Villa Lobos
Villa Lobos

Villa Lobos

Founded Founded in 1959 in or near Pilsen (Lower West Side)
Affiliations People Nation — 1980 – give;
Colors Black and Green
Primary ethnicities Latino (Mexican) and Latino (Puerto Rican)
Symbols Wolf Head and Low Rider Hat
Symbol usage

Wolf head with low rider hat

Status Extinct

The Villa Lobos are one of the oldest street gangs in the Pilsen community.  Villa Lobos means “Village Wolves” in Spanish.  The formation happened in 1959 as Mexican migration began to grow larger in the Pilsen community.  The Villa Lobos were not Mexican, the original group was of Puerto Rican descent. The original Villa Lobos came to Pilsen among an early group of displaced Puerto Rican people that came from the Lincoln Park community on Armitage Street.  This doesn’t mean Villa Lobos started in Lincoln Park it just means the original Wolves came from this area before they were in a club.  I am not sure on the exact year Villa Lobos started but I theorize 1959 given that it was the year Puerto Rican people were forced out of Car Sandburg village area.  The first Villa Lobos formed at the intersection of 19th and Garland (now 19th and Shelby Court).  The Villa Lobos then made 19th down to Cullerton on Garland (Shelby Court) their original turf.  A short time after formation the first junior President “Crazy Horse” brought a group of Villa Lobos to the 19th to Cullerton, Loomis to Laflin area starting his own branch.  This was the beginning of the main Pilsen chapter of the Villa Lobos as this turf would expand from Ashland to Loomis, 19th to 21st.  This is perhaps why some have said Crazy Horse founded the Villa Lobos; however, the 19th and Garland Villa Lobos pre-date that.  In the year 1965 there was a new Junior President that was in that role until 1968.

In the year 1966, The Villa Lobos opened at 18th and Damen in the Pilsen neighborhood alongside a small Puerto Rican migration wave that landed at 18th and Damen and the Marshall Square community that year.   They had a club house at 18th and Damen right behind Bishop’s Chili.   The Villa Lobos had an alliance with Morgan Deuces and Latin Kings and would invite Latin Kings from Little Village to party with them at the club house. Villa Lobos perhaps met Latin Kings from Little Village because they likely had family in Marshall Square that knew the Boulevards Latin Kings.  The Villa Lobos were also called upon at a peace summit with Latin Kings, Morgan Deuces and other gangs in the Bridgeport Homes in the Bridgeport neighborhood in the late 1960s, this solidified their relationship with Latin Kings much more.

1966 became a year of some mild expansion as the Villa Lobos opened at Damen and Blue Island which placed them in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood (West Pilsen).  This area was settled by a non-Hispanic member named Lawrence McClean.  McClean was 17 years old in 1967 and went down for murder after he shot and killed Loren Overturf, a member of a rival gang called the “Whitey’s Boys.”  This clash may have happened because the Villa Lobos were now operating south on Damen to Damen and Blue Island.  After this murder heat was brought down on the Villa Lobos and McClean got charged.

The Villa Lobos would also open in the Back of the Yards community in 1966 somewhere on 47th Street as they ran into an enemy they fought in Pilsen.  A white gang called the Unicorns haunted the area of 18th and Throop by Throop Park.  The Unicorns were part of a unity that began in 1966 called “The Settlement,” now the newly arrived Villa Lobos would tangle with the Cool Gents from 45th and Laflin.  The Settlement club house was not far away at 45th and Mcdowell; therefore, I believe the Villa Lobos of 47th were in the are of Ashland to Bishop along 47th.

In the year 1970 Villa Lobos migrated to the Little Village community for the first time as they arrived at 26th and St. Louis.  in the year 1976 the Villa Lobos left 26th and St. Louis in favor of settling on a larger scale at 26th and central Park, 23rd and St. Louis, 30th and Drake, 24th and Drake and 23rd and Ridgeway.  By this time the Villa Lobos had become more of a Mexican gang than a Puerto Rican gang.

23rd and St. Louis soon became the Villa Lobos deepest chapter as they had many gunners and large numbers.  They also tagged a giant emblem of theirs that reached the second floor of the building.

In the year 1977, the Villa Lobos had become exceptional in size and were a main force in the Little Village area.  This was the same year that the Ayala brothers turned the Two Six organization into a street gang as they aggressively absorbed groups from other gangs.  The Two Six then approached the Villa Lobos the join their ranks but Villa Lobos rejected the offer.  This caused Two Six to shoot at the Villa Lobos in an alley way as three Villa Lobos were gunned down, one being Lil Rojo who died from his wounds.  This started a eternal war with Two Six and their allies the Satan Disciples who were involved in the initial violence.

The Villa Lobos biggest enemy was always the Two Sixs and when it came to the major war between Two Six and Latin Kings in Little Village the Villa Lobos took the Latin Kings’ side as they became good allies.  The Villa Lobos also fought with Two Six allies the Sin City Boys.

Villa Lobos fought against some rivals in the Marshall Square area like Two Two Boys and Satan Disciples while the Villa Lobos befriended Stone Kents, Cullerton Deuces and Coulter Kings over there.

In the Pilsen area the Villa Lobos slugged it out with La Raza and hung out with Latin Counts and Latin Brothers.  In about the year 1981 the Villa Lobos joined the People Nation thanks to the Latin Kings as they became even closer allies with Latin Kings.

The Villa Lobos had pretty good numbers in the 1980s but by the early 1990s the organization began to fade out due to retirement or members flipping to Latin Kings especially the 30th and Drake section which many Villa Lobos turned Latin King because the powerful 31st and Drake section was looking to grow even more.  The Cullerton and Ashland section closed up by the 1990s then 23rd and Ridgeway shrunk in size to the point where many members moved to the suburb of Cicero at 16th and Austin which lasted until the 2010s decade.

 

 

Questions:

  1. Who was the founder and what happened to him?
  2. What year were Villa Lobos founded?

Known sections of the Villa Lobos past and present

Back of the Yard neighborhood Established 1966

Sections of the Back of the Yards

47th Street somewhere

Heart of Chicago neighborhood Established 1966

sections of Heart of Chicago

18th & Damen Established 1966

Damen & Blue Island Established 1966

19th & Wood 70s

Pilsen neighborhood Established 1959-1980s

Sections of Pilsen

Damen & Blue Island

Garland Court (now Shelby Court) from 19th to Cullerton Established 1959-late 60s

18th & Damen

19th to 21st, Loomis to Ashland

Little Village neighborhood Established 1970-present years

Sections of Little Village

26th & St. Louis Established 1970-1976

26th & Central Park Ave Established 1976

24th & Drake Established 1976

23rd & St. Louis Established 1976

23rd & Ridgeway Established 1976-present years

30th & Drake Established 1976