{{Short description|Mexican folk hero (1870–1909)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2016}} {{family name hatnote|Matzo|Campos|lang=Spanish}} {{Infobox saint | name= Jesús Malverde | image=Effigy of Jesus Malverde.jpg | imagesize= | caption=Jesús Malverde image | titles =Angel of the Poor, Generous Bandit, The Narco Saint | birth_date= 24 December 1870 | death_date= 3 May 1909 (age 38) | birth_place= Sinaloa, Mexico | death_place= Sinaloa, Mexico | feast_day= 3 May | venerated_in = Sinaloa; Folk Catholicism | patronage= Mexican drug cartels, drug trafficking, outlaws, bandits, robbers, thieves, smugglers, people in poverty | major_shrine=Culiacán, Mexico | suppressed_date= | issues= }}
'''Jesús Malverde''' ({{IPA|es|xeˈsus malˈbeɾde|pron}} {{literal translation|bad-green Jesus}}; born '''Jesús Juárez Matzo Campos,''' 24 December 1870<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Chesnut |first=R. Andrew |last2=Lomelin |first2=Christopher |date=9 January 2014 |title=Jesus Malverde: Not Just a Narcosaint |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jesus-malverde_b_4567114 |access-date=25 May 2024 |work=HuffPost}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=A. Calvo-Quirós |first=William |title=Undocumented Saints: The Politics of Migrating Devotions |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2022 |isbn=9780197630235 |pages=32–85 |chapter=Jesús Malverde: A Saint of the People, for the People |chapter-url=https://academic.oup.com/book/44914/chapter/384763053}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |last=Carrasco |first=Isabel |date=9 July 2018 |title=Malverde: The Story Behind The Man Who Became The Patron Saint Of Drug Dealers |url=https://culturacolectiva.com/en/history/jesus-malverde-narc-saint/ |access-date=25 May 2024 |website=Cultura Colectiva}}</ref> – 3 May 1909), commonly referred to as the "generous bandit", "angel of the poor",<ref name="park">{{Cite web |last=Park |first=Jungwon |title=Sujeto Popular entre el Bien y el Mal: Imágenes Dialécticas de "Jesús Malverde" |trans-title=Popular Subject between Good and Evil: Dialectical Images of “Jesús Malverde” |url=https://www.lehman.cuny.edu/ciberletras/v17/park.html |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=Lehman College |language=es |archive-date=26 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826061755/https://www.lehman.cuny.edu/ciberletras/v17/park.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> or the "narco-saint", was a Mexican bandit and folklore hero in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
He was of Yoreme and Spanish heritage. He is a "Robin Hood" figure who was supposed to have stolen from the rich to give to the poor.<ref name="dry">{{Cite book |last=L. Price |first=Patricia |title=Dry Place: Landscapes of Belonging and Exclusion |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-8166-4306-6 |pages=153–157}}</ref> He would steal gold coins from the wealthy residents of Culiacán, throwing his earnings into the doorways belonging to impoverished citizens which eventually earned him his name.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Price |first=Patricia L. |date=2005 |title=Of bandits and saints: Jesús Malverde and the struggle for place in Sinaloa, Mexico |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44251030 |journal=Cultural Geographies |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=175–197 |issn=1474-4740}}</ref> He is celebrated as a folk saint by some in Mexico and the United States, including among drug traffickers.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Penhaul |first=Karl |date=16 April 2009 |title=Gang triggerman honored with 'Scarface' hat |url=https://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/04/16/mexico.death/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419154923/https://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/04/16/mexico.death/index.html |archive-date=19 April 2009 |access-date=16 April 2009 |work=CNN}}</ref>
==History== The existence of Malverde is not historically verified.<ref>[http://www.elnorte.com/estados/articulo/386/770856/ grupo reforma<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
In his youth, railroads were introduced to Sinaloa, which exponentially boosted Agave and sugar agriculture. While in turn, producing economic inequities that Sinaloa's substantial peasant population had never experienced.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Price |first=Patricia L. |date=2005 |title=Of bandits and saints: Jesús Malverde and the struggle for place in Sinaloa, Mexico |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44251030 |journal=Cultural Geographies |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=175–197 |issn=1474-4740}}</ref> Malverde is said to have been a carpenter, tailor, or railway worker.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last1=Kingsbury |first1=Kate |last2=Chesnut |first2=R. Andrew |date=21 November 2018 |title='Narcosaint' Jesús Malverde Miraculously Materializes At Trial Of El Chapo Guzman |url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/theglobalcatholicreview/2018/11/narcosaint-jesus-malverde-miraculously-materializes-at-trial-of-el-chapo-guzman/ |access-date=8 April 2024 |website=Global Catholic Review |publisher=Patheos}}</ref> It was not until his parents died of either hunger or a curable disease, depending on the version of the story, that Jesús Malverde began a life of banditry. His nickname Malverde ({{Literal translation|bad-green}}) was given by his wealthy victims, deriving from an association between green and misfortune.<ref name = "dry"/>
According to the mythology of Malverde's life, he held a long-standing rivalry with {{interlanguage link|Francisco Cañedo|es}}, the governor of Sinaloa, who he thought mistreated the poor.<ref name=":5" /> One time, Francisco derisively offered Malverde a pardon if he could steal his sword (or, in some versions, his daughter). He is supposed to have died in Sinaloa on 3 May 1909.<ref name=":1" />
Accounts of his death vary. In some versions, he was betrayed and killed by a friend. In others, he was shot or hanged by local police.<ref name = "dry"/> His body was supposed to have been denied proper burial, being left hanged to rot in public as an example of what happens to those who steal.<ref name="park"/>
Writer Sam Quinones says that there is no evidence that Malverde ever lived, and that the story probably emerged by mixing material from the lives of two documented Sinaloan bandits, Heraclio Bernal (1855–1888) and Felipe Bachomo (1883–1916).<ref name="qw">{{Cite book |last=Quinones |first=Sam |author-link=Sam Quinones |title=True Tales from Another Mexico: The Lynch Mob, the Popsicle Kings, Chalino, and the Bronx |publisher=University of New Mexico Press |year=2001 |isbn=9780826322968 |pages=227}}</ref> Whereas César Güemes states, as translated by Creechan, Malverde never had a physical life, his existence is widely based on social imagination and cultural narrative.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Creechan |first=James H |last2=De la Herrán Garcia |first2=Jorge |date=2005-03-15 |title=Without God or Law: Narcoculture and Belief in Jesús Malverde |url=https://journal.equinoxpub.com/RST/article/view/1465 |journal=Religious Studies and Theology |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=5–57 |doi=10.1558/rsth.v24i2.5 |issn=1747-5414|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Historical evidence remains uncertain, and Malverde's significance lies more in his symbolic meaning than his history. Today, the Malverde following reflects both local expressions of resistance and broader cultural tensions surrounding faith, crime, and identity in modern Mexico.
==Culture== Since Malverde's supposed death, he has earned a Robin Hood-type image, making him popular among Sinaloa's poor highland residents. His bones were said to have been unofficially buried by local people, who threw stones onto them, creating a cairn. Throwing a stone onto the bones was thus a sign of respect, and gave the person the right to make a petition to his spirit.<ref name = "dry"/> His earliest alleged miracles involved the return of lost or stolen property.<ref name = "qw"/> His shrine is in Culiacán, capital of Sinaloa. Every year on the anniversary of his death, a large party is held at Malverde's shrine. The original shrine was built over in the 1970s, amid much controversy, and a new shrine was built on nearby land.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Quinones |first=Sam |author-link=Sam Quinones |title=Jesus Malverde |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/business/malverde.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010122095300/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/business/malverde.html |archive-date=22 January 2001 |access-date=8 April 2024 |website=Frontline |publisher=PBS}}</ref> The original site, which became a parking lot, has since been revived as an unofficial shrine, with a cairn and offerings.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/21/AR2007072101366_pf.html | title=In the Eerie Twilight, Frenetic Homage To a Potent Symbol | date=22 July 2007 | first=Manuel | last=Roig-Franzia | newspaper=The Washington Post| accessdate=29 July 2021}}</ref>
Malverde quickly became one of the most influential folk heroes in Mexican culture by redistributing wealth to the poor, therefore exposing the corruptness that lies within the Mexican government.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-07-09 |title=Malverde: The Story Behind The Man Who Became The Patron Saint Of Drug Dealers - Cultura Colectiva |url=https://culturacolectiva.com/en/history/jesus-malverde-narc-saint/ |access-date=2025-12-08 |language=en-US}}</ref> His outlaw image has caused him to be adopted as the "patron saint" of the region's illegal drug trade, and the press have thus dubbed him "the narco-saint."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Suo |first=Steve |date=3 October 2004 |title=Hidden powerhouses underlie meth's ugly spread |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/special/oregonian/meth/stories/index.ssf?/oregonian/meth/1003_superlab.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216110847/https://www.oregonlive.com/special/oregonian/meth/stories/index.ssf?/oregonian/meth/1003_superlab.html |archive-date=16 February 2007 |access-date=8 April 2024 |work=The Oregonian}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1" />
According to Patricia Price, "Narcotraffickers have strategically used Malverde's image as a 'generous bandit' to spin their own images as Robin Hoods of sorts, merely stealing from rich drug-addicted gringos and giving some of their wealth back to their Sinaloa hometowns, in the form of schools, road improvements, [and] community celebrations."<ref name = "dry"/>
[[File:Jesús Malverde.JPG-thumb-Jesús Malverde statue at a botanica in ((The Bronx)), ((New York City)).jpg|thumb|Jesús Malverde statue at a botanica in The Bronx, New York City]]
Spiritual supplies featuring the visage of Jesús Malverde are available in the United States as well as in Mexico.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Matt |date=15 March 2007 |title=Our Blessed Saint of Narcotics? |url=https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2007/03/15/276901/our-blessed-saint-of-narcotics |access-date=2024-04-08 |website=Portland Mercury |language=en}}</ref> They include candles, anointing oils, incense, sachet powders, bath crystals, soap and lithographed prints suitable for framing.
==In culture== A brewery in Guadalajara launched a beer named after Malverde in northern Mexico in late 2007.<ref name=":2">{{cite news|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/mexico/20071212-1357-mexico-drugsaintbeer.html |title=Mexican company launches beer in honor of unofficial drug saint |author=Castillo, E. Eduardo |newspaper=San Diego Union-Tribune |agency=Associated Press |date=7 December 2007 |accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref>
A likeness of Malverde appears in an episode of the TV show ''Breaking Bad''. In several episodes of its spin-off series, ''Better Call Saul'', Lalo Salamanca wears a necklace that contains a depiction of Malverde.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Levin |first=Matt |date=3 September 2015 |title=Meet Jesús Malverde, the patron saint of Mexico's drug cartels |url=https://www.chron.com/crime/article/Meet-Jesus-Malverde-the-patron-saint-of-Mexico-s-6483188.php |website=Chron}}</ref> Tony Dalton, the actor who plays Salamanca, explained the meaning of Malverde in a video in which actors review their character's props.<ref>{{cite tweet |author=Better Call Saul |author-link=Better Call Saul |user=BetterCallSaul |number=1565064631130787840 |date=31 August 2022 |title=Tony sure did have some iconic props this season. Beef jerky, anyone? #BetterCallSaul https://t.co/jj7EeyhbPI |language=en |access-date=12 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904033759/https://twitter.com/BetterCallSaul/status/1565064631130787840 |archive-date=4 September 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>
''Malverde: El Santo Patrón'' is a 2021 Telemundo series based on Malverde's life, with Pedro Fernández playing the lead role of Malverde.<ref name="People">{{cite web |last1=González |first1=Moisés |date=18 February 2021 |title=Conoce al elenco de Malverde: el santo patrón, la primera superserie de época de Telemundo |trans-title=Meet the cast of Malverde: the patron saint, Telemundo's first period superseries |url=https://peopleenespanol.com/telenovelas/malverde-el-santo-patron-conoce-al-elenco-de-la-serie-de-telemundo/?slide=6851ff5d-5fef-4cce-92b6-803222860a1e#6851ff5d-5fef-4cce-92b6-803222860a1e |access-date=18 February 2021 |website=People en Español |language=es}}</ref>
==See also== *Chucho el Roto, a Mexican bandit who stole from the rich and shared with the poor *Gauchito Gil, an Argentinian folk saint who stole from the rich to give to the poor *Nazario Moreno González, a Mexican drug lord sometimes seen as a folk saint or Messiah *Santa Muerte, a Mexican folk saint associated with drug cartels and criminality
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== *Esquivel, Manuel. ''Jesús Malverde'' (Jus Ed., Mexico, 2008) {{ISBN|978-607-412-010-3}} *[https://www.patheos.com/blogs/theglobalcatholicreview/2018/11/narcosaint-jesus-malverde-miraculously-materializes-at-trial-of-el-chapo-guzman/ Kingsbury and Chesnut 2019, 'Narcosaint' Jesús Malverde Miraculously Materializes at Trial of El Chapo Guzman by Kingsbury and Chesnut, ''Global Catholic Review''] *Quinones, Sam. ''True Tales from Another Mexico: the Lynch Mob, the Popsicle Kings, Chalino and the Bronx'' (Univ. of New Mexico Press, 2001) * Wald, Elijah. ''Narcocorrido: A Journey into the Music of Drugs, Guns, and Guerrillas''. {{ISBN|0-06-050510-9}} *"Without God or Law: Narcoculture and belief in Jesús Malverde." James H. Creechan and Jorge de la Herrán-García. 2005. ''Religious Studies and Theology'' 24:53. *[https://archive.today/19980214175535/http://www.pacificnews.org/jinn/stories/3.25/971202-saint.html Pacific News], "Jesus Malverde-Saint of Mexico's Drug Traffickers May Have Been Bandit Hung in 1909" *[http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/Content?oid=276901&category=34029 ''Portland Mercury'', "Our Blessed Saint of Narcotics?"] *[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/21/AR2007072101366_pf.html ''Washington Post'', "Time Zones: An Hour at the Feet of a Mexican Narco-Saint—In the Eerie Twilight, Frenetic Homage To a Potent Symbol"] *[http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/08/america/08narcosaint.php ''International Herald Tribune'', "Mexican Robin Hood figure gains a kind of notoriety abroad"] *[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/us/08narcosaint.html?scp=1&sq=Jes%FAs+Malverde&st=nyt Mexican Robin Hood Figure Gains a Kind of Notoriety in U.S. – ''New York Times'']
==External links== *Photos by Jorge Uzon: [https://archive.today/20130205202011/http://uzonreport.com/?p=2241 The Chapel of Jesus Malverde in Culiacan, Sinaloa]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malverde, Jesus}} Category:Folk saints Category:Latin American folklore Category:Mexican drug traffickers Category:Mexican folklore Category:Modern Mexico Category:19th-century Mexican people Category:Sinaloa Category:Heroes in mythology and legend Category:North American people whose existence is disputed Category:1870 births Category:1909 deaths