Jesús Malverde
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Jesús Malverde, sometimes known as the "narco-saint", is a folklore hero in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. He is celebrated as a folk saint by some in Mexico and the United States, particularly among those involved in drug trafficking, but he is not officially recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church.
[edit] History
The existence of Malverde is not historically verified,[1] but according to local legends he was a bandit killed by the authorities on May 3rd 1909. Accounts of his life vary – sometimes he was a railway worker, while others he was a construction worker. There is also no agreement on the way he died, being variously hanged or shot. Moreover, sometimes it is said he was betrayed by a friend for a reward.
Since Malverde's death, he has earned a Robin Hood-type image, making him popular among Sinaloa's poor highland residents. The outlaw image has caused him to be adopted as the "patron saint" of the region's drug trafficking business, and the press have thus dubbed him "the narco-saint."[2] However, his intercession is also sought by those with troubles of various kinds, and a number of supposed miracles have been locally attributed to him, including personal healings and blessings.
Malverde's shrine, near a railway track in Culiacán, Mexico, attracts thousands of devotees each year.[3] They often leave candles or other artifacts from their lives. Fishermen leave shrimp in bottles of formaldehyde. People also leave photos of those in need of help. When miracles are granted, they return to thank Malverde, often leaving plaques comemorating the miracle.
[edit] Malverde's legacy
A series of three Spanish-language films have been releasd under the titles Jesus Malverde, Jesus Malverde II: La Mafia de Sinaloa, and Jesus Malverde III: Infierno en Los Angeles. They all feature tales of contemporary Mexican drug trafficking into California, with strong musical interludes during which the gangsters are shown at home being serenaded by Sinaloan accordion-led conjunto bands singing narcocorridos.
Spiritual supplies featuring the visage of Jesús Malverde are available in the United States as well as in Mexico. They include candles, anointing oils, incense, sachet powders, bath crystals, soap, and lithographed prints suitable for framing.
"Always & Forever" is a dramatic stageplay that features Malverde as a prominent character. The play examines various aspects of Mexican-American culture (such as quinceañeras, banda music, and Chalino Sánchez), and premiered in April 2007 at the Watts Village Theater Company[1] in Watts, Los Angeles, California.
A brewery in Guadalajara introduced a new beer, named Malverde, into the Northern Mexico market in late 2007.[4]
[edit] Further reading
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This article or section includes a list of references or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. You can improve this article by introducing more precise citations. |
- Quinones, Sam; True Tales from Another Mexico: the Lynch Mob, the Popsicle Kings, Chalino and the Bronx (Univ. of New Mexico Press, 2001) – Includes the definitive story on Jesus Malverde.
- Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns, and Guerrillas by Elijah Wald. ISBN 0-06-050510
- Pacific News, "Jesus Malverde-Saint of Mexico's Drug Traffickers May Have Been Bandit Hung in 1909"
- Portland Mercury, "Our Blessed Saint of Narcotics?"
- Washington Post, "Time Zones: An Hour at the Feet of a Mexican Narco-Saint--In the Eerie Twilight, Frenetic Homage To a Potent Symbol"
- International Herald Tribune, "Mexican Robin Hood figure gains a kind of notoriety abroad"
