Key Facts
- Dates
- March 31 – April 6, 1929
- Duration
- 7 days
- Conflict context
- Part of the Escobar Rebellion, 1929
- Border location
- Opposite Naco, Arizona, USA
Strategic Narrative Overview
After occupying Agua Prieta, Escobar's rebel forces advanced to take Naco, which was held by government loyalist troops. Fighting lasted from March 31 to April 6, 1929, as rebel and federal forces clashed in and around the dusty border village. The proximity to Naco, Arizona, gave the battle an international dimension, with stray fire potentially affecting U.S. territory and drawing American attention to the conflict along the border.
01 / The Origins
The Escobar Rebellion erupted in 1929 when General José Gonzalo Escobar led a military uprising against the government of President Emilio Portes Gil in Mexico. Rebel forces, having previously captured Cananea and drafted the 'Plan of Hermosillo,' moved to seize border towns whose customs revenues could finance their revolt. Naco, a small village on the Sonora–Arizona border, became a target because of its customs income and existing public sympathy for the rebel cause.
03 / The Outcome
The source does not specify the definitive outcome of the siege itself or its immediate aftermath. The broader Escobar Rebellion was ultimately suppressed by the Mexican federal government within months of its outbreak in 1929, ending the rebel challenge to President Portes Gil's authority. Escobar's forces failed to sustain their northern border strategy, and the rebellion collapsed without achieving its political objectives.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
General José Gonzalo Escobar.
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.