Battle of Celaya
Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico
What happened
The Constitutionalist army of General Álvaro Obregón, fighting for Venustiano Carranza, fought the Army of the División del Norte led by Pancho Villa. During the Mexican Revolution, former allies Obregón and Villa turned against each other. At Celaya, Obregón dug trenches protected by barbed wire and machine guns. Villa's army, about twice as big, made repeated cavalry and infantry charges that failed, and Obregón then counter-attacked with horsemen he had kept in reserve.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Historians call it a turning point of the revolution and Villa's 'Waterloo'. It showed how trenches, barbed wire and machine guns could defeat massed charges.
What came next
Villa went on the defensive and the Constitutionalists chased him at León and Aguascalientes. The United States shifted its support to Carranza's side.
Did you know?
Obregón lost his right arm later in the same campaign, during fighting at León.
Timeline
- 6-7 April 1915The first battle at Celaya.
- 13-15 April 1915The second battle; Obregón wins.
- 1915Obregón pursues Villa at León and Aguascalientes.