Hero or villain? Mexicans remember revolutionary Pancho Villa

View of the monument to General Francisco Villa at the Pancho Villa roundabout in Parral, Chihuahua state, Mexico. Photo: AFP

Thousands of Mexicans on horseback paraded through the town where Francisco "Pancho" Villa, the outlaw turned revolutionary who inspired countless myths and legends, was killed 100 years ago.

Wearing leather boots and cowboy hats to shield from the blazing sun, riders filled the streets of Parral in the northern state of Chihuahua on Wednesday for commemorations marking the centenary of his death.