The Life and Legacy of Doroteo Arango Essay - 1136 Words

Many people do not know the true story of Francisco â€Å"Pancho† Villa. Pancho Villa was actually born Doroteo Arango Arambula on June 5, 1878 in San Juan del Rio, Mexico. Doroteo’s parents were uneducated, peasant sharecrop farmers. This fact is important because Doroteo had a high level of intelligence even though he did not have any formal education. After his father’s death, Doroteo took his father’s place as a sharecropper and helped support his mother and four sisters. There are many versions of how Doroteo became the outlaw bandit Pancho Villa. The most widely accepted story is that Doroteo shot and or killed Augustin Negrete over the attempted rape of Doroteo’s twelve year old sister (Rosenburg 3). This event became the catalyst to†¦show more content†¦Pancho Villa redistributed the wealth gained from his illegal activities. He often took the money from the rich and gave it to the poor. These deeds led him to be known as a modern day Mexican Robin Hood. In addition to giving the poor people of Mexico money, Villa reallocated land and stabilized the economy in Chihuahua, Mexico and surrounding areas. It is not clear if Pancho Villa purposely killed the landowners or if they were causalities of war. In any event, Pancho gave land to the widows and children of his fallen soldiers (Williams 12). Villa also built schools for orphans, distributed food, and improved the water supply. He continued to be favored by the citizens of Mexico as his actions were vital to the regions continued growth and betterment. Pancho Villa greatest historical contribution was his role as a Mexican revolutionary. It is a well known fact that he was an effective leader and well skilled in the art of guerilla warfare (Rosenberg 8). At one time, Villa was a general, commanding his own military force. His army was known as â€Å"Division del Norte.† At its best, the army contained over fifty thousand soldiers. According to the AE television program Bio. True Story, Villa’s army was one of the largest ever congregated in the Americas. During his time as general, Pancho Villa won many important battles. These battles included the first and secondShow MoreRelatedThe Mexican Revolution2053 Words   |  9 Pagesfrom what they call the â€Å"rich people.† That’s how the Mexican revolution began. Before he was known as â€Å"Francisco Villa†, he was Jose Doroteo Arango Arambula, born June 5, 1878 in San Juan Del Rio, Durango, Chihuahua, Mexico.​ He changed his name because in his town he had killed a man who almost raped his younger sister. He had no choice but to escape. Later in his life he was recruited as commander in chief who led 28 men to the revolution. From then on he was a military leader who had gained the