Doroteo Aranga, also known as Pancho Villa, had a strong aversion to the aristocratic Dons who treated him and his fellow Mexicans as if they were slaves. He abhorred how they forced them to work tirelessly with meager sustenance, likening it to treating them like animals. Additionally, Villa despised the lack of awareness among his compatriots that allowed such injustices to persist. At the age of fifteen, Aranga witnessed his mother defending his sister from a sexual assault. In retaliation, he shot the attacker and fled to the Sierra Madre mountains where he lived as a fugitive for fifteen years. It was during this period that he decided to adopt the name Francisco “Pancho” Villa in homage to someone whom he greatly admired.
During the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1911, Pancho Villa offered his services to rebel leader Francisco I. Madero and later served under Mexican general Victoriano Huerta during Madero’s administration. However, Villa was sentenced to death for insubordination. The United States took notice of Villa’s victories and he decided to flee there. President Woodrow Wilson’s military advisor, General Scott, compared Villa to “George Washington” and advocated for U.S. support of him as Mexico’s leader. In August 1914, General Pershing encountered Villa in El Paso, Texas and was impressed by his cooperative attitude. This led Villa to believe that the U.S. would recognize him as Mexico’s leader.
After Madero was assassinated and Huerta took power in 1913, Villa returned to join the opposition led by Carranza. Employing “hit and run” tactics, he successfully took control of northern Mexico, including Mexico City. This led to the formation of his formidable fighting force, known as “La Division Del Norte.” However, Villa and Carranza eventually became adversaries, and when Carranza assumed power in 1914, Villa rebelled against him.
Villa’s goal in the Battle of Celaya was to destroy Carranzista forces out of pure hatred rather than military strategy, resulting in significant losses for his division. In October 1915, the U.S. officially recognized Carranza as Mexico’s President amid power struggles and concerns over foreign investments. Villa, feeling betrayed by President Wilson, believed that Carranza had made a dangerous pact with the U.S., effectively putting Mexico under their control.
This led to a confrontation between Villa and the U.S., leading to an embargo imposed on Villa by the United States. The embargo prohibited him from purchasing guns, ammunition, and equipment from American border towns. Consequently, Villa’s transactions became illegal and were priced at double their original cost due to shortages.
Despite these challenges, Villa decided to transport his troops through difficult terrain to Agua Prieta. He expected it to be poorly guarded and capturing it would provide a buffer zone for transporting arms during his campaign.
To his surprise, however, Agua Prieta was heavily protected because Carranza had been allowed to transport 5000 Mexican troops onto American soil before Villa’s arrival. The arrival of these troops by train forced Villa and his tired horseback troops into retreat.
Carranza celebrated Villa’s defeat and used this opportunity to invite old U.S. investors from before the Revolution to reinvest in Mexico.
On March 9th 1916, Pancho Villa and his 600 men crossed the border into Columbus, NM. They attacked the town, resulting in the death of 17 American citizens and the destruction of parts of the town. Due to the increasing discrimination against Latinos, the bodies of Mexican individuals were gathered and burned as a precaution against “Mexican diseases.” In response to this attack, the United States dispatched a punitive expedition costing approximately twenty-five million dollars. They mobilized around 150,000 troops with the aim of capturing Villa, who was now considered a bandit in U.S. territory but seen as a hero by many in Mexico. The Tenth Cavalry, also known as the “Buffalo Soldiers,” consisted of African-Americans led by Anglo-American officers. They were known for their toughness and ferocity towards Mexicans. This expedition marked the first use of heavily armored vehicles and airplanes by the United States, serving as a practice run for future conflicts like World War II. General John Joseph “Blackjack” Pershing, renowned for his service in the Apache campaign, was assigned to lead this mission. This assignment became an attractive opportunity for Pershing. His mission objective was clear: bring Villa back dead or alive.
On March 16th, the New York Times reported that everyone was after Villa when the word got out. The American people were unfamiliar with the new machinery brought on the expedition, including tanks weighing up to four tons, trucks, and planes. Many American soldiers died because they did not know how to operate these machines. Nevertheless, Pershing commanded pilots to board and land as he pleased. Villa’s troops did not wear uniforms, so wherever the American troops went, they followed the same route. Their survival depended on their familiarity with the land. Towards the end of March, Pershing set up his headquarters 125 miles south of Chihuahua. Pershing realized that Pancho Villa’s countrymen strongly supported him and his raids when he encountered intense hostility and resentment. This hostility was likely fueled by the fear of foreign powers on their territory. Most of the violence occurred between townspeople and Carranzista troops since Pershing’s troops never encountered Villa themselves.
On April 2, 1916, Pershing was informed about Villa’s supposed hiding place. The thirteenth cavalry’s commander, Major Hank Tomkins, was instructed to go to Parral, located approximately 410 miles south of the U.S. border. This marked the furthest incursion of U.S. troops into Mexico in their search for Villa.
The townspeople in Mexico reacted to the American invasion, perceiving it as an invasion on them and Mexican families. The situation escalated when two weary American soldiers decided to bathe in a public fountain, resulting in children throwing stones at them. As tensions heightened, shots were fired and nearby Carranzista troops joined the retaliation. After suffering casualties, the American troops withdrew to a small village 16 miles away. This angered Pershing who desired retaliation, prompting calls from the American people for a complete invasion of Mexico.
Within two months, the largest military mobilization since World War I began with over 150,000 troops being deployed from Texas to California. Over time, Mexico increased pressure on Carranza to take action against the Punitive Expedition. Carranza claimed that Pancho Villa was no longer a threat and officially demanded that American troops retreat. However, Wilson rejected this demand leading to a full-scale war between Mexico and the United States.On June 18, 1916, the commander of the tenth cavalry arrived in Carrizal, a small town. He announced their need to pass through but Carranza was uncertain about how the people would react. The American troops’ commander refused to go around and proceeded to march through firing at those who opposed them. Surprisingly, around eighty men from the tenth cavalry were killed along with fourteen Americans being killed and twenty-four taken as prisoners. President Wilson demanded a full-scale war in a letter to Congress after which an ultimatum was sent to Carranza demanding release of all American prisoners whom Mexico had threatened to kill resulting in their release and seizure of international bridges weakening Carranza’s power while Pancho Villa prepared for future attacks.
General Pershing reported Villa’s repeated acts of violence to Wilson but Villa continued capturing towns controlled by Carranzista forces until January 1917 when he assembled his troops for conquering Toreon where many soldiers died leading President Wilson seeing this defeat as a way out for Mexico’s problems.
After failing to capture Villa, the U.S. declared the Punitive Expedition a success and prepared to withdraw. In 1920, Carranza was overthrown, leading to Villa forming a truce with the new government. He gave up his weapons in exchange for land and amnesty. Subsequently, Villa retired to a ranch near Parral, Chihuahua, where political enemies assassinated him in 1923.
