Read complete books and articles on: Pancho Villa (Francisco Villa)

Villa, Francisco - fränsēsˈkō vēˈyä, c.1877–1923, Mexican revolutionary, nicknamed Pancho Villa. His real name was Doroteo Arango.

When Villa came of age, he declared his freedom from the peonage of his parents and became notorious as a bandit in Chihuahua and Durango. His vigorous fighting in the revolution of 1910–11 was largely responsible for the triumph of Francisco I. Madero over Porfirio Díaz. When Victoriano Huerta overthrew Madero (Feb., 1913), Villa joined Venustiano Carranza and the Constitutionalists in the fight against Huerta. The Constitutionalists met with continual success. Villa, at the head of his brilliant cavalry, Los Dorados, gained control of N Mexico by the audacity of his attacks; Huerta resigned in July, 1914.

Antipathy and suspicion had always existed between Villa and Carranza; now, with their common enemy eliminated, an open break occurred after the Convention of Aguascalientes. A bloody contest ensued, with Álvaro Obregón taking the side of Carranza. In the midst of chaos, Villa, with Emiliano Zapata, occupied Mexico City (Dec., 1914) but later evacuated the capital (Jan., 1915). Obregón pursued Villa, and their armies engaged at Celaya (Apr., 1915). Decisively defeated, Villa was driven north and out of military significance. In the winter of 1915 he campaigned disastrously against Plutarco E. Calles in Sonora.

Villa's waning power was further diminished by President Wilson's recognition of Carranza (Oct., 1915), which angered Villa. In Jan., 1916, a group of Americans were shot by bandits in Chihuahua, and on Mar. 9, 1916, some of Villa's men raided the U.S. town of Columbus, N.Mex., killing some American citizens. It is not certain that Villa participated in these assaults, but he was universally held responsible. Wilson ordered a punitive expedition under General Pershing to capture Villa dead or alive. The expedition pursued Villa through Chihuahua for 11 months (Mar., 1916–Feb., 1917) but failed in its objective. Carranza violently resented this invasion and it embittered relations between Mexico and the United States.

Villa continued his activities in northern Mexico throughout Carranza's regime, but in 1920 he came to an amicable agreement with the government of Adolfo de la Huerta. Three years later Villa was assassinated at Parral. In a sense Pancho Villa was a rebel against social abuses; at times he worked a rough justice but he was a violent and undirected destructive force. His daring, his impetuosity, and his horsemanship made him the idol of the masses, especially in N Mexico, where he was regarded as a sort of Robin Hood. The Villa myth is perpetuated in numerous ballads and tales.

Bibliography

See biographies by W. D. Lansford (1965), O. Arnold (1979), and F. Katz (1998); M. L. Guzmán, The Eagle and the Serpent (tr. 1930); E. Pinchón, Viva Villa! (1933, repr. 1970); H. Braddy, Cock of the Walk (1955, repr. 1970); C. C. Clendenen, The United States and Pancho Villa (1961, repr. 1972); M. A. Machado, Jr., Centaur of the North (1988); F. McLynn, Villa and Zapata (2000).

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8 of the Best Books and Articles on: Pancho Villa (Francisco Villa)

as selected by Questia librarians

1.

The Life and Times of Pancho Villa » Read Now
by Friedrich Katz. 988 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Pancho Villa is one of the best-known figures in Mexican history. Based on decades of multi-national archival research, this study aims to separate the myth from historical fact.
2.

The Myth of the Revolution: Hero Cults and the Institutionalization of the Mexican State, 1920-1940 (Chap. 5 "The Public Image of Francisco Villa") » Read Now
by Ilene V. O'Malley. 206 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...and restaurants with names like "Pancho Villas Follies." Villa, a popular revolutionary leader...returned to the country." 49 Pancho Villas widow, Luz Corral, was...honor...
3.

Insurgent Mexico (Part Two "Francisco Villa") » Read Now
by John Reed. 280 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

A personal adventure story that is also a valuable historic documentary of the heady days Reed spent with Pancho Villa and his peon army in northern Mexico.
4.

Rural Revolt in Mexico: U. S. Intervention and the Domain of Subaltern Politics ("From Alliance to Dependency: The Formation and Deformation of an Alliance between Francisco Villa and the United States" begins on p. 239) » Read Now
by Daniel Nugent. 385 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

...Deformation of an Alliance between Francisco Villa and the United States Friedrich Katz...unraveling of an alliance between Francisco Villa and different actors government...
5.

Liberators and Patriots of Latin America: Biographies of 23 Leaders from Dona Marina (1505-1530) to Bishop Romero (1917-1980) (Discussion of Pancho Villa begins on p. 150) » Read Now
by Jerome R. Adams. 292 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Agents of change, they have been both damned and praised-but uniformly remembered as national figures. Some are revered all over Latin America. Yet most are largely unknown beyond their borders. This book makes them and their times and causes understood. The 17 men and six women span generations and...
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Agents of change, they have been both damned and praised-but uniformly remembered as national figures. Some are revered all over Latin America. Yet most are largely unknown beyond their borders. This book makes them and their times and causes understood. The 17 men and six women span generations and causes-Toussaint L'Ouverture of Haiti, Juan Perón and Eva Perón of Argentina, José Martí and Fidel Castro of Cuba, Dolores Jiménez y Muro and Hermila Galindo of the Mexican Revolution of 1910, Ché Guevara and nine others were passionately involved with independence and equality.
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6.

Cultures of United States Imperialism ("Plotting the Border: John Reed, Pancho Villa, and Insurgent Mexico" begins on p. 340) » Read Now
by Amy Kaplan, Donald E. Pease. 672 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library
7.

A Peaceful and Working People: Manners, Morals, and Class Formation in Northern Mexico ("Chihuahua under Villista Rule" begins on p. 154) » Read Now
by William E. French. 272 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...of Hidalgo District, Santa Barbara, and Villa Escobedo, mining dates back to the very...The towns of Parral, Santa Barbara, Villa Escobedo formerly Minas Nuevas , and...
8.

Pobre Raza! Violence, Justice and Mobilization among Mexico Lindo Immigrants, 1900-1936 ("Villista Problems" begins on p. 15) » Read Now
by F. Arturo Rosales. 282 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

Fleeing the social and political turmoil spawned by the Mexican Revolution, massive numbers of Mexican immigrants entered the southwestern United States in the early decades of the twentieth century. But instead of finding refuge, many encountered harsh, anti-Mexican attitudes and violence from an...
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Fleeing the social and political turmoil spawned by the Mexican Revolution, massive numbers of Mexican immigrants entered the southwestern United States in the early decades of the twentieth century. But instead of finding refuge, many encountered harsh, anti-Mexican attitudes and violence from an Anglo population frightened by the influx of foreigners and angered by anti-American sentiments in Mexico. This book examines the response of Mexican immigrants to Anglo American prejudice and violence early in the twentieth century. Drawing on archival sources from both sides of the border, Arturo Rosales traces the rise of "Meacute;xico Lindo" nationalism and the efforts of Mexican consuls to help poor Mexican immigrants defend themselves against abuses and flagrant civil rights violations by Anglo citizens, police, and the U.S. judicial system. This research illuminates a dark era in which civilian and police brutality, prejudice in the courtroom, and disproportionate arrest, conviction, and capital punishment rates too often characterized justice for Mexican Americans.
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