La Prensa San Diego
Producer Paul Espinosa Finds Success in Documenting the Experiences of Mexican Americans
October 29, 1993 KPBS
From the plight of undocumented families, to the segregation of Mexican students in 1930s Lemon Grove, KPBS Producer Paul Espinosa has made a career of chronicling the Mexican-American experience.
Yet, despite his considerable filmmaking background, Espinosa had no guarantee of success when he first sought funding for his most recent national production. In fact the airing of "The Hunt for Pancho Villa" comes five years to the month after Espinosa presented the idea to "The American Experience."
The program--which documents the story of the Mexican revolutionary who led the only invasion of American territory during the 20th century--is Espinosa's second with "The American Experience." In 1990 Espinosa and Hector Galan (co-producers of "Hunt") collaborated on "Los Mineros," a film chronicling Mexican-American miners' half-century-long labor battle. It was "Los Mineros" acclaim that led "The American Experience" to agree to co-fund "Hunt," at a cost of more than $400,000.
Espinosa's current project, a feature film for "American Playhouse" based on Tomas Rivera's novel y no se lo trago la tierra (...and the earth did not swallow him) is another example of his tenacity at obtaining funding. Over four years in the making with collaborator Severo Perez, "Tierra" will be completed in December 1993. The film--which portrays the life of a poor Mexican-American boy and his migrant farmworkers family--will be released in movie theaters within a year, with a tentative public television airdate planned for 1995.
Besides being the first feature film for both Espinosa and KPBS, the production is a validation of Espinosa's choice of a career in television.
"Part of the role I play as a filmmaker is as an educator," Espinosa says. "One of the reasons that I got interested in working in television was the opportunity it presented for reaching a large audience. 'Tierra' will present for the first time on screen the perspective of migrant workers as told by one of their own. Tomas Rivera was himself a migrant worker as a child, and he went on to become the Chancellor of the University of California at Riverside--the highest-ranking Mexican American in higher education."
It was just before dawn on March 9, 1916, a band of Mexican revolutionaries loyal to General Fransisco "Pancho" Villa crossed the border into the United States and attacked the town of Columbus, New Mexico. By the time the withdrew, 17 Americans and 67 Mexicans lay dead.
Overnight Pancho Villa became America's most wanted enemy. Within a week, thousands of American soldiers would invade Mexico; within a few months, 150,000 U.S. troops--the largest American deployment since the Civil War--would be mobilized from California to Texas. The leader of the American expedition was General John "Black Jack" Pershing. His mission: to capture Villa, dead or alive.
The American Experience: The Hunt for Pancho Villa, premiering Wednesday, November 3 at 9 pm ET on PBS, tells the story of one of the most controversial figures in American history and the dramatic but failed efforts of the U.S. government to bring him to justice--events that brought the U.S. and Mexico to the brink of war. Produced by Paul Espinosa and Hector Galan, the one-hour long film is narrated by Academy Award winning actress Linda Hunt.
Painting a picture of the violent, chaotic U.S.-Mexican border in the early part of this century, The Hunt for Pancho Villa draws on a wealth of archival materials, including remarkable, rarely-seen film of the U.S. expeditionary force that was sent to capture Villa; and postcards, cartoons, newsreels, and film excerpts found in public and private collections in the United States and Mexico.
Also featured are interviews with two of Pancho Villa's soldiers, Jose Maria Varela and Enrique Alferez; Columbus, New Mexico, residents Margaret Carson, Richard Dean, and Jessie Thompson; former Columbus resident Mary Lee Gaskill; Chihuahua witnesses Vicente Lara, Ruben Osorio, Carlos Villegas, Rey Whetten, Adolfo Rivera (who was held prisoner by a Villa colonel), Blasa Rivera and her brother Fransisco Rivera; and historians Hector Arras and Louis Ray Sadler. Testimonial accounts recorded at the time reflect the views of the major actors in the drama: General John "Black Jack" Pershing, General Villa, President Woodrow Wilson, and Mexican Government officials.
Hero or outlaw?
Pancho Villa's infamous attack on a small American town had its roots in his complex, volatile character; in Mexico's turbulent politics; and in the tangled relations between Mexico and the U.S., which had many business holdings below the border.
As so outlaw, Villa was legendary in Mexico for his brazen attacks on "haciendas," the huge, profitable ranches that kept workers in virtual ignorance and poverty.
"He was seen as the Mexican Robin Hood...because it was said that he helped the poor by taking from the rich," says historian Hector Arras in the program.
Pancho Villa had once been considered a friend of the United States, even called the potential "George Washington of Mexico." During the Mexican Revolution, he had won a series of military victories and had emerged a national figure. He became convinced that the United States would recognize him as Mexico's legitimate leader.
But in 1915, the United States abruptly threw its support behind Villa'a archenemy-- Venustiano Carranza. Villa felt betrayed. He was certain that Carranza had struck a deal to turn Mexico over to the Americans.
"Americans know that I've always made a special effort to guarantee their safety in my country," said Villa. "Now only history can decide who is responsible."
He vowed to fight.
America had not only changed its attitude toward the unpredictable Villa, but placed an arms embargo on him, culling off his supply from towns like Columbus, NM. The United States also secretly helped Carranza's troops defeat villa's forces.
But Villa was not a man who gave up easily. His troops ambushed a train carrying American miners, killing all but one of the 17 men on hoard. His next target would be Columbus, NM.
America retaliates
News of Pancho Villa's infamous Columbus raid reached the outside world almost immediately and precipitated a heated, often emotional debate in both the United States and Mexico. Some congressional leaders called for a fullscale invasion of Mexico. Others argued that the United States needed Mexico as an ally and should not punish an entire country for the actions of a small band of guerilla fighters.
President Wilson, in the midst of a presidential campaigns did not want to rush into a decision. The country was divided over the issue of isolationism and interventionism as the war in Europe became more threatening. As a compromise, Wilson announced the formation of a "Punitive Expedition" under the command of General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, a celebrated hero already famous for his successful campaign in the Indian Wars and the Philippines.
Under Pershing's command, the cavalry or U.S. National Guardsmen and Army regulars, backed up by airplanes (the first ever used in battle), new armored tanks, and over 600 trucks (the cavalrymen had to be trained to drive them), set up camp along the border.
"The Punitive Expedition was the last of the old and the first of the new," says historian Louis Ray Sadler. "This is the last great cavalry operation in the United States army."
But the hunt was tough going. Despite the massive provisions and advanced technology of the American army (especially compared to Villa's rag-tag brigade), the U.S. troops suffered in the intense heat and were constantly eluded by Villa, who knew the land like the back of his hand.
"We always went on the side where the sun was shining so they couldn't see us," recalls Enrique Alferet, a member of Villa's army. "We rode parallel to the Americans."
The American invasion triggered the deep resentment of the Mexican people and of President Carranza, a political opportunist who claimed that the military action violated Mexico's sovereignty. In the town of Parral, townspeople attacked U.S. troops looking for Villa. Another skirmish in the town of Carrizal left 14 American soldiers dead; 24 were taken prisoner. Full-scale war between the two countries seemed imminent.
"I told the president we should at once seize all the border towns," wrote General Hugh Scott, "and shove the Mexicans into the desert beyond."
But neither country wanted war. After diplomatic talks, Carranza released the American prisoners. In Febuary 1917, faced with the inevitable involvement in World War I, the U.S. agreed to withdraw its troops. After 11 months, the Americans had not only failed to capture Pancho Villa, they had never caught sight of him.
General Pershing publicly declared the Punitive Expedition a victory, but privately, he wrote to his father-in-law:
"...We are now sneaking home under a cover like a whipped cur with his tail between his legs."
In 1920, Pancho Villa laid down his arms, in exchange for a government offer of land and amnesty. He was awarded a large ranch which had once been a hacienda. In 1923, he was gunned down by political enemies.
Pancho Villa's confrontation with the American troops has never been forgotten on either side of the border. The enduring legacy of the Punitive Expedition, which was designed to vanquish him, was, ironically, to transform Villa into a mythic figure.