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In February 1913, a military coup brought down the legitimate government headed by Francisco I. Madero, who was trying to lead a transition towards modern political forms and mitigate the social abysses that characterized the country. The coup, prepared by the combination of the ambitions of the Diaz politicians and the landowners represented in the Senate, and by the United States ambassador representing their petty private interests and those of the very powerful Standard Oil Company, opened the door to the revolution that would liquidate the institutions and the political class forged during the Presidency of Porfirio Diaz. And if we also call the above – the brief and almost bloodless Maderista rebellion – a revolution, it is because Madero himself called it that, as revolutions were called the changes of government, riots in Mexican 19th century.

The rebellion that followed the Barracks revolt began at the same time in many places, ever since Madero's fall became known. It was a collective reaction of dignity that in some way was articulated by the governor of Coahuila, Venustiano Carranza. This reaction took on various expressions, one of which gave rise to the Northern Division in September. The soldiers of that army were enthusiastic volunteers who fought –according to their own testimonies– for democracy and freedom (and clearly expressed what they understood by the former, whatever they understood by freedom), as well as for justice. , which manifested itself in the first place in the demand for the redistribution of wealth, starting with land ownership. Their leaders had emerged from the ranks of the people and many had been elected by the soldiers themselves.


That revolutionary army conquered the state of Chihuahua in December 1913. Immediately, its leader, Francisco Villa, expropriated their properties from the oligarchy, putting them at the service of the revolution. This allowed him to finance a novel social experiment (which included the opening of numerous schools) and to convert the guerrillas who had been placed under his command into a powerful army, at the head of which he advanced south in the spring of 1914. Their objective was the cities of La Laguna, where a powerful contingent of the federal army had become strong.

Between March 20 and April 13, Villistas fought tirelessly in a long battle of positions that went down in history as the Battle of Torreón and the Battle of San Pedro de las Colonias, although in reality it was a single battle. weapon action. In those bloody battles, Villistas defeated the best commanders of the federal army on the battlefield and destroyed two powerful divisions totaling more than 22,000 soldiers: the largest concentration of men and firepower made by the old regime to resist the revolution.

That was the bloodiest of the battles fought until then, in the entire Revolution, and the most important, in military terms, in the fight against the old regime. The Villistas had more than 2,000 dead and as many wounded. The feds would count more than 12 thousand casualties between dead, wounded and prisoners. It was a real battle of positions waged against a seasoned enemy, led by capable leaders and jealous of his duty, who left numerous lessons that the revolutionaries knew how to take advantage of.

A first observation of a military nature shows that Pancho Villa was capable of mobilizing large contingents quickly and stealthily, as he moved his agile guerrilla columns. In the same way, the ability of the? generals who commanded the brigades that made up the Division to coordinate their movements and respond adequately to instructions from headquarters was appreciated.

That is to say, that these days 100 years ago, the ranchers, muleteers, cowboys and field laborers; bandits and professional agitators; railroad and mine workers; the rural teachers, bookkeepers, the younger brothers of the assassinated president and some other military technician defeated the federal army on the ground, the forms and the circumstances that the professional military had chosen to contain the revolutionary gale.

In vain: the military dictatorship that sought to prolong the worst aspects of the Diaz Presidency (those that made it an authoritarian and surrendering regime) received there, in La Laguna, a fatal blow that would prove irreversible.