Biography of Pancho Villa - Essay Example

Biography of Francisco Madero. Francisco “Pancho” Villa (1878-1923) was a bandit turned Mexican revolutionary. He was born Doroteo Arango in the Durango village of Rio Grande on June 5, 1878. He remained illiterate as a child, learning to read and write only later, as an adult in prison. When he was sixteen, he shot the hacendado’s son who had raped his sister, and became a fugitive and a bandit. He changed his name to Pancho, signed as Francisco and had several other aliases. His prison breaks, sharp-shooting and dangerous escapades gave him an aura of heroism among the common Mexican people.

Villa was notorious for his short temper and cruelty, particularly towards women.  His Indian heritage gave him a deep knowledge of the land, making him a excellent guerilla fighter. He was drafted into the 14th Calvary Regiment in 1903. He deserted and joined the revolutionary forces of Francisco Madero in 1910. (Becker). After Madero’s ouster, Villa escaped to the United States in 1912.  By the end of 1914, he returned to Mexico, formed the Division del Norte and joined the revolution against Victoriano Huerta, along with other revolutionaries such as Venustiano Carranza and Emiliano Zapata.

He also served as provisional governor of Chihuahua in 1913-1914. Villa was often in conflict with other military groups and even fought with U.S. troops from 1916 to 1917. In 1920, Villa was given a pardon in return for stopping his independent military activities.  (Biography.com). On July 20, 1923, Villa was driving past the intersection of Benito Juárez and Gabino Barreda in Maturana, when he was assassinated and killed instantly. Villa is remembered for fighting for the causes of the poor and his opposition to foreign exploitation of his country. (Becker).Works Cited.

Becker, Marc. “Francisco “Pancho” Villa” Truman State University. Web. 19 March 2013.http://revolutions.truman.edu/mexico/pvilla.aspBiography.com. “Pancho Villa. Biography.” Web. 19 March 2013http://www.biography.com/people/pancho-villa-9518733