It was a torrid Mexican summer day in 1914, and General Pancho Villa had not felt well since the Battle of Zacatecas. His stomach was in a constant uproar and he complained of gas pains. Lately; he neither enjoyed pillaging, nor did the sound of machine-gun fire make him smile. He had even stopped observing his firing squad's work, and burning churches just wasn't that much fun any more. Of course he still kicked an occasional widow or nun, and he never failed to conscript orphans into his Army of the North. Nevertheless, everyone could see that Pancho was just not himself.
At the urging of his worried general staff, Pancho finally agreed to see a doctor about his stomach problems. Dr. Raschbaum. who was Villa's personal physician at that moment, was promptly ordered to Pancho's quarters. The doctor was told that he must cure the General's problem or else. Dr. Raschbaum was an astute individual who knew that his life had been spared only because of the Army of the North's need for doctors. Pancho's troops usually executed any physician who could not quickly put Pancho on the mend.
Dr. Raschbaum quickly identified the problem as the early sign of an ulcer, and he suggested measures that Pancho should take to avoid having a full-blown ulcer. First, Pancho must give up tequila; and second, he was restricted to a bland diet. Since Pancho did not drink, the first recommendation could not be applied. As to the second recommendation, Pancho said that he would forego his favorite dish of tamales and chocolate milk but would give up nothing else. Besides, his gas pains were constant and not just associated with meals.
That Pancho's gas pains were constant was the clue for which the doctor was looking. His diagnosis was quickly pronounced. Pancho was suffering from stress. Pancho needed to divert his concentration. Dr. Raschbaum told Pancho that he needed a hobby. But what hobby could Pancho undertake? Computer games had not been invented and golf was out of the question. Pancho thought and thought...
Finally Pancho remembered that in his youth
on the big rancho where he grew up, he liked to create things
with his hands. As a boy, Pancho became quite skilled at carving,
and his favorite wood was mesquite. In those indolent days, he
had little else to do; and there was an ample supply of mesquite
on the rancho. Later, when he became a bandito, rustling cattle
and robbing ranches left Pancho no time for carving. Now that
the years had flown, Pancho, the bandido-revolutionary general,
decided to whittle again.
At first he tried all manner of subjects. He whittled birds, burros, cats, dogs, horses, cows, sheep, goats, bats, elephants, and even an occasional rhinoceros. These subjects helped Pancho relax, but the subject that most relieved him of his gas pains was the Mexican Mesquite Bunny. Pancho loved bunnies, and the carving of mesquite bunnies was the release that he had been seeking.
Pancho began to carve little bunnies, mid sized bunnies, big bunnies, giant bunnies, humongous bunnies; all sorts of bunnies. At last there were no more gas problems for Pancho Villa. Pancho had found relief and relief was spelled M-E-X-I-C-A-N M-E-S-Q-U-I-T-E B-U-N-N-Y.
Soon his troops began to take notice of the positive change in Pancho's attitude, and they loved his beautiful bunny creations. The soldiers were quick to see that the Mesquite Bunnies were true collector items. They bought every Mesquite Bunny that Pancho could whittle. Pancho suddenly found himself covered with orders for these exquisite Mesquite Bunnies, and many of his general officers took up the hobby to relieve their nerves. The younger revolutionaries were clamoring for carving lessons, and it was rumored that even General Emiliano Zapata had taken up Mesquite Bunny Carving.
Pancho lost all desire to become the President
of Mexico. He would rather whittle Mesquite Bunnies. Insiders
in the international art market who specialized in outsider art
were buying any Mexican Mesquite Bunny they could get their hands
on. It had taken Pancho a while to realize it, but finally it
was plain to him. He had developed a career for himself. Now he
could quit his job as Supreme Commander of the Army of the North
and return to a quiet life on his ranch to carve more Mesquite
Bunnies.
Pancho's life should have had a "lived happily ever after"
ending; but unfortunately for Pancho, this was not to be. Things
went well for Pancho until 1923 when a Chihuahua City Art Dealer
suspected Pancho of selling Mesquite Bunnies directly to tourists.
The infuriated dealer hired professional gunmen to put a stop
to this practice, and poor Pancho was gunned down near his ranch
home and studio in Parral, Chihuahua. Pancho's saddened patrons
were later able to buy post cards of his bullet riddled body and
auto, and prices immediately soared for carved mesquite bunnies
signed Pancho V.
Historians would later play down Pancho's role
as a principal player in the Mexican revolution and concentrate
instead on his role as artist. Orozco, Siquieros, and Rivera are
known as the creators of the Mexican mural, but Pancho Villa will
always be remembered as the artist who initiated the internationally
acclaimed Mexican Mesquite Bunny. Thus ends the remarkable story
of Pancho Villa, the creator of the carved MEXICAN MESQUITE BUNNY.