The Constitutionalist Revolution
and Villismo in Nogales

The first port to be attacked by the revolutionaries is Nogales, protected by 400 men under the command of Cors. Reyes and Kosterlizky.

On March 13, 1913, at 5:15 AM the battle begins. The Kosterlizky huertistas had built trenches in the nearby hills, and a defence line near where today is Plaza Hidalgo protects the Southern end of town. The attackers, commanded by Cor. Alvaro Obregon, are divided in two columns to attack both flanks, East and West of Nogales.

The assault will last the whole day, until Kosterlizky decides to leave the town, giving himself up to the US authorities.

Two weeks later, the revolutionaries already control Northern Sonora, while at Nogales, the following month, Plutarco Elias Calles is named Military Commander, and he will remain at the town until the last days of July.

Fights between Calles and Maytorena

Soon after these victories, the Constitutionalists will separate in two factions: Those who had participated in the fights of Northern Sonora won´t like the return of Maytorena as Governor, and until a meeting takes place in Nogales, on July 28, at 8 PM, between the interimn Governor, Ignacio Pesqueira, together witn Obregon, Elias Calles and others on one side, and the Governor with license Maytorena together with his team, and Alberto Breceda representing Carranza, when the y will reach an agreement to return Maytorena as Governor, and to name Obregon as Military Chief. However, this solution will last only momentarily, as the fights between the revolutionaries will continue.

Second Conference of Nogales

At noon, October 12, after visiting Magdalena during a morning that seems will turn into one of the classic summer storms, but the sky clears, Carranza arrives by train to Nogales, together with Governor Maytorena.

After the discourses and a welcoming parade, in Nogales, Sonora a bull fight takes place with three animals, while in the neighboring town, in a friendly baseball game between the Tucson Regulars and the Nogales Association Team, the visitors win 4 to 2. In the afternoon, there is an informal meeting in front of International Monument 122, between the Arizona Governor, P. Hunt and Governors Carranza and Maytorena. In it, mutual congratulations are interchanged, and a little later, the dignataries, accompanied by the most prominent nogalians, go to Montezuma Hotel, to enjoy a "carne asada" and "barbacoa."

However, these superficial manifestations cannot end the divisions between the revolutionaries.

The fights between Calles and Maytorena continue

A little later, all Mexico will witness the fight between Villa and Carranza to be the first in controlling Mexico City. The only interruption will be the strategic error of Veracruz occupation, ordered by President Theodore Wilson, on April 21, 1914. In August, Mexico City falls to Obregon army, after Huerta´s flight.

However, even then the Sonora factions will continue their internal fights, in which the border will continue being disputed among Maytorena and Calles.

On August 10, 1914, a battle takes place in Buenavista Ranch, in the Santa Cruz River, between the Maytorena and Benjamin Hill forces, with 18 dead.

A few days later, when there are rumors that Maytorena approaches Nogales, Calles decides to leave town and goes to Cananea on August 22, to be near his operations base in Agua Prieta, while Maytorena enters in triumph the following day to Nogales.

Third Conference in Nogales

On August 28, 1914, at 1:30 AM, the train that brings Villa and Obregon, arrives at Nogales. They come from Cd. Juarez with the purpose of having another conference between all those participating in the internal fights, trying to reach a reconciliation.

In the meeting, the dominant figure is Villa. In the morning of the 28th, he crosses the border to Nogales, Sonora, accompanied by fifty of his Dorados, all mounted in beautiful horses, and is received by a 21 gun salute.

The remaining of that morning, Villa and Maytorena will spend in a private meeting, and at noon the following day they leave in a car, and in the Plaza 13 de Julio, Villa will make a speech, while in Nogales, Arizona, the Villa musical band will offer a public concert.

In the afternoon, Obregon, who had remained on the Arizona side, also crosses the border and meets Villa and Maytorena.

However, this meeting won´t solve anything, and the following Monday, Villa and Obregon leave town.

The factions declare war

A few days later, on Saturday the 5th, Gral Felipe Angeles arrives at Nogales, sent by Villa, to have a meeting with Maytorena, and both of them spend "...almost two days in conference..."

It is almost certain that it was then when Angeles raised the idea that Maytorena would reject Carranza. In return, Maytorena would receive the support of Villa´s forces. Only during Sunday night there was a dinner in honor of Angeles in the Camou Street restaurant, La Nueva Simpatia. Perhaps this was also the reason of Angeles being shot years later, in 1919, because the Obregonistas didn´t forgive him being the architect of the alliance between Villa and Maytorena.

On September 23, together, Villa and Maytorena rejected Carranza´s government. From this moment onward, the sonora revolutionaries will be openly divided among two factions: the Carranza followers, represented by Calles, and those following Villa, represented by Maytorena.

And while Calles controls then only the ports of Agua Prieta and Naco, Maytorena dominates central Sonora as well as Hermosillo. A US military report from April 1915, estimated that Maytorena´s forces fluctuated around 5,230 men, against 3,500 followers of Carranza. Even in weapons, Maytorena´s forces predominated. They had 15,500 rifles and 8.5 million bullets, against 5,300 guns and 5.2 million bullets of their opponents.

The Siege of Naco

Starting on October 1914, the port of Naco, defended by Benjamin Hill (Carranza follower), is attacked unsuccessfully several times by Maytorena, until in November he starts a siege that will last more than two months, trying to take it and evict the Carrancistas from that port.

It is then when the US President, Woodrow Wilson, decides to intervene in the border fight and sends Gral Hugh L. Scott to solve the impasse. His recommendation is immediately accepted by the Carrancistas, while Maytorena will have to be forced to accept it.

He recommends that both factions leave Naco, that Agua Prieta remain under Carranza´s forces, while Maytorena will keep Nogales.

In other words, while Carranza will keep the taxes from the mines, Maytorena will collect those of the agro production of Sonora.

What Maytorena will reluctantly be forced to accept -at least for the moment- is that Carranza´s forces keep their control of a weapons supply port.