Pancho Villa was a First Commander during the revolution and initially lead a force of 28 men. He fought against and robbed the rich and powerful becoming the first revolutionary leader to beat federal soldiers. His continuous victories attracted more men to his group which eventually numbered 500 men and continued to grow. In 1913 Villa had 3,000 men at his disposal. Villa rose to national attention during the battle for Torreon, which lasted ten days and nights resulting in the retreat of the federal army. Villa’s victories continued including the biggest battle of the revolution. The battle of Zacatecas was a faceoff between two armies who each had about 12,000 troops. The battle destroyed the town of Zacatecas with the casualties numbering: 6,000 federalist troops, 1,000 revolutionaries, and many civilians. The numerous victories in the earlier years of the revolution elevated Villa to legendary status, even Hollywood was fascinated with him. Entire battles where filmed for the entertainment of the United States. Pancho Villa’s numerous victories against the federalist army greatly helped the revolutionary movement (Katz).  

Pancho Villa would be a huge reason that many people in The Murmur of Bees would move to towns. Many battles would contain numerous casualties including civilians. The Battle of Zacatecas resulted in the total devastation of the town and the deaths of many of the townsfolk. We can see that new faces appear in the town after the Moraless come back from their isolation. These new people came to the town hoping to avoid the bloody fighting and to try to live normal lives.  

Info & Img Source: Katz, Freidrich. “The Revolutionary Hero.” Revolutionary Hero, 1998, www.laits.utexas.edu/jaime/jrn/cwp/pvg/revolutionary.html.