Heard an interesting story on the radio about one Jesús Malverde. I was surprised to see nothing about him in the forums as he appears to be a legend, at least in Mexico.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_Malverde
Jesús Malverde, sometimes known as the "narco-saint", is a
folklore hero in the
Mexican state of
Sinaloa. He is not officially recognized as a
saint by the
Catholic Church.
The existence of Malverde has not been historically verified,
[1] but according local legends he was a
bandit killed by the authorities in
1909. The account 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 .
The radio show mentioned that drug dealers and the like are looked at very differently in Mexico and it has been part of their culture since the 1940's. It was trafficking that brought money in the country and the dealers oft did good things with that money, like building stadiums and legitimate businesses, and providing jobs in remote regions (not necessarily drug-related, just drug-funded). It was kind of strange how the show didn't have anyone on who opposed drug dealers or thought that what they did was wrong, it was like in Mexico they are looked upon quite kindly, though I'm sure there is opposition. It said the president there is currently waging war on drugs (probably due to a rather large and pointy stick the US is no doubt prodding him with) that is taking the lives of at least 2 people every day and is Mexico's equivalent of the war in Iraq; they cannot win, but they cannot quit.
Also, regarding Malverde, it said that narcos will visit his shrine before making drug runs to the US and pray for their safety and that things go smoothly. When they successfully return they are sure to visit his shrine to pay further tribute and say their thanks. His shrine is usually adorned with flowers, and some people hire bands to perform there in his honour.
This was heard on CBC (public) radio canada. Can't help but wonder what Malverde himself trafficked.
19-06-2007, 01:55
Threaded Mode