 Villa formed a military band of several thousand men that became famous as the Division of the North. Combining his force with that of another revolutionary, Venustiano Carranza, Villa revolted against the increasingly repressive dictatorship of General Huerta. -
Rivalry broke between the two
Together they entered Mexico City as victorious revolutionary leaders. Rivalry led to a break between the two, however, and Villa fled in December 1914 to the northern mountains with another rebel leader, Emiliano Zapata -
He Was Wanted
March 9, 1916, several hundred Mexican guerrillas under the command of Francisco “Pancho” Villa cross the U.S.-Mexican border and attack the small border town of Columbus, New Mexico. Seventeen Americans were killed in the raid, and the center of town was burned. It was unclear whether Villa personally participated in the attack, but President Woodrow Wilson ordered the U.S. Army into Mexico to capture the rebel leader dead or alive. -
failed to capture him
January 1917, having failed in their mission to capture Villa, and under continued pressure from the Mexican government, the Americans were ordered home.Villa continued his guerrilla activities in northern Mexico until Adolfo de la Huerta took power over the government and drafted a reformist constitution. Villa entered into an amicable agreement with Huerta and agreed to retire from politics. -
historians blame Alvaro Obregon
In 1923, Villa was coldly gunned down as he drove through the town of Parral. Although most historians blame Alvaro Obregon for the act, there is still a bit of mystery surrounding his murder. -
Villa launched his attacks on the Americans
In order to demonstrate that Carranza did not control this region, Villa launched his attacks on the Americans in 1916. Villa continued his guerrilla activities until Carranza was overthrown in 1920. He then agreed to retire from politics. On June 20, 1923, Villa was assassinated on his ranch in Parral.
