Found this interesting tidbit while surfing

[kandrathe]

... Villa had an entire population to melt into along the US-Mexican border, which was a notionally Western form of government / culture (albeit in disarray due to the revolutions in series Mexican politics of the day). With three generations of US/Mexican rustling and skullduggery and border wars to rely on for indigenous support, and imbedded interests among an organized social order, the scenarios are hardly comparable. ...

From what I can tell of the present day, the implementation of law and order in Mexico relies heavily on the honesty and disposition of the local authorities. The further you get from regional capitals the weaker their "justice" system becomes, and in the most remote places graft and corruption are the rule not the exception. So, not much has changed since the days of Dorotheo Arango.