Pancho Villa State Park, NM and a brief trip into Palomas, Mexico (yeah, Mexico, the country)

March 5-6, 2016

It is said that history is written by the victor.   Who exactly was the victor in the case of the raid on Columbus, NM by the "villistas", i.e. Mexico's Pancho Villa's troops?  Well, it really depends on who is telling the story.  And just exactly why would Villa invade a small border town when Mexico was in the throes of its own revolution?

Francisco "Pancho" Villa

Mexican revolutionary troops

As with most events, there are many theories about the reasons Villa bothered to come into Columbus on the night of March 9, 1916.  The most intriguing theory is that a local merchant, interestingly away in El Paso Texas on the night of the raid, had had some business dealings with Villa and had reneged on delivering munitions to Villa's army after much money had been paid by the Mexican general...Hmmm, not a good way to make friends...
Another theory is that Villa was alternately supported and opposed by the US against other revolutionary contenders for the leadership of Mexico and the US ultimately sided with Villa's opponent. 

Following Villa's raid, General Pershing was dispatched by president Woodrow Wilson to track down Villa inside Mexico.  The US troops, 700 cavalry, left from Camp Furlong in Columbus, NM.

After almost one year, and traveling 500 miles into Mexico, what is referred to as the US "punitive" expedition was called off, unsuccessful in its mission of capturing Villa. Also, it being 1917 and the height of world War I, US troops were needed elsewhere.

The town of Columbus, NM is now gearing up for the 100 year anniversary of these events.

The Pancho Villa State Park campground is set among the desert and the campsites are interspersed with the ruins of several Camp Furlong buildings.  A reproduction of the US first armored vehicle is on display in front of the park's Visitor center.

It must be obvious by now that Mexico is very close to Columbus, NM.  Indeed, the Mexican town of Palomas is a mere three miles away.  It was recommended to us that we take a day trip into Palomas for a good Mexican meal and for a "fun" experience. So, today, we drove the three miles, parked in a convenient US side lot and walked across the border.  No one on the Mexican side asked us for any documentation!

We headed for the popular "Pink store" and restaurant where we had a delicious lunch.  The building houses a very large shop where I managed to find a nice silver bracelet etched with reproductions of ancient cave paintings (something we have seen much of lately).  

What little we saw of the small town of Palomas seemed to us to be quite poor.  The main street had a few shops, also geared to tourists, selling goods that are a reflection of the border town heritage:  straw cowboy hats and colourful boots...

The town is also a destination for medical, dental and optical tourism, as evidenced by several storefronts offering these services.  All closed on a Sunday.

Clearly geared to tourists, Palomas is poor and surely many of its residents are desperate.  We were especially upset when an elderly indigenous woman asked for tips for opening the door of the "Pink store" for us...

Coming back into the US, we showed our Canadian passports and were asked what we were bringing back:  my leftovers from lunch and a bracelet.  We just walked back to the rig and drove the three miles back to the park, with the reflection of the razor-wire topped wall in our rear view mirror...not, in our opinion, what we would describe as a "fun" experience...

The setting sun over the desert was beautiful this evening...

A day without chili peppers is like a day without sunshine...