Francisco “Pancho” Villa, a central figure of the 1910-1920 Mexican Revolution, will be trumpeted July 20, when the federal government pays tribute to this complex and divisive figure on the centenary of his death.
The Lopez Obrador administration designated 2023 the “Year of Francisco Villa,” and has displayed his image on official documents and at many public events over the past six months. Various commemorations are planned for July 20, marking the day 100 years ago when he was assassinated in an ambush, most likely ordered by his political enemies.
Although Villa’s role in the early stages of the Revolution has been recognized over the years, his reputation for cruelty and appetite for lawlessness have never sat well with many Mexicans. And that is the main reason why he has never received the same idolization conferred on other important figures from this period.
Born into poverty, Villa was a savvy opportunist who went from a life of crime to command the largest rebel army in the nation, the Northern Division, which played a vital role in many of the Revolution’s most important events. While key in the movement that forced out dictator Porfirio Díaz and brought Francisco I. Madero to power in 1911, Villa fell out with nearly all of Madero’s successors, transforming his “peasant” army into a guerrilla force that became a permanent thorn in the side of the federation. His military strategies, such as hit-and-run tactics and lightning-fast attacks, earned him a reputation as a skilled guerrilla leader.
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