FRANCISCO VILLA (PANCHO VILLA): BIOGRAPHY - HISTORY - 2025

Francisco Villa (1878-1923), better known as Pancho Villa, was one of the protagonists of the Mexican Revolution, leader of the guerrilla that fought against the governments of Porfirio Díaz and Victoriano Huerta.

While still very young, Villa was involved in an event that changed his life: he shot one of the owners of the farm where he worked to defend his sister. As in so many other aspects of his biography, there are several versions of the event, but the truth is that he had to flee to the mountains and become a bandit.

Source: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-DIG-ggbain-09255

When the Mexican Revolution broke out in 1910, Villa soon joined the supporters of Francisco I. Madero. It is at that moment that the legend begins as a revolutionary leader, since he showed great military ability and as a leader.

Villa, throughout a decade and a half, never stopped defending the cause in which he believed, always in favor of the most disadvantaged. This led him to fight against the dictator Huerta and also against his successor Venustiano Carranza.

Biography

Francisco Villa came to the world on the Río Grande farm, located in the town of San Juan del Río, in the State of Durango. He was born on June 5, 1878 and his real name was José Doroteo Arango Arámbula.

Villa was orphaned of a father very soon and had to become responsible for his entire family, made up of his mother and four siblings, and of very humble origin. Because of this, he was never able to go to school nor did he have anyone to educate him in his early years.

Fugitive

Villa's childhood and early youth are not well documented. There are different versions about her, even when it comes to who her parents were.

The life-changing event of 1894 is no exception to this confusion. According to all historians (and his own writings), Villa was working as a farmer on a farm owned by the López Negrete family. In September of that year, Doroteo Arango (later Pancho Villa) became a fugitive from justice.

The reason that caused his flight was his action to defend his sister. Some versions claim that the owner of the ranch had raped her, while others only state that he tried. Villa took a rifle and shot López Negrete, without it being entirely clear whether he killed him or only left him badly injured.

Faced with the real danger of being arrested, Villa fled to the mountains. According to biographers, he spent moments of hunger there until he joined a band of bandits that operated in the area.

From Doroteo Arango to Pancho Villa

As noted above, many aspects of Villa's life present various versions, some contributed by himself in his memoirs. Among these aspects is the reason for its name change.

One of the explanations is that he did it to honor the head of the gang he joined in the mountains. This would have died during a confrontation with the security forces, passing Arango to lead the group and to put his last name. Another version is that Villa was the surname of his paternal grandfather and that he recovered it at that time.

During his years in the mountains, Villa was dedicated to banditry. A legend, not fully confirmed, claims that he returned to the ranch where he had shot López Negrete. Apparently, his brother-in-law was looking for him to take revenge and Villa went ahead and ended his life.

Already during that time the legend of Pancho Villa began to be born as a defender of the underprivileged. For him, the landowners were exploiters of their workers and, therefore, their enemies.

Bandit

Towards the end of the 1990s, it is known that Villa spent time working in the mine and as a bricklayer in Chihuahua. However, police pressure caused him to return to the mountains as a bandit.

There he was practically until the beginning of the Revolution, making a name for himself among the peasants and peons on the haciendas. His robberies and assaults were probably exaggerated, since given his fame almost all the criminal acts that occurred in the area were attributed to him.

Entry into the Revolution

At the beginning of the 20th century, Mexico was ruled by the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. After several decades of the so-called Porfiriato, the opposition to the regime began to organize. Thus, for the 1910 elections, Francisco I. Madero dared to run against Díaz with a program of democratic reforms.

However, Porfirio reacted by imprisoning Madero, releasing him once he got his tenure in the presidency. The opposition leader was not satisfied and, from his American exile, called for the rebellion of the Mexicans.

Pancho Villa, for his part, met the political representative of Madero, Abraham González. He became his mentor, giving him the basic education that the guerrilla had not been able to receive as a child. Likewise, it made him begin to be interested in politics and to position himself within that world.

Just three months after Madero and his men took up arms, Villa showed up in El Paso to put himself at their service. With him he carried his men and his meager financial fortune. In November of the same 1910, he made his debut in the battle attacking the Hacienda la Cavaría. Likewise, he began to recruit volunteers for his troops.

First battles

One of Villa's great advantages over Madero's enemies was his great knowledge of the land and the peasants. In a short time he was able to form his own army and make it almost unbeatable in the mountains.

During those months, Villa stood out as a military leader in battles such as those of San Andrés, Santa Isabel or Ciudad Camargo. Besides, he also participated, along with Pascual Orozco, in the important battle of Ciudad Juárez.

Another of his great achievements was the taking of Torreón, since it served to take over several trains that he would later use to move large contingents of the Northern Division.

Triumph of Madero

Villa became one of Francisco I. Maduro's fundamental supporters in his fight against Porfirio Díaz. In just half a year, the war ended with the decisive capture of Ciudad Juárez and the resignation and exile of the dictator.

At the triumphal entry into the capital, Maduro was accompanied by Villa. There, the former bandit was named honorary captain general of the newly created rural force.

Despite the fact that Díaz had been defeated, the situation in the country was not stabilized. For one thing, the ruler's former supporters continued to be a threat. On the other, some revolutionaries, such as Zapata and Orozco, soon began to be against Maderista policies.

Orozco Rebellion

The first to rise up against Madero was Emiliano Zapata, disappointed by the timidity of the new government's agrarian reforms. Next was Pascual Orozco, who led an uprising in March 1912. Villa, on the other hand, continued to support Madero and joined the fight to stop Orozco.

At the head of the troops that fought against Orozco in the north of the country was Victoriano Huerta, whom Madero had kept as general. Villa was sent to the front, while Huerta stayed in the rear. Villa's work was once again remarkable and he ended up defeating the rebels at Rellano.

Victoriano Huerta

The Orozco rebellion was, however, a much better problem for Madero and his people than what followed. Victoriano Huerta had begun to conspire behind his back, negotiating with Porfirio Díaz's nephew and with the US ambassador.

One of Huerta's first moves was to try to eliminate Francisco Villa. To do this, he accused him of insubordination and sent him to a military court. In just 15 minutes, the judges decided to sentence Villa to death, which would have ended up with a dangerous rival for Huerta's plans.

Alfonso Madero managed to stop the scheduled execution, but the president had no choice but to support his chief general, Huerta, and send Villa to prison. In this way, the revolutionary was transferred to the capital, although he never ceased to be loyal to Madero.

Prison break

Pancho Villa did not last long in jail. In a very short time he managed to escape and, according to historians, it seems that Madero showed no interest in pursuing him.

Some sources claim that this was because he was convinced of his innocence, while others think that he did it to avoid the complications of an authentic investigation of the events denounced by Huerta.

Villa marched towards Guadalajara and Manzanillo and, from there, headed towards El Paso (Texas). The governor himself, José María Maytorena, lent him money to facilitate his escape.

Governor of Chihuahua

While Villa remained in El Paso, the situation in Mexico remained very unstable. The Madero government seemed very weak, threatened by the Porfiristas and the Zapatista revolutionaries.

The definitive coup was led by Huerta in February 1913. The coup, with the so-called Tragic Ten, concluded with the assassination of the president and his vice president and with the rise to power of Huerta himself.

That was the moment chosen by Villa to return to Mexico. According to legend, the guerrilla entered the country in April, accompanied by only four men. In just one month he had managed to gather 3,000 more men and began the reluctance against Huerta. During that year he managed to liberate Chihuahua and other northern areas.

Governor of Chihuahua

It can be said that it was in Chihuahua the only place where Villa was able to carry out his ideas. As the basis of his government, he undertook two very ambitious projects: the creation of schools, with almost 50 in the capital alone, and that of military colonies.

Villa believed that soldiers had to work in agricultural or industrial colonies for at least three days each week. In this way they would be much closer to the citizens and the army would cease to be, in their own words, "the greatest supporters of tyranny."

However, the military colonies could not be fully established, as the fight against Huerta continued. In Chihuahua, given the economic problems caused by the war, Villa ordered the issuance of her own currency and forced everyone to accept it.

The truth is that trade was revitalized, although in principle silver and official paper money remained hidden. Villa issued two decrees that made those hidden capitals come to light. Thanks to the enacted laws, his state government was able to buy supplies and supply the population.

Uprising against Huerta

Villa had not been the only one to rise up against the dictatorship imposed by Huerta. The former revolutionaries, although at odds before, came together again to try to overthrow him.

The person who led this new coalition was Venustiano Carranza, governor of Coahuila. Carranza proclaimed himself "head of the constitutionalist army" and promulgated the Plan of Guadalupe, ignoring the Huerta government and with the intention of reestablishing the Constitution.

Carranza had the Northeast Division at his disposal and had men like Álvaro Obregón. Villa, although with certain doubts, agreed to join his troops and contributed his dreaded Northern Division to the fight. In the south, Emiliano Zapata also joined the attempt to oust Huerta from power.

As noted, from the beginning there were discrepancies between Villa and Carranza. Both shared some areas of influence and there was no mutual trust between them.

Thus, Carranza began to entrust him with some of the most dangerous missions, but without allowing him to take some important localities that would have strengthened Villa's position with a view to the formation of the subsequent government.

Revolutionary triumph

The distrust between the two leaders was not an impediment to the revolutionary triumph. The decisive victory was obtained by Francisco Villa, who took Zacatecas in June 1914. It should be noted that Carranza forbade Villa to lead that battle, but the so-called Centauro del Norte did not heed the orders of his then superior.

This circumstance caused that despite this fundamental victory, the frictions between them grew. To try to settle them, both signed the Torreón Pact. Carranza promised to include Villistas and Zapatistas in a future government, and that none of the chiefs could become president.

In August 1914, the revolutionaries entered Mexico City. However, Obregón, a Carranza supporter, prevented Villa's and Zapata's men from entering the capital.

Obregón himself tried to ease the existing tension, but Villa took him prisoner and sentenced him to death, although he later pardoned him.

Aguascalientes Convention

Once Huerta was evicted from power, it was necessary to reach an agreement to form a new government.

The revolutionary leaders, Carranza, Obregón, Villa and Zapata, decided to convene a Convention in Aguascalientes to try to smooth things over. The first two represented moderate constitutionalism, the last two defended more social and agrarian measures.

The meetings ended in failure. It is true that Villistas and Zapatistas approached politically, but the Carranza and Obregón sector abandoned the Convention. Despite the previous Torreón Agreement, Carranza wanted to assume the presidency, but the refusal of the other sectors caused him to withdraw to Veracruz and form his own government.

Villa and Zapata took the opportunity to enter Mexico City. Eulalio Gutierrez, first, and later Roque González Garza, occupied the presidency of the nation. However, Zapata soon returned to the south, and Carranza began his offensive against Villa.

Defeat against Obregón

The new war, this time between the former revolutionary allies, began immediately. Although Villa had the Northern Division under his command, for the first time he began to reap resounding defeats.

The man Carranza placed at the head of his army was Álvaro Obregón. The most important battle took place in 1915, in Celaya. Villa was defeated by the Constitutionalists, beginning his decline. It should be noted that the Carrancistas had the support, in the form of weapons, from the United States.

After Celaya, Villa was defeated in Trinidad, in León, and in the battle of Aguascalientes in June 1915. Finally, he was forced to return to the northern territories.

Despite this, Villa still tried to fight back and conquer the State of Sonora. However, the attempt ended with a new failure and it was defeated in Agua Prieta by an army led by Plutarco Elías Calles.

Attack on the United States

Defeated, Villa started back north. He settled again in Chihuahua, no longer in command of his army. He only maintained a detachment of about 1000 men with whom he decided to start a new campaign.

During his confrontation with Venustiano Carranza, the attitude of the United States had been fundamental. The weapons had freely reached Veracruz and, furthermore, after some negotiations with various gangs, Washington had decided to recognize the Carranza government.

For this, Villa decided to try a risky move. It was about attacking US interests to show that Carranza could not control Mexico and to provoke enmity between the governments. The intention was to destabilize the situation in order to present himself as a savior against a hypothetical intervention by the United States.

The first attempt occurred on January 10, 1916. His men stormed a train and shot its occupants, 15 of them Americans. However, the government of that country did not respond as Villa expected.

Villa decided to go one step further and on March 9, under his command, a group crossed the border and attacked the town of Columbus. The result was 3 American soldiers killed and 7 wounded, in addition to 5 other civilians killed.

American response

Faced with the invasion of US soil, his government was forced to act. He did so, however, in a very restricted way, with the sole objective of capturing Villa and his men.

For four years General Pershing was trying to find the guerrillas. The advantage that the knowledge of the land provided and the support of the peasant population rendered their efforts unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Villa continued his actions, halfway between the guerrillas and bandits.

In the end, the Americans ended up withdrawing in February 1917, without serious confrontations between them and the Mexicans, whether they were Villistas or Carrancistas.

Withdrawal to the Hacienda de Canutillo

For the next three years, until 1920, Villa continued his guerrilla activity. However, he noted the lack of weaponry and, barring a brief period of resurgence, his actions were less and less effective.

When Venustiano Carranza was ousted from power and later assassinated, Villa's legal situation changed. His interim substitute was Adolfo de la Huerta, who offered the guerrilla an amnesty and a ranch in Parral (Chihuahua). In return, he demanded that he lay down his arms and leave politics.

Villa agreed to the deal and retired to the promised hacienda, called El Canutillo. He was accompanied by 800 of his former comrades in arms and tried to form one of the military colonies that were part of his political thought.

Assassination of Francisco Villa

The next president of Mexico was a former enemy of Pancho Villa: Álvaro Obregón. According to historians, from the presidency he promoted (or tolerated) some plans to kill his adversary.

Later, when De la Huerta tried to prevent Plutarco Elías Calles from becoming president, the latter's supporters decided to assassinate Villa, fearful that he would again take up arms against them.

Calles paid Colonel Lara 50,000 pesos, plus a promotion to general, to kill Pancho Villa and some biographers claim that US elements also participated in the plan.

On July 20, 1923, when Villa was going to a family party in El Parral, he was the victim of an ambush. In it he was riddled with bullets and, once dead, was beheaded.

The latter was carried out by an American, Handal, as his country's dam magnate, William Randolph Hearst, had offered a reward of $ 5,000 for the revolutionary's head.

References

1. Collective Culture. Francisco Villa: the origin of a legend. Obtained from culturacolectiva.com
2. Carmona Dávila, Doralicia. Francisco Villa (Doroteo Arango Arámbula). Obtained from memoriapoliticademexico.org
3. Biographies and Life. Pancho Villa. Obtained from biografiasyvidas.com
4. Biography.com Editors. Pancho Villa Biography. Retrieved from biography.com
5. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Pancho Villa. Retrieved from britannica.com
6. Rosenberg, Jennifer. Pancho Villa. Retrieved from thoughtco.com
7. The Venture. Pancho Villa: Short bio and facts. Retrieved from theventureonline.com
8. Espinoza, Guisselle. Pancho Villa. Retrieved from staff.esuhsd.org