The Battle of Mesa Verde occurred in 1913 during the Mexican Revolution. The revolutionary army of Ricardo Santerna decisively defeated the Mexican Army's attempt to retake Mesa Verde, allowing for Pancho Villa's army to reinforce the city shortly after.
Villa and Emiliano Zapata had planned to march to the city's aid following the Mesa Verde Uprising, but the Army quickly responded by sending Colonel Gunther Ruiz to retake the town. Following the Battle of San Ysidro, his men defeated Romulo Villega's revolutionary cell and executed most of its members, brutally reinforcing government rule in the rebellious town. However, Ricardo Santerna's rebel army liberated the town after ambushing an Army train and killing the tyrannical governor, Don Jaime, and he received orders to hold Mesa Verde until Villa's army could arrive a day later.
At the same time, Ruiz was sent to retake the city, bringing 1,000 troops and heavy artillery with him on another Army train. Santerna sent the IRB explosives expert John H. Mallory to see to it that the Army train was derailed by a dynamite-laden rebel train, and Mallory chose a recently-returned Villega to accompany him, as he was aware that Villega had been tortured into betraying his comrades. Villega, swamped with guilt, decided to stay on the train as it crashed into the Army train, causing a great explosion which destroyed the first several cars and halted the rest of the train. As the Army troops left the train, they were blasted with rebel mortar shells, and multiple rows of Rebeldes taking cover behind stone walls released volleys of gunfire into the Mexican Army ranks. The outlaw Juan Miranda manned a Maxim gun, aiding in the massacre of the Army soldiers. Before the battle was done, however, Ruiz shot Mallory thrice in the back before being himself gunned down by Miranda's Maxim gun, and Mallory blew himself up rather than slowly bleed out from his wounds. The rebel victory allowed for Villa and his army to liberate Mesa Verde, which was now a safe stronghold of the Revolution.
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