Photo: Prensa Latina

Havana, February 15 (RHC)-- Pancho Villa (1878-1923), an idolized figure in Mexico, visited today the 31st Havana International Book Fair in the voice of writer Paco Ignacio Taibo II, who told about his life and myths.

On the occasion of the presentation in Havana's Wooden Street of the title Pancho Villa: A Narrative Biography, published by Mexico's Planeta Publishing House, Taibo unveiled the web of "black and white legends" that still surround the soldier and politician, a key figure in the history of his country and one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution along with Emiliano Zapata.

The writer stopped at a legend related to the death of Villa (whose real name was José Doroteo Arango), and the fact that his head was cut off and never appeared.

He related that many years later they decided to remove Villa's supposed headless corpse from the tomb, but it turned out to be that of a woman who would surely be buried in the same place and this provoked malicious rumors about the hero.

Taibo invited readers to approach these stories that are part of Latin America's evolution.

He stressed the need for Cuba, Mexico and the entire region to learn more about the legacy of heroes such as Simón Bolívar, José de San Martín, Máximo Gómez, Antonio Maceo and many others who shaped continental history.

He pointed out that one of the great problems of Latin America that is beginning to acquire weight and depth is "to rebuild ourselves as a historical collective and not as isolated national collectives".

The 31st Havana International Book Fair will be held in Havana until the 19th, with the participation of 52 countries and Colombia as guest of honor.

More than four million copies are available to readers at Cuba's most important literary event.