Villa, ‘Pancho’

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Villa, ‘Pancho’ ( Francisco) (1877–1923) Mexican revolutionary leader. An outlaw, he later joined the forces of Francisco Madero (1909) during the Mexican Revolution. Villa sided with Venustiano Carranza for some time but later supported Emiliano Zapata. Angered by US recognition of Carranza's government, he murdered US citizens in n Mexico and New Mexico. In 1920, Villa was pardoned in return for agreeing to retire from politics. He was later assassinated.