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Pancho Villa and his horse Siete Leguas
Regarding the history of Latin America, we cannot forget an important character that we will talk about today. This character was the protagonist of the Mexican Revolution in the 1910s. This man is named: José Doroteo Arango Arámbula. José Doroteo is best known for his nickname “Pancho Villa”. Thanks to the figure of “Pancho Villa”, the horse Siete Leguas became a transcendental character in the framework of the Mexican Revolution
Pancho Villa is an icon for the 1910 era. And is that Siete Leguas was the horse of the revolutionary leader of the contemporary history of Mexico José Doroteo Arango Arámbula. This is distinguished as Pancho Villa.
In the course of each freedom crusade, the soldiers went out with their horses, thus making them their companions during the trip. Tradition tells that Pancho Villa sympathized with the horse Siete Leguas and forged a wonderful and authentic bond.
Pancho Villa
Pancho was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution. His military performance was decisive for the defeat of the regime of then President Victoriano Huerta.
Villa was originally from the state of Durango. He was born on June 5, 1878 and was killed in an ambush in Hidalgo del Parral (Chihuahua) on July 20, 1923. It should be noted that during the revolution he was known as “The Northern Centaur.”
This man marked a milestone in the contemporary history of Mexico. Since I fight to move his country forward. For this great mission this man had the support of his faithful friends, the horses. Hence, the horse Seven Leagues will be unforgettable for Mexicans.
Pancho Villa and his horse “Siete Leguas”
The story tells that in each campaign the soldiers went out with their horses in an inseparable way. They became partners for weeks, and even months during long expeditions.
Pancho Villa, who was no exception, acquired a special affection for a horse that took it as his frequent transport. This horse had the name “Siete Leguas”.
This famous horse was one of Pancho Villa’s favorites. It should not be forgotten that he found his name through his very destiny.
Siete Leguas was a Mexican Criollo Horse. Some biographers say that it was not a horse but a strong, brave, brave mare.
This animal presented extraordinary qualities, with which it managed to make it a place in the history of the revolution
Without a doubt, the valuable contribution given by the horse “Seven Leagues” to its owner Pancho Villa was very large. So it marked an indelible mark on the life of this man as well as on the history of an entire great nation such as Mexico.
By the way, today Mexico is one of the main producers of the equine industry in Latin America.
Even some celebrities of the show such as singer Vicente Fernández have their own farm. In these spaces they are dedicated to the reproduction and breeding of horses.
How was born the name of the horse Siete Leguas, Pancho Villa’s horse?
Pancho Villa after a campaign across the border with the United States had to make a particularly long trip. On that trip he had to double the distance of the trip he had planned.
It is worth noting that he had few provisions and accessories necessary for camping, as did some of his soldiers. However, they did not wish to be at the mercy of the impossible sun and the fierce desert climate.
Then they decided to take the risk of returning to the nearest town that was located seven leagues away from where they were. The rest of the soldiers were left behind, since their horses were very exhausted.
Villa’s horse managed to complete the entire journey in one day. The next day, back with his platoon, he placed the funny name envelope of Seven leagues. It is important to highlight that “Siete Leguas” in English means seven leagues. Pancho Villa’s horse earned his nickname for the distance he was able to travel even though it was exhausted.
This story shows us the great spirit of the horse Siete Leguas, while the other horses did not see the trip resisted. The horse drew strength and supported its owner to undertake a trip to the nearest town and return.
This was definitely a warrior horse that deserves all the love and attention of who was its owner.
So Siete Leguas is a name that represents the horse and its ability to withstand long trips in very difficult conditions.
This animal left its species very high thanks to the contribution to its owner, its bravery and fidelity. In other words, a great equine friend that any horse lover would like to have.
Meaning of the word “Legua”
The word “Legua” is a Mexican regionalism that is interpreted as the distance the horse travels on a gallop day. It is also a measure of distance used in some metric systems. In English the word legua is used
The word league expresses the distance traveled on foot or on horseback by a person. It is estimated that it is between 4 and 7 km. In the Anglo-Saxon metric system the league measures 4.83 Km
In this case a league is approximately 6 kilometers which is what an average horse travels. Having a productivity per horse of 30 kilometers per day (5 leagues) without having problems with the trip.
Through this you can explain the distances that exist between town and town in most of the Mexican territory. For the convenience of the villagers, they built the neighboring villages at a distance of one day on horseback.
Finally, Pancho Villa, as a good horse connoisseur, grew up raising them since childhood in his grandparents’ stable.
During that time I had not found a horse that “endured so much.” However, fate allowed him to meet a very curious one, who with his endurance might give him what he was looking for.
Seven Leagues was a fundamental tool so that together and at full gallop, they took the great step to the future of the revolution.
As mentioned above, the Pancho Villa Mare was even faster and braver than an average horse.
The horse Siete Leguas was able to travel an approximate distance of 42 kilometers a fairly complicated distance to travel for a normal horse.
Siete Leguas in the Mexican collective imagination.
Like Pancho Villa, Siete Leguas is very present in the minds of Mexicans. So much so that we can find the name of seven leagues in different products and elements of Mexican popular culture.
Next, you will know some of these elements that make Siete Leguas the most important horse in Mexican culture.
Siete Leguas tequila
An example of this is the aged tequila brand Siete Leguas. It is one of the most important and recognized tequila brands. In his brand he uses the name and image of Siete Leguas, Pancho Villa’s horse.
On their page they sell merchandise related to the brand where you can also see the image of the horse. Among the available merchandise you can find the horse’s pin, sweaters and shirts related to the brand.
We can also find on their page the bottle of an anniversary edition called “Seven Decades”. This 700 ml bottle of Siete Leguas tequila to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the brand. This bottle contains pure blue agave tequila processed 100% handmade.
Undoubtedly, Siete Leguas, Pancho Villa’s horse and tequila are two remarkable elements of Mexican culture.
The “Corrido” of the Siete leguas
One of the most famous corridos in Mexico is called the “Corrido de Siete Leguas”. It is a song that tells the story of the name of this famous horse.
This corrido has been performed by numerous Mexican singers of international projection such as:
- Vicente Fernández
- Antonio Aguilar
- Brilliance.
- Luis Aguilar
- Yolanda del Rio
- Pedro Infante
- Lola Beltran
The best-known version of the popular corrido of Siete Leguas is the version of Graciela Olmos. This composer and singer also fought in the Mexican Revolution.
Graciela Olmos rubbed shoulders with personalities of the time such as Diego Rivera and Pablo Neruda. Certainly, a woman of arms, and musical instruments, take.
It is certainly very interesting that a soldier of the Mexican revolution has also composed the best-known corrido on Siete Leguas. A corrido that comes with force to our days to give us a look at Siete Leguas, Pancho Villa’s horse.
DID GRACIELA OLMOS, THE COMPOSER OF THE CORRIDO DE SIETE LEGUAS, MEET PANCHO VILLA?
Graciela Olmos met Pancho Villa when she was Pancho Villa’s soldadera. A soldadera was a woman in the service of the Mexican Revolution. Graciela Olmos, whose real name was Marina Aedo, was nicknamed La Bandida because her late husband’s nickname was El Bandido.
This inspired him to compose his well-known corrido “Siete Leguas” which has been performed by so many Mexican singers.
Siete LEguas Automotive
Siete Leguas is a company dedicated to the design and manufacture of parts for suspensions, engines and transmissions for machinery brands such as Suzuki, Caterpillar or John Deere.
With 30 years in the market, Siete Leguas Automotive carries the name of Mexico and its best-known horse.
Made with high-precision numerical control castings and lathes, its products meet the highest global manufacturing standards.
The power of Siete Leguas and its power are the symbol that Siete Leguas Automotive has chosen to represent its brand.
A sign that the Mexican industry is committed to its values and Mexican culture.
The importance of the horse Siete Leguas
Pancho’s Villa horse is an iconic horse of Mexican history and culture.
Seven Leagues made a valuable contribution to what was the team that commanded the famous Pancho Villa who was a milestone in the contemporary history of Mexico.
An equine celebrated in the history of a country. As well as the horse of the illustrious Venezuelan and liberator Simón Bolívar. We can see that throughout history at different times and different regions of the planet the horse has achieved a wonderful status.
That is why the animal that has contributed the most to the human being is undoubtedly the horse. Added to this a great travel companion, loyal friend among so many goodnesses that this noble animal offers us. So if you have the privilege of having a horse take care of it, love it and respect it because he will be giving his best.
As always we remember the important role of the horse in the history of the human being. And Gustavo Mirabal consider that man’s best friend is the horse. A friendship that transients the pages of our history.
Sources
https://www.gustavomirabal.es/caballos/siete-leguas-y-pancho-villa/
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