pancho villa
A hero to some and a villain to others, Pancho Villa was a brutal modern-day version of Robin Hood. [1]
Born Doroteo Arango in San Juan del R?o, Durango, in 1877 (1879 according to some sources), the man most of the world knew as Pancho Villa spent much of his life in Durango until, at age 16, he killed a man who had raped his younger sister. [2]
Pancho Villa was also responsible for a raid on Columbus, New Mexico in 1916, which was the first attack on U.S. soil since 1812. [3]
No one can be said to be more synonymous with the wild side of Mexico than Pancho Villa - the rebel general of the Mexican Revolution who invaded US territory and led American soldiers on a wild goose chase all over the harsh Mexican countryside for months. [...] Along with Emiliano Zapata and Francisco I. Madero, Villa led peasant armies to a swift victory over the corrupt and repressive regime of the aging dictator, Porfirio Diaz, only to see Madero betrayed by reactionary plotters. [4]
Arango fled into the mountains and then joined a gang led by Francisco “Pancho” Villa; when that Villa was killed, Arango took over his name and his gang. [1]
Pancho Villa was a Mexican revolutionary leader who advocated for the poor and wanted agrarian reform. [3]
Jos? Doroteo Arango Ar?mbula (5 June 1878 ‘ 20 July 1923) ‘ better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa ‘ was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals. [5]
In 1910 the new Villa and his men joined the revolt against Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz. [1]
Around this time Villa also became something of a folk hero in the U.S, and Hollywood filmmakers as well as U.S. newspaper photographers flocked to Northern Mexico to record his battle exploits–many of which were staged for the benefit of the cameras. [2]
In Mexico during the late 19th century, the rich were becoming richer by taking advantage of the lower classes, often treating them like slaves. [...] Since Porfirio Diaz, the sitting president of Mexico, had created much of the current problems for the poor and Francisco Madero promised change for the lower classes, Pancho Villa joined Madero’s cause and agreed to be a leader in the revolutionary army. [...] It was during this time that Doroteo Arango began using the name Francisco “Pancho” Villa. [3]
The revolution succeeded, but a few years later shifting alliances made Villa an outlaw again. [...] He fought in the revolts against two dictators, Porfirio D?az and Victoriano Huerta, and fled Mexico in 1912, but returned in 1913 and formed a military group of several thousand men, the famous Divisi?n del Norte. [1]
Sources:
[1] Pancho Villa: Biography from Answers.com
[2] Francisco “Pancho” Villa : Mexico History
[3] Pancho Villa - A Biography of Pancho Villa
[4] PANCHO VILLA PAGE
[5] Pancho Villa - Wikipedia