Do you know the connection between Pancho Villa and the Chinese community of San Antonio? On March 9, 1916, Mexican revolutionary Gen. Francisco “Pancho” Villa led a surprise attack on Columbus, New Mexico, in which 18 American soldiers and civilians were killed, and local buildings along with homes were looted and burned. Brig. Gen. John J. Pershing, stationed at Fort Bliss, was ordered by President Woodrow Wilson to capture Villa.

Led by Pershing, more than 10,000 troops poured into Chihuahua, including 527 Chinese refugees, who were promised refuge for their work for the U.S. Army during this Punitive Expedition in Mexico. The Punitive Expedition lasted 11 months and ended without Villa’s capture.