How did pancho villa become a leader?

Answer 1

He was a known warlord and bandit, whose base of operations was the northern state of Chihuahua. During the Mexican Revolution (1910-1921) he became commander of the Northern Division (Spanish: Division del Norte), fighting against the federal government troops, and then both Venustiano Carranza (1859-1920) and Alvaro Obregon (1880-1928), also warlords during the conflict who eventually became presidents of Mexico. He was assassinated on July 20, 1923 by direct orders from President Alvaro Obregon.

His most notable actions include the following three battles:

Battle of Ciudad Juarez (April 7 - May 10, 1911) Battle held between federal forces loyal to Porfirio Diaz and rebel forces of Francisco Madero. Pascual Orozco and Pancho Villa commanded Madero's army which besieged Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. The fall of Juarez to Madero convinced President Porfirio Diaz to resign and exile into France, thus ending the initial stage of the Mexican Revolution.

Battle of Celaya (April 13, 1915) Four battles, collectively known as the Battle of Celaya, the largest military confrontation in Latin American history before the Falklands War of 1982. Forces under Pancho Villa were badly defeated by forces under the command of Alvaro Obregon, who supported the presidency of Venustiano Carranza. Villa lost around 4,000 men killed in frontal attacks. Villa was never able to recover his losses, and lost most of his political and social influence.

Battle of Columbus (March 9, 1916) began as a raid conducted by Pancho Villa's forces on the US town of Columbus, NM. The raid escalated into a full-scale battle against the US Army, resulting in a total disaster for Villa, with 73 killed Villistas vs. 18 Americans, including 10 civilians. The attack prompted President Woodrow Wilson to order the Villa Punitive Expedition (1916-1917), a failed attempt at killing Villa.