Pancho Villa

José Doroteo Arango Arámbula (5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923), better known by his nickname Pancho Villa, was a Mexican revolutionary leader who advocated for the poor and wanted agrarian reform. Though he was a killer, a bandit, and a revolutionary leader,^[1] many remember him as a folk hero. Pancho Villa was also responsible for a raid on Columbus, New Mexico, in 1916, which was the first attack on U.S. soil since 1812. "Pancho" was a revolutionary advocate for the less fortunate.

Villa was assassinated on July 20, 1923.^[2] He had retired from his role as a revolutionary general and was living a quieter life on his ranch in Parral, Mexico. On that day, while driving his car with some companions, Villa was ambushed by a group of gunmen, who fired over 40 shots at his vehicle. Villa and several of his men were killed in the attack.^[3]

The exact reasons behind his murder are still debated, but many believe political motives were involved. Villa had many enemies, including former revolutionaries and government officials, who may have seen him as a threat even after his retirement. Some theories suggest that high-ranking politicians were behind the assassination to prevent Villa from regaining power.^[4]

Pancho Villa Media

General Pancho Villa, 1910.
Villa as he appeared in the United States press during the Revolution
General Pascual Orozco and Colonels Oscar Braniff, Pancho Villa and Peppino Garibaldi, photographed 10 May 1911, after taking Juárez City, during the Mexican Revolution.
Honorary Brigadier-General Pancho Villa before a Federal Army firing squad in Jiménez, Chihuahua, in 1912. His execution by General Victoriano Huerta was averted at the last moment by a telegram from President Madero.^[5]
Villa with his staff in 1913. Villa is in gray suit in center. His aide, Gen. Rodolfo Fierro, is to Villa's right. To Villa's left is Gen. Toribio Ortega and far right of photo is Colonel Juan Medina. Villa and Fierro served in the Constitutionalist Army opposing Huerta.
Constitutionalist Generals Obregón (left), Villa (center) with U.S. Army General Pershing, posing after an August 1914 meeting at Fort Bliss, Texas.
Iconic image of Villa in Ojinaga, a publicity still taken by Mutual Film Corporation photographer John Davidson Wheelan in January 1914^[6]
From left to right, the revolutionary generals Candelario Cervantes, Pablo López, Francisco Villa, Francisco Beltrán, Martín López.
Pancho Villa, (lEFT) El Carnicero Rodolfo Fierro, and Raúl Madero
Painting of Taking of Zacatecas, the largest battle of the Mexican Revolution, by Ángel Boliver, Museo Nacional de Historia