Pancho Villa

Doroteo Arango was born in the State of Durango. He grew up raw without much education and he started working when he was a boy in order to help his family's economy. As a teenager he went to Chihuahua to work, but he had to return right after to face the son of a rich landlord who abused his sister. After killing him he ran to the mountains where he hid and, so they say, he almost died. Some time after he joined a bandit gang, the "Dorados" of which he became leader some time after.

It is not known for sure where he took the name Francisco Villa from, but Doroteo Arango started using it as an alias in his many incursions to civilization. His attacks and looting were held in haciendas for a number of personal motifs but when he learned about Madero's political position against the system, he gathered his men and joined the rebel cause quickly. Villa fought against the Porfirian army shoulder to shoulder with General Huerta, who regarded Villa as a fierce opponent to his own ambitions.

After some time Huerta accused Villa of having stolen a horse and Villa was condemned to be executed. Even when Villa supported Madero, it was impossible to exonerate him because of his fame as a bandit and because the accusation came from a high rank in the army. The punishment was reduced however: he was jailed. Villa took advantage of his time in jail to learn to read and write, he fled later on. Villa considered himself betrailed twice by Madero when he saw that his government wasn't efficient for the poor people so he withdrew his support.

Throughout the Mexican Revolution Villa was known for his impulses and for not being loyal but to himself. Thus, he supported the coup d'état that Carranza leaded against Huerta, but again he withdrew as soon as Carranza showed little interest in his demands. Besides, as a reprisal to the economic and military support from the U.S. government to Carranza's, Villa leaded the sad and famous attack against Columbus, New Mexico. Ever since, Villa was chased from South to North.

General Obregon, who chased him during Carranza's government, was elected president in 1920. He immediately organized an intense hunt for the bandit. He did it: Villa was shot 47 times in an ambush, taking with him the secret of the enormous loot he earned during his life, hidden in the Sierra Madre. Some consider him the most important figure of the Mexican Revolution, some others have him as a ridiculous bandit without scruples, truth is that there is no more legendary and controversial figure in the Mexican History than Doroteo Arango, better known as Pancho Villa.