As President Trump calls for a new name for New Mexico and a new border wall rises near Columbus, another controversy from 1959 deserves a fresh look.
EYE ON COLUMBUS | BIGADDISON REPORTS
COLUMBUS, NEW MEXICO
Something extraordinary is happening in our little border village.
President Donald Trump is calling for New Mexico to become NEW AMERICA!
Meanwhile, construction is underway on a new secondary border wall outside Columbus.
And right here in our historic village, another naming controversy has been sitting in plain sight for nearly seven decades.
PANCHO VILLA STATE PARK.
Yes, the State of New Mexico named a state park after the revolutionary leader whose forces attacked Columbus on March 9, 1916.
That decision was controversial when it happened. And the historical record proves it.
THE NAMING CONTROVERSY ISN’T NEW!
In 1959, the New Mexico Legislature established what became Pancho Villa State Park.
The following year, New Mexico Senator Dennis Chávez brought criticism of that decision to the floor of the United States Senate.
The March 7, 1960 Congressional Record preserves his remarks and a newspaper account criticizing the legislature’s decision.
The park’s name had already become a source of public controversy.
But there’s another side to that history.
The park was established to preserve the memory of the 1916 raid, and its dedication was also presented as a gesture of friendship between the United States and Mexico.
So here’s a question worth asking again in 2026:
WHAT SHOULD THE NAME OF A HISTORIC STATE PARK COMMEMORATE?
The attacker? The defenders? The victims? The military history? Or the reconciliation that followed?
THE HISTORIC VILLAGE THAT HELPED CHANGE AMERICAN WARFARE
There’s something else Americans should know about Columbus.
Following the raid, the village became a staging point for General John J. Pershing’s Punitive Expedition into Mexico.
That expedition brought together three important developments in American military history.
THE CAVALRY: The 13th Cavalry fought during the raid, and mounted soldiers remained central to the expedition.
THE MOTOR VEHICLE: The Army increasingly relied on trucks and automobiles. A young George S. Patton participated in an early motorized combat operation.
THE AIRPLANE: The First Aero Squadron established the United States’ first operational military airbase near Columbus, pioneering military aviation with its Curtiss Jenny aircraft.
This small border village helped mark the transition from horseback warfare to the mechanized and aerial operations of the twentieth century.
And much of this history can still be explored here today.
NEW WALL! WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR BORDER?
Construction of a secondary border wall is underway near Columbus.
I’ve personally documented construction activity, equipment, and staging operations in the area.
The federal government has also confirmed a major secondary-wall construction contract involving Barnard Construction in New Mexico’s El Paso Sector.
Whatever people’s opinions about border security, this is a significant physical change to the landscape surrounding our village.
And it raises questions about the future of border communities like Columbus and neighboring Puerto Palomas.
NEW COLUMBUS! WHY NOT A WORLD-FAMOUS HISTORIC DESTINATION?
Think about Tombstone, Arizona.
Its famous O.K. Corral gunfight became an enduring Hollywood legend and a foundation for historic tourism.
Now consider Columbus.
We have an actual international raid, cavalry combat, a major American military expedition, pioneering aviation, military motorization, surviving historic structures, museums, and an international border crossing.
WHY SHOULDN’T COLUMBUS BE ONE OF AMERICA’S GREAT LIVING-HISTORY DESTINATIONS?
Imagine historically researched reenactments, guided walking tours, restored buildings, vintage military vehicles, aviation demonstrations, expanded museums, and a year-round tourism economy that benefits the people who live here.
That’s a future worth discussing.
NEW AMERICA? NEW WALL? NEW COLUMBUS?
The proposed state name is not official. New Mexico remains New Mexico, and changing that name would require a state constitutional process.
The border wall is real.
Columbus’s history is real.
And the controversy surrounding Pancho Villa State Park’s name is real, too.
Maybe the biggest opportunity isn’t simply changing a name.
Maybe it’s finally recognizing the extraordinary American history of Columbus, New Mexico.
What do you think?
Should Pancho Villa State Park keep its present name?
Should Columbus pursue a much larger historic-tourism development effort?
And what would you want to see preserved, restored, or created in a new era for our village?
The conversation starts here.
BigAddison
Your Host & Guide to the Borderlands
TELL THEM BIGADDISON SENT YOU!
Discover Historic Columbus: https://www.ColumbusNewMexico.com
The New America discussion: https://www.ColumbusNewAmerica.com
Eye On Columbus: https://www.VillageOfColumbusNM.com