Pancho Villa


Doroteo Arango Ar‡mbula (June 5, 1878 - July 20, 1923), better known
as Francisco "Pancho" Villa, was a Mexican revolutionary.

He was born in La Coyotada, San Juan del Rio, Durango, Mexico and the early
tale of his life is confused by several divergent accounts as well as by
Villa's own desire, later in life, to be perceived as a people's champion.
It is known that he was born to a poor family and quickly took up the life
of a bandit in the state of Chihuahua. He was caught several times for
crimes ranging from banditry to cattle rustling, but through influential
connections was able to get off each time.

Villa underwent a transformation upon meeting Abraham Gonzalez, the
political representative of Francisco I. Madero in Chihuahua. Gonzalez gave
Villa a basic education that opened his eyes to the political world, and
changed the way he thought about his own life and his relation to those in
power (in the state of Chihuahua, the powerful Creel/Terrazas family). From
this point until near the end of his life, Villa considered himself a
revolutionary fighting for the people.

In 1911, Villa helped defeat the federal army of Porfirio Diaz in favour of
Francisco I. Madero. After that, Villa again rebelled against former allies,
first against Victoriano Huerta, later against Venustiano Carranza.

On March 9, 1916 Villa led 1,500 Mexican raiders in an attack against
Columbus, New Mexico. They burned the town and killed 17 of its residents.
President Woodrow Wilson responded by sending 12,000 United States troops
over the border into Mexico on March 15 to pursue Villa. During the search,
the United States launched its first air combat mission when eight American
planes lifted off on March 19. The expedition to capture Villa was under
General John Pershing but ended on January 28, 1917 in failure.

In 1920, Villa ended his revolutionary actions, and was assassinated three
years later in Parral, Mexico. As a rebel against injustice and abuse, Villa
is still remembered in Mexico as a folk hero.

Villa has been represented in films by himself (1912, 1913, 1914), Raoul
Walsh (1912, 1914), George Humbert (1918), Phillip Cooper (1934), Wallace
Beery (1934), Juan F. Triana (1935), Domingo Soler (1936), Maurice Black
(1937), Leo Carillo (1949), Pedro Armend‡riz (1950, 1957, 1960 twice), Alan
Reed (1952), Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr. (1958), JosŽ El’as Moreno (1967), Ricardo
Palacios (1967), Yul Brynner (1968), Telly Savalas (1971), Hector Elizondo
(1976), Freddy Fender (1977), Gaithor Brownne (1985), Pedro Armend‡riz, Jr.
(1989), Antonio Aguilar (1993), Jesœs Ochoa (1995), Carlos Roberto Majul
(1999), Mike Moroff (1999), Peter Butler (2000), Antonio Banderas (2003)
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Pancho Villa was also a world boxing champion. Pancho Villa the boxer was
from the Philippines. He was revered there by many as a national hero
because he was that country's first world champion.

He died from blood poisoning after a dental surgery.

He is a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame.