Columbus, New Mexico, is back in the news again. Columbus is a dusty little town of 2,000 people on the border with Mexico. According to an article in the Dallas Morning News, it is now a haven for drug smugglers. Why? No river to cross here – Columbus, New Mexico, USA, faces Palomas, Mexico, with only a fence between. The Mexican authorities cracked down on drug traffickers on their side of the border, so the criminals moved over to the U.S. side, where their only opposition is Columbus’s four-man police force.
Previously, Columbus had a brief moment of fame. We all know how the U.S. invaded Mexico in 1848. Did you remember that Mexico invaded the U.S. in 1914? Pancho Villa, as “President” of Mexico, led his troops, or what he considered troops, across the border in a raid on Columbus, New Mexico. In retaliation, General George Pershing and the U.S. Army marched into Mexico in a kind of rehearsal for Pershing’s command of U.S. forces in World War I.
I moved to New Mexico in 1984. In Albuquerque I joined the senior center, where I met people, formed friendships, and had a wonderful time. One day at lunch I sat opposite an old lady who told me she grew up in Columbus, New Mexico.
“That’s where Pancho Villa made his famous raid,” said I.
“You know about that?” said she.
“Were you there?” asked I.
“Yes,” said she.
“What do you remember?” said I.
“Nothing,” said she. “I was a baby.”
So much for eye-witness testimony.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
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1 comment:
Yes, Columbus and Pancho Villa. What most people don't know is that Villa kidnapped a woman near Columbus whose family was from Mountainair. Her small son, who was with her the day Villa kidnapped her, is alive and living here in Abo, New Mexico. They forced her to ride with them for two weeks while they raided ranches, murdered cowboys and farmers, stole horses, slaughtered cattle, and generally left ruin in their wake. Her name was Maude. I wrote a story for a local newspaper covering the incident. I was lucky enough to obtain Maude's original notes and letters regarding the ordeal. Columbus is a little town with a long and colorful history.
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