(La Historia del Rio Abajo is a monthly column about Valencia County history written by members of the Valencia County Historical Society.

Dr. Matt Baca, the author of this month's column, is a native of Adelino who spent many years as a teacher and administrator before retiring from the Belen Public Schools and as a university instructor. He has contributed many articles to La Historia del Rio Abajo, focusing on our community's traditions and cultural diversity. He currently serves on the historical society's board of directors.

Opinions expressed in this and all columns of La Historia del Rio Abajo are the author's alone and not necessarily those of the Valencia County Historical Society or any other group or individual.)

Pedro Ornelas must have been overwhelmed by the direction that his long life had taken. His unlikely story spanned two centuries, two countries, a bitter revolution and many jobs. And then there was his connection to the infamous Mexican general, Pancho Villa.

Pedro had been born in 1897. Orphaned at an early age, he lived with various families and in the back streets of both Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas. Never staying in one place for very long, he never really knew to which family or to which country he belonged.

With black hair and dark features, he was known for his high energy and intensity. He was best known for his ability to survive in dangerous situations.

Pedro's ability to survive served him well during the Mexican Revolution of the early 20th century. The oppressed citizens of Mexico had risen to challenge the dictator Porfirio Diaz and all those who had profited from his corrupt rule, from 1884 to 1911.

Revolutionary generals such as Huerta, Zapata, Obregon and Villa fought costly battles against the federales of the Mexican army and, more often, among themselves. It is estimated that as many as 2,000,000 people lost their lives in this seemingly endless struggle.

Pancho Villa was the most feared revolutionary leader of northern Mexico, where he had been born and had spent most of his life. Armed with bandoleers (cartridge belts crisscrossed across his chest), Villa carried himself with a certain swagger and a sense of fearless bravado everywhere he ventured.

Known as a Robin Hood figure who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, Villa could also be incredibly cruel to the poor. He often descended on a village, pillaging its homes and businesses and forcefully recruiting boys as young as 12 years old to replace the many soldiers he lost in battle.

It is not clear how Pedro Ornelas fell in with Villa's army. Like so many youths, he may have been forced to fight as a soldier or, more likely, as he obliquely admitted to his family, to steal horses with a relative for Villa's large cavalry.

Then, on March 9, 1916, Villa did the unthinkable. For some unknown reason, the bold leader attacked the United States at the small border town of Columbus, New Mexico. The early morning raid left 18 U.S. soldiers and citizens dead. More than a hundred Villistas perished as well.

Although Pedro seldom spoke of his time with Villa, he hinted that he had been a Villista. As if to prove the fact, he would sometimes show a sword in his possession. But he never fully explained where he had gotten the sword (which was later stolen) or if he had used it in combat during the revolution.

Whatever his role, Pedro eventually decided to flee Villa's army and seek refuge in the United States. Perhaps he had a falling out with Villa and his cruel men. Or perhaps Pedro simply sought peace and safety after witnessing so much bloodshed, including Villa's shooting of Porfirio Ornelas, a former general in Villa's army and perhaps Pedro's own relative.

In either case, the youth gathered his few belongings and stealthily crossed the border in the dead of night. Knowing El Paso from his childhood days, he was able to conceal himself from any of Villa's men who may have been sent to find him.

It is likely that the fear of being found and forcibly returned to Mexico to fight again or, worse, face punishment for desertion shaped much of where Pedro lived and worked for years to come.

Fleeing from El Paso and the border, Pedro migrated north to the village of San Antonio, south of Socorro along the Rio Grande. There, Pedro worked for Conrad Hilton's family, helping them run their first hotel in what later became a famous chain of lavish hotels established around the world.

Perhaps nervous that he was staying in one place too long, Pedro moved on to a small coal mining camp south of Santa Fe, known as Madrid. Coal mines running deep into mountains may have seemed a good place to hide, at least during long work shifts spent underground.

Not liking coal mining, Pedro next secured work on the Santa Fe Railroad, living and working in Dailes, an isolated railroad camp east of Los Lunas. He may have felt secure from Villa and his men in such a distant location. The year was 1929.

Pedro met his future wife, Flora Sanchez, on a weekend trip into Belen. Although Flora's family disowned her for dating a poor immigrant, the couple eventually married. The families reconciled as Pedro and Flora's family grew to include a son and five daughters.

At first, Pedro and Flora lived in Dailes, surviving in nothing more than a shack provided by the railroad. Despite hardships, they later remembered those days as some of the best of their married lives.

Gradually, the couple began building a house for their young family on Aragon Street in Belen. Once their house was completed, Pedro "hitched" rides on freight trains to get to and from work in Dailes each day.

Months of work turned into years, and years turned into decades. On Sept. 27, 1963, the Santa Fe Railroad awarded Pedro a Certificate of Honor for his 34 years of faithful service.

Feeling secure at last in retirement, Pedro grew bountiful gardens on his property in Belen. A kind, elderly gentleman, Pedro spoke in his Spanish-accented English and generously shared his crops with his many friends and neighbors.

A devout Catholic, Pedro prayed the Holy Rosary each night before bed. Reflecting his long search for calm and safety, Pedro was also known to utter the following beautiful prayer:

As I lay down, God is with me.

As I awake, God is with me.

With the light, and Grace, and Holy Spirit, God goes with me

And I with Him.

And the Holy Cross goes with me.

The Holy Cross that He Died on.

Speak and answer for me.

Calm the hearts that are against me.

Amen.

Pedro Ornelas died in 1982 at the age of 84. Happily cultivating his fields till nearly his dying day, he still used horses to help with his work.

It is said that sometimes when he heard his horses' hoofs on hard ground or heard the jingle of a harness, a wry smile crossed his lips.

Was Pedro recalling his youth when he rode like the wind, free of care and fear? Or was he remembering his wild, but dangerous life in northern Mexico when he rode with the most famous revolutionary of them all, Pancho Villa?