Pancho Villa Celebration

These actors and actresses also participate in the reenactment of the gun fight at the Okay Corral in Tombstone, AZ.

Every year in March there is a reenactment of the invasion of Columbus, NM by Pancho Villa.  This year the date was March 10th.  We traded a day on our work schedule with the other camp ground hosts so we could see the event.

On March 9, 1916, Francisco "Pancho" Villa invaded the town of Columbus in response to President Woodrow Wilson throwing his support to Venustiano Carranza.  Seventeen American citizens were killed, and the center of the town was burned.  It is not clear if Pancho Villa personally accompanied the raid, but one thing is certain.  It was the beginning of the end for him because President Wilson ordered troops to capture him, dead or alive.

Horses come to Columbus from the surrounding area to the south, including Palomis, which is just across the border in Mexico.  It is 4 miles from where this picture was taken to Palomis.

Horses and their riders come in all sizes, shapes, and colors.

This was my favorite costume among the riders.

It was a fun day in the horse parade for these young riders.  Obviously this is not a reenactment of Pancho Villa's raid.

This young rider is an A's supporter.  This almost at the end of the parade.

After the horse parade, people were waiting in the town square for the Mariachi dancers to begin performing.

This little girl really loved this little dog, and the feeling seemed to be mutual.  I showed the pictures to her parents and they were really pleased.

We gave up waiting for the dancers and went to the museum at the Pancho Villa State Park.

Weapons began to be modernized during this conflict.

This is a 1917 Dodge Touring Car.  Archibald Douglass Frost and his wife Mary Alice and six month son were fleeing in it when the raiders sprayed it with bullets. He was hit twice, and there are bullet holes in the side of the car.

Modernization of warfare included the use of airplanes for reconnaissance and cars for transportation.  General Pershing, who was famous as a horse soldier, resorted to using a car in the pursuit of Pancho Villa.

Here is a picture of an Indian motorcycle, circa 1914.

A look to the past gives one the sense of how far we have come.  The museum at the Pancho Villa State Park is an excellent one.  We learned a lot about this period in our history, and about Francisco "Pancho" Villa.