“Pancho Villa,” people whispered at the beginning of the 20th century, "can march 100 miles without stopping, live 100 days without food, go 100 nights without sleep, and kill 100 men without remorse." The legend of Francisco Villa is full of heroism, tragedy and romance, a story about how a poor farmer boy became a bandit after avenging an injustice on his family and transformed into a military genius who fled from an oppressive government to lead the largest revolutionary army in his country's history. He defeated a dictatorship to become Mexico´s liberator, only to fall again in disgrace when his troops abandoned him or were massacred by the enemy.

Pancho Villa and his cavalry, Mexicans point out with a certain amount of pride, invaded the United States, and although they came and tried to capture him, they never found him. This is, at least, the version that most of them know, but it's certainly not the same as in their textbooks. Pancho Villa´s personality has been controversial since the very beginning of his career as a general of the revolutionary army, but for many Mexicans, he is a hero.

At 4:00 a. m. on the morning of March 9, 1916, Villa and about 500 Mexican soldiers attacked the town of Columbus, New Mexico, a rare time instance when the continental United States was attacked by a foreign army with their "boots on the ground." At that time, the population of Columbus was 600, and it hasn´t changed much since then. More than a real city, Columbus was a stop-by place, with three hotels, a bank, no more than 10 stores, and Ford and Coca-Cola agencies.

Whatever his reasons, Villa crossed the border after midnight with 100 loyal soldiers, and a few hours later, his men stormed the peacefully sleeping town, or at least so it seemed. Villa's men attacked Columbus from four directions, shooting high and low, looting shops, and burning everything in its path.