As a young man, he fought against the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz and was imprisoned on several occasions.
[1] He led the taking of Torreón and other military action in Coahuila, Durango, and Chihuahua (1910–15).
[2] He joined the forces of General Nicolás Flores, rising to the rank of colonel.
Curiel Gallegos retired in 1938 due to poor health and dedicated his time to agriculture in Zacatecas.
[3] There is a school named after him in Ciudad Valles, called "Escuela Secundaria Rafael Curiel Gallegos".