The Mesa Verde Uprising occurred in 1913 amid the Mexican Revolution when a revolutionary cell in Mesa Verde - led by Romulo Villega - rose up against the city's garrison and took control of the city in preparation for the arrival of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata's armies.
Background[]
By 1913, the Mexican Revolution had gripped the entire country of Mexico, and the Governor of Mesa Verde, Don Jaime, responded by implementing harsh measures to suppress revolutionary sentiment in his city. Mesa Verde, once an opulent and peaceful town, was rife with government propaganda posters, and the citizens lived in fear due to the frequent public executions of political prisoners by firing squads. Even the city's National Bank - once stocked with cash - was converted into a prison for dissenters. Meanwhile, Dr. Romulo Villega, the leader of the local revolutionary cell, planned to take over the city to aid Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata's armies when they advanced on Mesa Verde from north and south. Villega and the revolutionary cells in the other cities would begin parallel actions of harassment in conjunction with the advance of the rebel armies, thus seizing control of the country in one fell swoop. Antonio was to attack the city hall and the prison (dividing his men into two groups, one of them under Jose), while Jesus would attack the railway station and marshalling yards, Manolo and Juanito would attack the army barracks with the rebels' main force, Ortega would take the post office, and John H. Mallory and Juan Miranda would attack the bank. The revolutionaries would pose as ordinary travellers or railroad employees to avoid detection, as the city was crawling with Mexican Army soldiers and Mexican Federal Police.
Battle[]
Juan Miranda and his men robbing the bank
The battle began when the main rebel force launched their attack on the army barracks, distracting the soldiers from the bank. Juan Miranda's young son brought a toy train filled with dynamite to the door of the bank before running back to the nearby cantina, pulling the detonation wire with him, and giving it to Mallory behind the counter. Mallory then detonated the explosives, killing several soldiers and blowing up the front of the bank. Miranda and his men then stormed the bank, killing all of the soldiers inside. However, Miranda - a bandito who sought to plunder the bank's riches - was shocked to find that each of the vaults contained political prisoners and no money, and he ultimately freed 150 men. These men then joined the fight, chasing the government troops out of the city. The rebellion was victorious, and Miranda was hailed as a hero by the liberated men, despite his anger at Ruiz for deceiving him into robbing a bank whose money had been transferred to the capital a month before. Shortly after, however, Colonel Gunther Ruiz was sent with a detachment of Army soldiers to defeat the Rebels, resulting in the tragic Battle of San Ysidro.
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