Mexico City, Mar 10 (EFE).- Twenty-five photographs at an exhibition in this capital commemorate the 94th anniversary of the invasion by troops led by Revolutionary commander Pancho Villa and the attack on the U.S. army fort at Columbus, New Mexico.
The exhibit - entitled "1916, Pershing seeking Villa and wanting to kill him" - will be open to the public through April 18 outside the capital's National Museum of Interventions as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Mexican Revolution.
"The recreation of this episode contributes to the historical memory of Mexico, helping new generations to be able to understand and get to know some of the great revolutionary moments through Villa," museum director Enriqueta Cabrera told Efe.
The reasons why Villa decided to invade Columbus remain unknown, though some suggest he did it in reprisal for the recognition the United States accorded to the Mexican government headed by his then-enemy Venustiano Carranza.
The two men became enemies after Carranza failed to fulfill an agreement he had made for Villa's troops to enter Mexico City.
It was on March 9, 1916, that Villa and 573 men assaulted the U.S. Army's Camp Furlong and then sacked and burned Columbus, killing 17 soldiers and 17 civilians, while around 80 revolutionary soldiers lost their lives in the clash.
The attack provoked the nine-month "punitive expedition" led by Gen. John J. Pershing in which the U.S. government tried without success to trap Villa.
Photographs such as "John J. Pershing with Villista prisoners," "U.S. Army recruiting announcement," "Columbus after Pancho Villa's attack," "Pancho Villa on horseback" and "Reward notice for Pancho Villa" - arranged chronologically - recall the deeds and activities of the period.
Experts in the subject say that the attack on Columbus and Pershing's expedition had important effects on the development of the Mexican Revolution and on world history.
An example of that is the enmity between the Carranza government and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, who denied the Mexican leader access to U.S. loans and arms.
The punitive expedition was the last time U.S. forces invaded Mexico.
