Pancho Villa Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Pancho Villa
OCCUPATION: Military Leader
BIRTH DATE: June 05, 1878
DEATH DATE: July 20, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH: San Juan del Rio, Durango, Mexico
PLACE OF DEATH: Parral, Mexico
Originally: Doroteo Arango
Full Name: José Doroteo Arango Arámbula
AKA: Francisco Villa
AKA: Pancho Villa

Best Known For

Pancho Villa was a top military leader of the Mexican Revolution whose exploits were regularly filmed by a Hollywood company.

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Pancho Villa

APA Style

Pancho Villa. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 06:40, May 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/pancho-villa-9518733.

Harvard Style

Pancho Villa. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/pancho-villa-9518733 [Accessed 19 May 2013].

MLA Style

"Pancho Villa." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 19 2013, 06:40 http://www.biography.com/people/pancho-villa-9518733.

MHRA Style

"Pancho Villa," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/pancho-villa-9518733 [accessed May 19, 2013].

Chicago Style

"Pancho Villa," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/pancho-villa-9518733 (accessed May 19, 2013).

CBE/CSE Style

Pancho Villa [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/pancho-villa-9518733.

Bluebook Style

Pancho Villa, http://www.biography.com/people/pancho-villa-9518733 (last visited May 19, 2013).

AMA Style

Pancho Villa. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/pancho-villa-9518733. Accessed May 19, 2013.

Synopsis

Born on June 5, 1878, in San Juan del Rio, Durango, Mexico, Pancho Villa started off as a bandit who was later inspired by reformer Francisco Modero, helping him to win the Mexican Revolution. After a coup by Victoriano Huerta, Villa formed his own army to oppose the dictator, with more battles to follow as Mexican leadership remained in a state of flux. He was assassinated on July 20, 1923, in Parral, Mexico.

Birth of a Bandit

Born Doroteo Arango on June 5, 1878, in San Juan del Rio, Durango, Pancho Villa spent much of his youth helping out on his parents' farm. After his father's death, he became head of the household and shot a man who was harassing one of his sisters. He fled, but was caught and imprisoned. After escaping once again, he became a bandit.

Mexican Revolutionary Leader

While living as a fugitive, Pancho Villa joined Francisco Madero's successful uprising against Mexican dictator Porfirio Díaz, and, due to his skills as a fighter and leader, Villa was made a colonel.

When another rebellion removed Madero from power in 1912, Villa was nearly executed for his efforts to defend the former government. He subsequently fled to the United States for a time, later returning to Mexico and forming his own military force, known as Division del Norte (Division of the North). He also joined forces with other revolutionaries, including Venustiano Carranza and Emiliano Zapata, to overthrow Victoriano Huerta. The different forces were not wholly successful at working together, however, and Villa and Carranza became rivals.

Later Life and Assassination

For a number of years, Pancho Villa was involved in a series of clashes with other Mexican military groups, and even fought with U.S. troops from 1916 to 1917.

In 1920, Villa reached an agreement with Mexican leader Adolfo de la Huerta, who pardoned him for his actions in return for Villa's promise to put an end to his independent military activities. Three years later, on July 20, 1923, Pancho Villa was assassinated in Parral, Mexico.