Francisco 'Pancho' Villa
(1877/79-1923)
Mexican folk hero,
Pancho Villa is revered as a hero who pushed foreign "proprietors" out of Mexico and fought for the common man. He was a fierce general who also helped those in need and rescued orphans. Villa's troops were said to smoke marijuana, a term they used for the flowering tops of the hemp plant (pos-sibly named for a juana (female soldier) in Villa's army.) The folk song "La Cucaracha" tells of a cockroach who cannot function because he lacks marijuana to smoke.
Other reports state that Villa kept his men under very strict control and he was extremely self-disciplined as well. According to these reports he neither smoked, drank nor took drugs including the vaunted marijuana of the Revolution.
During the Spanish American War, Villa's troops seized 800,000 acres of prime timberland from newspaperman William Randolph Hearst. Hearst soon began a smear campaign against marijuana, claiming its dark-skinned users turned murderous. The campaign was useful in racist attempts to deny Mexican laborers work in the U.S. Americans didn't realize the scary-sounding drug marijuana was in fact their old friend Cannabis hemp. Hemp is perhaps the most useful natural resource on the planet, a source of paper, fiber, fuel, food, and medicine, which continues to be denied to mankind due to ignorance and fear.
SYNOPSIS
Born June 5, 1877, '78 or '79 in Grande, or San Juan del Río, Durango as Doroteo Arango (there conflicting sources as to where and when he was born). Became a fugitive when he killed an hacendado for attacking his sister. Joined the Madero revolution in 1910. Returned to civilian life and operated a butcher shop after Madero's revolt was successful.
When Orozco rebelled against Madero, Villa returned to the field of battle. In 1916, he raided Columbus, New Mexico. Villa continued to fight until 1920 when he surrendered his troops to Adolfo de la Huerta. Retired to Hacienda Canutillo until 1923. He was ambushed and killed on July 23, 1923 in Parral.
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