Mexconnect writers explore the many faces of Francisco "Pancho" Villa, a key figure in the Mexican Revolution. read more

Image by John Hardman Web Page During Christmas holidays, a college sophomore stumbled into a board game, "Pancho Villa, Dead or Alive." He was surprised I had heard of Pancho but not... read more

Asked to identify Francisco "Pancho" Villa, most people living North of the Rio Grande and even some Mexicans would call him a "bandido" but a careful examination of his career reveals simply a man ... read more

To most of us, the term "German agent" conjures up the image of a heel-clicking Bundist swilling beer and sieg heiling as he attends his monthly meeting at Camp Siegfried. If his vintage is pre-WW... read more

History of Mexico: time-line overview resource page. Born Doroteo Arango in San Juan del Río, Durango, in 1877 (1879 according to some sources), the man most of the world knew as Pancho Villa spent... read more

When she remembered her childhood she now remembered summers with her relatives in Chihuahua, helping them with their herds of cattle, catching chickens for the market, swimming in the honored waters, and running home through the dusty streets, the happiest little girl in the world. read more

Click for interactive map Chihuahua, the state capital, is not a particularly tourist-oriented town but it is virtually inevitable that travelers seeking to explore the inner recesses of the state ... read more

Click for interactive map "Ay Chihuahua!" Have you ever heard this time-honored phrase of amazement uttered by some dumbstruck or exasperated Mexican? Whatever its origins, it is p... read more

Frank Dolezal, fighting for Pancho Villa during the Mexican revolution, was captured by some of Venustiano Carranza's troops, taken before a mockery of a trial, and was charged with "Treason against the legitimate government of Mexico." With fifteen other prisoners he was taken to a clearing, offered a final cigarette, and then shot. read more

Los perros go everywhere with us, including to Mexico. Milo, a charcoal-hued Standard Poodle, is a veteran of seven such trips. He has reached the summit of the Nevada de Toluca volcano, walked into Guatemala, swum in the Pacific, Gulf and Sea of Cortez, explored the Copper Canyon, and visited almost every state in Mexico. Pancho Villa, (a black mini-Milo) just completed his third trip. They have made many friends and even learned some Spanish. Having a sociable pet with you can be a real icebreaker. read more

This novel is described in several places as a classic of modern Hispanic literature and it really is a powerful book. Novelist Mariano Azuela knew what he was writing about, having served as a doctor in Pancho Villa's army and having participated in several key engagements in that conflict. read more

The book is ased on an actual incident in relations between the U.S. and Mexico when, in 1916, Pancho Villa's bandidos, led by Antonio Salazar, raided the small town of Columbus, New Mexico. The border between the two countries in those times was a more tense and seemingly less well-defined place at the beginning of the century. Certainly there was less coming-and-going between the two countries then. read more

La Cucaracha (The Cockroach), one of Mexico's best known corridos, is a comic, satirical song, with infinite possibilities for creative verses. Versions of La Cucaracha have been performed by countless bands and musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Bill Haley & His Comets, Doug Sahm read more

Of the major figures in the 1910-20 phase of the Mexican Revolution, only Alvaro Obregón and Pancho Villa remained. In a strange twist of fate, the counterrevolutionaries --Porfirio Díaz and Victoria... read more

Revolution is the ultimate test for survival of the fittest. In times of stormy social change, intense competition is generated among leaders of forces seeking that change and, inevitably, one man emer... read more

Few people have ever less fitted the conventional image of a revolutionary than Venustiano Carranza. He was a country squire rather than an intellectual, he had been part of a ruling establishment and ... read more

Editor's Note: Jim Tuck died in 2005. Jim approached his Mexico with a particular love of history that was strongly coloured by his political and social beliefs. His articles on the various periods of... read more

Religion in Latin America: A Documentary History   By Lee M. Penyak and Walter J. Petry Orbis Books, 2006   Available from Amazon Books: Paperback Reviewed by James Tipton © Ja... read more

A great ideological struggle is never a day at the beach. Whether its matrix is race, nationality or economic inequality, the fight of the oppressed against the oppressor is always a somber affair. Nob... read more

Native Mexican Americans first settled along what used to be the shores of shallow lake Texcoco, present day Mexico City, in 1500 BC. By the early 1300 AD, the Aztecs established roots on an Island in ... read more

Mexico in September 1910 could be compared to a shiny apple whose glossy skin conceals a putrifying interior. But the corruption underneath was still a secret to the rest of the world. Porfirio Díaz, ... read more

As a child, I had heard some stories about my ancestors, in particular, about clashes between Pancho Villa and a distant relative, something about someone "being strung up by their thumbs". However, as... read more

Read about Mexico's important historical events that have occurred during the month of March. read more

Read about Mexico's important historical events that have occurred during the month of June.

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