Pancho Villa Timeline

(1878 - 1923)

Pancho Villa (1878–1923) was one of the most prominent leaders of the Mexican Revolution. Born Doroteo Arango in Durango, he became a skilled military commander leading the División del Norte, famous for victories such as the Battle of Zacatecas and his 1916 raid on Columbus, New Mexico. Villa remains a complex figure—celebrated as a champion of the poor and remembered as a controversial outlaw. More Less

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Early Life

Birth of José Doroteo Arango Arámbula

Jun 5, 1878

Francisco "Pancho" Villa was born as José Doroteo Arango Arámbula on 5 June 1878. He would grow up to become one of the most famous Mexican revolutionary generals and guerrilla leaders of the early 20th century.

Image source: Pancho Villa

Shoots Negrete in the foot

Sep 22, 1894

On September 22, 1894, the young Doroteo Arango shot a man named Negrete in the foot, an early incident in a life marked by violence and banditry before his revolutionary career.

Arrested for gun and mule theft

1898

In 1898, Villa was arrested for gun and mule theft, one of several brushes with the law during his years as an outlaw in northern Mexico.

Arrested by the rurales for mule theft and assault

1902

In 1902, the rurales, the elite rural police force of President Porfirio Díaz, arrested Pancho for stealing mules and for assault.

Adopts the name Francisco "Pancho" Villa

1903

After killing an army officer and stealing his horse in 1903, he was no longer known as Arango but took the name Francisco "Pancho" Villa after his paternal grandfather, Jesús Villa.

Marries María Luz Corral

May 29, 1911

On 29 May 1911, Villa married María Luz Corral, described as "the most articulate of his many wives." They wed in a great ceremony attended by his military chiefs and a representative of the governor.

Mexican Revolution

Joins Madero's rebellion against Díaz

1910

At the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910, the 32-year-old Villa joined the armed rebellion that Francisco Madero called for in the Plan de San Luis Potosí to oust President Porfirio Díaz.

Meets Madero in person

Mar 1911

Villa met Francisco Madero in person in March 1911 while the struggle to oust President Porfirio Díaz was ongoing, beginning their important political relationship.

First Battle of Ciudad Juárez

May 1911

Villa and Pascual Orozco attacked Ciudad Juárez against orders, capturing the city after two days of fighting and winning the first Battle of Ciudad Juárez in 1911.

Image source: Battle of Ciudad Juárez (1911)

Díaz resigns and goes into exile

May 25, 1911

Facing a series of defeats in many places, President Porfirio Díaz resigned on 25 May 1911 and afterward went into exile, marking a major victory for Madero's revolutionaries including Villa.

Image source: Porfirio Díaz

Madero elected president

Nov 1911

Once elected president in November 1911, Madero proved a disastrous politician, dismissing his revolutionary supporters like Villa and relying on the existing power structure.

Image source: Francisco I. Madero

Orozco rebels against Madero

Mar 1912

Pascual Orozco rebelled in March 1912 over Madero's failure to enact land reform and his feeling of being insufficiently rewarded for helping bring the new president to power.

Image source: Pascual Orozco

Imprisoned at Santiago Tlatelolco Prison

Jun 7, 1912 - Dec 25, 1912

Villa was transferred to the Santiago Tlatelolco Prison on 7 June 1912, accused of insubordination. He escaped on Christmas Day 1912 and crossed into the United States near Nogales, Arizona on 2 January 1913.

Elected provisional governor of Chihuahua

1913 - 1914

In 1913, local military commanders elected Villa provisional governor of Chihuahua against the wishes of First Chief Venustiano Carranza, who wished to name Manuel Chao instead.

Madero murdered during the Ten Tragic Days

Feb 1913

Madero was murdered during a military coup led by General Victoriano Huerta in February 1913, a period known as the Ten Tragic Days (Decena Trágica). Huerta then became president.

Image source: Ten Tragic Days

Huerta has Abraham González murdered

Mar 1913

Huerta had Abraham González, governor of Chihuahua, Madero's ally and Villa's mentor, murdered in March 1913, deepening Villa's resolve against the usurper regime.

Image source: Abraham González (governor)

Returns to Mexico to fight Huerta

Apr 1913

With just seven men, some mules, and limited supplies, Villa returned into Mexico in April 1913 to fight Madero's usurper and his own would-be executioner, President Victoriano Huerta.

Battle of Tierra Blanca

Nov 23, 1913 - Nov 24, 1913

Villa considered Tierra Blanca, fought from 23 to 24 November 1913, his most spectacular victory, although General Talamantes died in the fighting.

Battle of Zacatecas

Jun 1914

Carranza ordered 5,000 members of Villa's División del Norte to assist at Zacatecas, but Villa's decisive victory there in June 1914 broke the back of the Huerta regime.

Image source: Battle of Zacatecas (1914)

Huerta leaves Mexico

Jul 14, 1914

After the defeat of his forces, Huerta left the country on 14 July 1914, ending his presidency and ushering in a power struggle among the revolutionary leaders.

Image source: Victoriano Huerta

Breaks with Carranza

Sep 1914

After Huerta's defeat and exile, Villa broke with Carranza in September 1914 and issued a manifesto, setting the stage for renewed civil war among the revolutionaries.

Death of General Toribio Ortega

Oct 1, 1914 - Dec 31, 1914

In late 1914, Villa was dealt an additional blow with the death from typhus of Toribio Ortega, one of his top generals.

Civil war between Carranza and Villa breaks out

Oct 1, 1914 - 1915

In late 1914, civil war broke out when Carranza challenged Villa. At the height of his power and popularity in late 1914 and early 1915, the U.S. had supported him, but his fortunes soon declined.

Battle of Celaya

Apr 6, 1915 - Apr 15, 1915

Meeting at the Battle of Celaya in the Bajío, Villa and Obregón first fought from 6 to 15 April 1915, and Villa's army was defeated badly, suffering 4,000 killed and 6,000 captured.

Image source: Battle of Celaya

Battle of Trinidad

Apr 29, 1915 - Jun 5, 1915

Obregón engaged Villa again at the Battle of Trinidad, fought between 29 April and 5 June 1915, where Villa suffered another huge loss, decisively breaking his military power.

Image source: Second Battle of Agua Prieta

Execution of General Pablo López

Jun 5, 1916

During the Punitive Expedition, Carranza's forces captured one of Villa's top generals, Pablo López, and executed him on 5 June 1916.

Last major military action: raid on Ciudad Juárez

Jun 1919

Villa's last major military action was a raid against Ciudad Juárez in 1919. Afterward, Felipe Ángeles left his small remaining militia and was later captured and executed by Carranza's forces on 26 November 1919.

Later Life and Legacy

John Reed publishes Insurgent Mexico

1914

Leftist journalist John Reed wrote influential magazine articles shaping Villa's epic image for Americans; they were collected as Insurgent Mexico and published in 1914.

Image source: Reed: Insurgent Mexico

Stars in The Life of General Villa

1914

Pancho Villa portrayed himself in the 1914 silent docudrama The Life of General Villa, part of his business arrangements with Hollywood that boosted his international fame.

Assassination of Carranza

May 21, 1920

On 21 May 1920, a break came for Villa when Carranza, along with his top advisers and supporters, was assassinated by supporters of Álvaro Obregón.

Image source: Venustiano Carranza

Negotiates amnesty with Adolfo de la Huerta

Jul 22, 1920

On 22 July 1920, Villa sent a telegram to interim President Adolfo de la Huerta recognizing his presidency and requesting amnesty. He received a landed estate at Canutillo on condition he retire from politics.

Assassination of Pancho Villa

Jul 20, 1923

On 20 July 1923, Villa was shot and killed in an ambush while visiting Parral, most likely on the orders of political enemies Plutarco Elías Calles and President Álvaro Obregón, as he talked publicly about re-entering politics ahead of the 1924 elections.

Image source: Pancho Villa

Villa's body stolen and head removed

Feb 5, 1926

Villa's body was stolen from his grave on 5 February 1926, and his head removed. A note said the head would be sent to Columbus, New Mexico, to avenge the 1916 attack by Villa.

Remains reburied at Monument to the Revolution

1976

In 1976, Villa's remains were reburied in the Monument to the Revolution in Mexico City in a huge public ceremony. His widow Luz Corral refused to attend; she died on 6 July 1981 at age 89.

Conflict with the United States

U.S. recognizes Carranza government

Oct 19, 1915

By late 1915, Villa was on the run and the United States government recognized Carranza, withdrawing its earlier support of Villa and contributing to his growing hostility toward America.

Attack on Agua Prieta repelled with U.S. searchlights

Nov 1, 1915

Electricity generated across the border in Douglas, Arizona helped repel a Villista night attack on the border town of Agua Prieta, Sonora on 1 November 1915, further angering Villa.

Villistas attack train at Santa Isabel

Jan 1916

In January 1916, a group of Villistas attacked a train on the Mexico North Western Railway near Santa Isabel, Chihuahua, killing a number of U.S. citizens and escalating tensions with America.

Pershing's Punitive Expedition into Mexico

Mar 1916 - Feb 1917

Led by General John J. Pershing, a U.S. force invaded Mexico in pursuit of Villa but fruitlessly pursued him until February 1917, failing to capture the elusive revolutionary.

Image source: Pancho Villa Expedition

Pershing's Punitive Expedition into Mexico

Raid on Columbus, New Mexico

Mar 9, 1916

On 9 March 1916, General Villa ordered nearly 100 Mexican members of his revolutionary group to make a cross-border attack against Columbus, New Mexico, prompting a major U.S. response.

Image source: Battle of Columbus (1916)

Key Facts

Pancho Villa was born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula on June 5, 1878, in San Juan del Río, Durango, Mexico.
He became a key general of the División del Norte during the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), fighting against the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz and later Victoriano Huerta.
Villa's greatest military victory was the Battle of Zacatecas in June 1914, which helped topple Huerta's regime.
In March 1916, Villa led an attack on Columbus, New Mexico—the first armed invasion of U.S. territory since the War of 1812—prompting General John J. Pershing's unsuccessful Punitive Expedition to capture him.
Pancho Villa was assassinated on July 20, 1923, while driving through Parral, Chihuahua, but remains an enduring folk hero in Mexican culture.

Source

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