Leader among Leaders

Lily Long, Dr. Rodríguez, Leonor Villegas de Magnón, Venustiano Carranza, and General Gregorio Osuna

Leonor Villegas de Magnón Presenting a Document

Venustiano Carranza and Felicitas Villareal

Jesús Carranza, Venustiano Carranza, Leonor Villegas de Magnón, and Pablo González 

Signed Portrait of General Marcelino Murrieta

General José Carranza and Military Staff

Portrait of General Teodoro Elizondo

Leonor Villegas de Magnón inspired and touched the heart of many. Her response to what she considered a call of duty, united Latinas from both sides of the border over a common cause, and opened a space for them to actively participate in the Mexican Revolution. Her work resulted not only in La Cruz Blanca Constitucionalista but also in a robust network of revolutionaries on both sides of the US-Mexican border. Nurses, doctors, and other border Mexicans and Americans coalesced around Villegas de Magnón to provide what would otherwise have been an absent support system. Both the nurses and the border network of support were essential factors in Carranza's success. From makeshift hospitals to official blood centers, from loyal messengers to savvy spies, Villegas de Magnón and her cohort served many roles.

Noble, resourceful, and "rebelde," Leonor Villegas de Magnón situated herself among the great leaders of the Mexican Revolution. This page shows in her own photos her due place among other leaders of the time.