Biography Of Pancho Villa
Doroteo Arango, better known as Francisco “Pancho” Villa, was born on June 5, 1878 at a hacienda in San Juan Del Rio, Durango. Son of a sharecropper, young Doroteo experienced the hardships of the peasant life. At the young age of 15, Villa’s father died and he took the work of a sharecropper to help support his four siblings and mother.
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The late 19th century witnessed the oppression of lower class peasants by the rich in Mexico. They treated them like slaves and took undue advantage. In 1894, Villa shot the owner of the hacienda who tried to rape his 12 year old sister. He then headed straight towards the mountains and kept on running from the law. In 1896, he joined a group of bandits on the mountains and soon became their leader. Villa, with his group of rugged bandits, would steal from the rich and help the poor. He changed his name from Doroteo Arango to Francisco “Pancho” Villa. He and his group of bandits inflicted terror on the rich by stealing cattle and robbing shipments of money along with many other crimes.
Pancho Villa joined Francisco Madero, a revolutionary who promised to change the current situation of the lower classes. He agreed to be the leader of the revolutionary group and continued to strive for the poor from October 1910 to May 1911.
On May 29, 1911, Villa married Maria Luz Corral.
Strife between Francisco Madero and Orozco created unrest in Mexico. Orozco wanted Madero’s Presidency and challenged a rebellion in 1912. Villa gathered troops to support Madero and worked with General Victoriano Huerta, who later accused him of stealing a horse and ordered his execution. However Madero issued a stay on execution and Villa remained in prison from June to December 27, 1912.
On March 9, 1916, Villa attacked the town of Columbus, New York. Since 1812, this was the first attack on US soil. Villa retired from his revolutionary life in 1920, but, his retirement was short lived as he was gunned down on July 20, 1923.

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