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:Alternative use: Pancho Villa (boxer).


José Doroteo Arango Arámbula (June 5, 1878
– July 20, 1923) — better known by his
Pseudonym|nom de guerre Francisco Villa or, in its
diminutive form,  Pancho Villa — was one of
the foremost generals of the Mexican Revolution. 

==Biography==

Doroteo Arango was born in San Juan del RĂ­o,
Durango.  His obscure family origins and early
life have been confused by the existence of many
divergent and poorly documented accounts as well
as popular oral tradition.  One recent theory
(2000) claims he was the illegitimate son of Luis
FĂ©rman Gurrola, a wealthy hacendado whose own
father was an immigrant of Austrian-Jewish origin,
and Micaela Arámbula de Arango, a maid.

After working for a time as a peon on his father's
hacienda, he left and quickly took up the life of
a bandit and outlaw in Durango and later in the
state of Chihuahua, whence he immigrated.  He was
caught several times for crimes ranging from
banditry to horse thievery and cattle rustling
but, through influential connections, was always
able to secure his release.

Villa underwent a transformation after meeting
Abraham González, the political representative of
Francisco I. Madero in Chihuahua, Chihuahua. 
González gave Villa a basic education which
opened his eyes to the political world and changed
the way in which he thought about his own life and
his relation to those in power (in the state of
Chihuahua, the powerful Creel/Terrazas family). 
From this point until near the end of his life,
Villa considered himself a revolutionary fighting
for the people.

In 1911, with United States|U.S. support, Villa
helped defeat the federal army of Porfirio DĂ­az
in favour of Francisco I. Madero. Following
Madero's power, General Huerta sentenced Villa to
death for insubordination. Villa escaped to the
U.S. border until it was safe. After that, Villa
again rebelled against former allies, first
against Victoriano Huerta, later against
Venustiano Carranza. Carranza, in an attempt to
appease both Villa and Zapata offered them both
great tracks of land, or Haciendas. Villa accepted
his offer while Zapata did not. This is one of the
reasons that the reputation of Villa as a
revolutionary/folk hero has been debated. 

On March 9, 1916, Villa led 1,500 Mexican raiders
in a cross-border attack against Columbus, New
Mexico, in response to the U.S. government's
official recognition of the Carranza regime. They
attacked a US Cavalry detachment, seized 100
horses and mules, burned the town, and killed 17
of its residents.

United States|U.S. President of the United
States|President Woodrow Wilson responded by
sending 12,000 troops, under Gen. John J.
Pershing, into Mexico on March 15 to pursue Villa.
In the U.S., this was known as the Pancho Villa
Expedition. During the search, the United States
launched its first air combat mission when eight
aeroplanes lifted off on March 19. The expedition
to capture Villa was called off as a failure on
January 28, 1917.  


In 1920, Villa ended his revolutionary actions. He
was assassinated three years later in Parral,
Chihuahua.
As a perceived rebel against injustice and abuse,
and despite the violent excesses he undeniably
committed, Villa is still remembered in Mexico as
a folk hero.

== German involvement?==

Contemporary historians debate whether Villa was
involved with the Germany|Germans and how much aid
and information passed through them. Some contend
that the Germans encouraged Villa's actions
against U.S. interests and his incursions into
Texas and New Mexico, with the aim of fomenting
instability on the southern border of a power they
definitely did not want interfering in World War
I. Other actions by the Germans, such as the
Zimmermann Telegram, indicate a desire on their
part to destabilize the United States. The extent
of Villa's role as an abettor of German interests
and receiver of German aid is still very much in
question, but the idea would not seem to be in
contradiction with his opportunistic tendencies.

==Quotes==
"If I ever catch you again, I will
kill you." — (Pancho Villa would capture
U.S. soldiers and spare them by cutting one of
their ears off, and he said these words upon
releasing them.) 
"Don't let it end like this.  Tell
them I said something." — Last
words.

==Pancho Villa in films==

Villa has been represented in films by himself  in
1912, 1913, and 1914. Many other actors have
represented him, such as: 

* Raoul Walsh (1912, 1914)
* George Humbert (1918)
* Phillip Cooper (1934)
* Wallace Beery (1934)
* Juan F. Triana (1935)
* Domingo Soler (1936), ¡Vámonos con Pancho
Villa!
* Maurice Black (1937)
* Leo Carrillo (1949)
* Pedro Armendáriz (1950, 1957, 1960 twice)
* Alan Reed (1952)
* Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr. (1958)
* José Elías Moreno (1967)
* Ricardo Palacios (1967)
* Yul Brynner (1968)
* Telly Savalas (1971)
* Hector Elizondo (1976)
* Freddy Fender (1977)
* Gaithor Brownne (1985)
* Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. (1989)
* Antonio Aguilar (1993)
* JesĂşs Ochoa (actor)|JesĂşs Ochoa (1995)
* Carlos Roberto Majul (1999)
* Mike Moroff (1999)
* Peter Butler (2000)
* Antonio Banderas (2003)

==Trivia==

* Interviewed in 1921 by American journalist and
playwright Sophie Treadwell.
* Larry Bell once developed a makeshift bomber for
Pancho Villa

==External Links==

* http://www.city-data.com/picfilesv/picv65.php
Tucson, AZ : Statue of Pancho Villa, the Mexican
Revolutionary Leader
* http://www.azbiz.com/editorial/  Editorial about
Pancho Villa statue in Tucson, Arizona