In Columbus, New Mexico 3/9/1916 is noted as the only time until 9/11/2001 that the US was attacked by people from outside our borders. On that day Pancho Villa’s 600 bandits raided Columbus and the army encampment located there. Eight soldiers, ten civilians and 200 of Pancho Villa’s men, the Villistas, lost their lives. The raid began in the early morning hours and thus caught the US soldiers off guard. Once they were mobilized they were able to prevent further civilian deaths and to chase the Villistas back across the border into Mexico. A week later Gen. John J. Pershing entered Mexico with several thousand troops in an attempt to capture Pancho Villa. His attempt was unsuccessful.
We traveled the 1 ½ hours from Las Cruces to Columbus today to visit this historic spot. It is a town that could definitely be described as a “God-forsaken place.” (Although I know that God has not forsaken it.) There is not a lot there except the Pancho Villa State Park, a small museum in the old train depot, and a few ruins from the 1916 raid. A hotel where some survivors had sought refuge and protection by the army is still standing. Some residences and a few businesses compose the rest of the town. Columbus and the surrounding area reminded us of why we made the decision not to stay in the New Mexico Conference. We were likely to have been appointed to one of the many small towns in the middle of the desert, miles from any city, similar to this spot!
We were told that the town is not much bigger now than it was after the army left. During the first half of the last century trains made regular stops in Columbus. However, the last train passed through in 1961 and the tracks were removed in 1965. As you walk around the streets it is hard to believe that in 1916, including the army personnel, Columbus had the largest population of any city in the State of New Mexico.
Since the weather was warm we had a picnic at the Pancho Villa State Park surrounded by many varieties of cacti and a few camping trailers. Then we drove the 8 miles to the Mexican border, parked at a Family Dollar Store (to avoid the $2 fee at the “official” parking lot!) and walked two blocks to the crossing point. As is often the case, one can walk right into Mexico without encountering any immigration official or being checked in any way. Palomas, the sister town on the Mexican side, seemed more alive than Columbus. This was mainly because of The Pink House, a large store/restaurant/bar combination that was only another two blocks into Mexico. It was surrounded by a number of dental, optical, and pharmaceutical businesses. People from the U.S. (even from Las Cruces) travel to Palomas for dental work and medicines, both of which are considerably cheaper than in the U.S.
We enjoyed free drinks, some guacamole ,and flan at the restaurant and looked around the gift shop. Dot took a picture of Dan with large statues of Pancho Villa and General Pershing.
Coming back into the US we had to enter the immigration building, show our passports, and declare any purchases we had made. It was pretty easy for us since we had not bought anything!
On our way back to the car we noticed a large cross which had been erected near the road. Beside it was what appeared to be a tombstone with some artificial flowers beside it. The stone read in Spanish “2003 In memory of the immigrants who died in the desert pursuing a dream.” It was a sobering reminder of the human factor in the complex immigration debate.
It was good to learn more about New Mexico and US history and to have a brief visit with our neighbors to the south. We returned to Las Cruces just in time to watch the sunset and to see Duke beat Georgia Tech 70-56!
I didn't find an answer to the question of whether there's a connection between the names Palomas and Columbus (both meaning "dove(s)"), but I did find that Pancho Villa's real name was Doroteo Arango Arámbula, so he almost shares a first name with Mom.
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