Jesús Malverde: The Patron Saint of Drug Cartels?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 เม.ย. 2024
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Jesús Malverde is a Catholic folk saint particularly popular in Mexico. He has a bad reputation of being a "narcosaint." But is it an unfair stereotype?
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Wow thats awesome never in my life did I think Dr. Henry would do a video on Malverde. As a native Sinaloense who is familiar with this part of our culture, this video is 100% accurate on many levels!
It looks so bizarr and toxic from the outside
That's good to know. His videos always feel well research, but it's hard to know, since I haven't done the research myself
Do you have any additional insight or information on the topic?
@liangflrs02 awesome, thanks for sharing that.
Have you seen the Telemundo series “Malverde?” If so, what did you think.
@@karlscher5170, I can understand why to outsiders it would look like this. You need to understand that like many parts of the world where Christianity merged (rather violently) with folk religion. It's not unusual to see elements of both. As an example, traditional herbal medicine shops, called "Yerberias," you will find statues of folk saints like La Santa Muerte alongside Catholic images of the Virgin Mary, Christ, St. Jude and of course Malverde. It's normal for us, nothing out of the ordinary.
Calling jesus malverde the patron saint of narcos is like calling robin hood the patron saint of walmarts
I am going to call robin hood this now 😂
Ah, a theological debate, the meat and drink of religious scholarship!
Have you ever thought about doing a video about kimbanguism, the Congolese offshoot of Christianity? I only recently read about it in a book about Congo and found out that it has around 6 million followers, which seems like quite a lot, but there seems hardly any info about it on the English language internet.
David Van Reybrouck wrote a well documented book about the history of congo. I think the title in English is "congo the epic history of a people". If I remember correctly, he talks about kimbanguism a lot. That is how I found out about it.
This sounds really interesting!
@@keipfarhey, me too!
Another interesting folk saint is Maximon/San Simon in Guatemala. He has heavy indigenous Mayan influence and also is offered cigar smoke too.
Maximon is very interesting. Hope to do an episode on him too.
I’m a devotee of San Simon myself. He’s great
@@ReligionForBreakfast maybe you could do some sort of comparation/compilation of multiple latin american saints, for example, saint Ismael is the patron saint of thieves (Santo malandro) and he is only one of various saints belonging to the "Malandro" court/pantheon. There is also the african court (Yoruba), indigenous court (Maria Lionza), etc... Also thank you for creating great content, you are one of my favorite channels at the momment
@@ReligionForBreakfast Thank you for your work, you're awesome. Another Guatemalan folk saint that's pretty interesting is San Pascualito, mixture of native beliefs and the authorized saint Paschal Baylon. He's a skeletal death saint just like Santa Muerte in Mexico and San La Muerte in Argentina.
@@xibalbalon8668 Dr Andrew Chestnut just published a paper on him
As a Mexican with Sinaloan heritage I love you made a video about this phenomenon.
As a black apache, who is also getting aquainted with Santa Muerte, I just knew she'd be mentioned.
This is DIABOLICAL and it won't lead you to anything Good ...Turn to Jesus Christ. God bless!
Now I’m just thinking about all the secular folk heroes who, in an alternate more Catholic universe, might’ve become folk saints instead.
That's an interesting thing to ponder. Now I'm picturing, like, a saint version of Robin Hood.
This is interesting to think about figures like this in light of civic religion and nationalism - in the US I think of the founding fathers (mainly Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson) but also Davey Crockett, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, John Henry
@@Skedazzle Oooh, yeah! Especially since art of the founding fathers already takes a religious bent sometimes (Capital Rotunda, Washington's Statue in the Supreme Court Building, etc)
Ok but why hasn't anyone made Mr. Rodgers a saint
@@Skedazzle The way the US has raised the founding fathers to a pseudo-cult is fascinating. Not only is it a transparent and well documented case of national myth building, it also has strong similarities with Greek cults directed at the founders of cities. Even the monuments (Jefferson, Washington, Lincoln) look like Greek temples!
This reminds me of a similar folk hero/“saint” in Argentina, el Gauchito Gil. He has a similar narrative of rebellion against the authorities and an untimely and unjust death, as well as a mostly fictional tale.
I have fond memories of Gauchito Gil from my time in Argentina, as well as La Difunta Correa and San La Muerte (different from Santa Muerte) ❤🖤🤍
@@TheForeignersNetwork a short video delving into Catholic-folk syncretic traditions in Argentina would be fun!
Good thing narcos haven't appropiated it yet
@@vaultdude4871 Narcos certainly have "appropriated" both Gauchito Gil and San La Muerte. It doesn't stop them from being popular figures of veneration in Argentina. Some people say that Gauchito Gil was the most ardent devotee of San La Muerte
I love these videos!! Local/ regional saints and their lore are so fascinating to me. I grew up Catholic and occasionally would go into places that sold really weird votive candles and saint statues of saints I never heard of and I have always wanted to know who those people/ figures were. Thanks!
Same, I would always see really specific saints on candles as a kid. It was like religious pokemon. Though my mother was a much more purist catholic who didn't approve of it
To further complicate the narrative, people who get into drug-dealing are almost universally poor. Mexico still does very little to nothing to help their poorer citizens, and people have to get creative to survive.
Many people who were already devotees to Jesús Malverde may consider their prayers answered if they’re no longer poor from drug-trafficking. To me, this speaks to a simple but not easy fix: you want to finally take down the narcos? Eliminate poverty for good. Without poverty, this kind of desperation isn’t necessary any more. Without the desperation the cartels lose their control over the working class.
Exactly, why are people shocked that crime is born out of desperation?
Well said
Capitalism!
yes, but so too does the government lose control over the working class. the government’s struggle isn’t with the cartel on behalf of the people. it’s with the cartel on behalf of its own seat of power. that’s the real quandary. everybody knows what needs to be done to steeply mitigate these sorts of phenomena-the gap between classes is not sustainable forever-but it would require too radical of a reform on how, like, society is structured for those who are currently capable of making that change to accept it.
That’s a great point and the same point has been made about organized crime north of the border. It seems systematic poverty serves owning class interest directly and is not just a natural product of class society. Mass Incarceration is big business, just as drug trafficking is big business!
A complicated subject to analyze, here in Mexico we have had many revolutionaries like the ones you mention, during the Mexican Revolution, the dirty war and currently we still have some of them, mainly in the commercial routes that move avocados and lemons.
In my opinion, the best known and the one who has best represented the revolutionary spirit here in Mexico is Pancho Villa. Interesting topic, but very polemic for any Latin American.
PD. Yo también estoy muy interesado en tópicos de hermética, religión, mitología, arte y cultura; tu canal me ha sido de mucha ayuda para mis propias investigaciones, gracias @ReligionForBreakfast
Yeah I was surprised the video didn't mention Villa because Jesús Malverde story sound very similar Pancho Villa
@@starmaker75 Very true. Although sometimes I wonder what Mexican revolutionary does not have betrayals and hundreds of assassins behind him?
i get that these are sacred sites and i find the tradition beautiful but the use of impact font in the signs just makes it look like an internet meme 💀
I thought the same lol
Interestingly, he's also a humbe man named Jesus who was killed in a gruesome and disrespectful way after a betrayal. It might be a coincidence but he does share some aspects with Christ himself.
Reminds me of how both normal people and triads look up to Guan Yu
I read something about how both gangster hideouts and police precincts in Chinatowns would have altars to Guan Yu. Only difference being which hand they’d put his scepter in.
Guan Yu?
Guanyu zhou?
You mentioned F1
(I'm a big fan)
((I'm losing my mind))
I love studying religion because it’s almost like the study of everything. History, culture, art, music, philosophy, politics, institutions, family, literature, sociology, psychology, etc. etc.
In the back of the parking lot at Tacos Sinaloa here in Oakland, Ca, there is a shrine to Malverde. What a pleasant surprise to see him featured on this channel.
I think its great how respectful and neutral you are with regards to educating on peoples deities
So, you went through the rabbit hole of folk saints. More than happy to follow you in it. Cheers.
My main takeaway from this video is that, despite not living very far from northern Mexico, I know embarrassingly little about it.
Good for you . Because it's Diabolical
Folk saints and deified people is a fascinating topic. I'd love to see you do a video on the nats of Burmese folk religion, for example.
on the topic of revolutionaries becoming folk saints in former spanish colonies, a video on the rizalistas would be so cool
Thieving mercenary 11th century Normans were also
made into venerated saintly figures and became
waring monks and bishops leading armies of conquest.
Sounds very interesting
Interesting anywhere I can read more about it?
great video! thank you for explaining the reductiveness of Breaking Bad’s portrayal and elaborating on the patrons’ connection to the disenfranchised Very succinct and informative video!
I hate it when people malign folk traditions as something nefarious (e.g. Malverde being a "narco-saint"). Thank you for this wonderful video--People just have no idea what they're talking about sometimes and it shows.
Malverde means *evil* green. "Nefarious" is _explicitly_ baked into the name.
@@RonJohn63 Right but it's not because he's inherently evil, it's because he killed rich people while travelling through the forest and gave the money to the poor (malverde is a reference to where he stole things). Did you even watch the video?
So it’s ok he murdered people..but it’s ok because they were rich….
@@orion2250 Precisely.
@@orion2250yes, exactly. Based as hell.
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Listen to their Santa Muerte episode here!: religionlab.virginia.edu/podcast/santa-muerte/
Nice video! You should also make one on José Gregorio Hernández, who also has a widespread veneration in Latin America and is heavily associated to mediums
This is fascinating, thank you.
I very much appreciate this episode. I worked 130 miles of border once, with an archeologist, who studied Malverde shrines in designated wilderness in eastern San Diego diego and Imperial County CA (candles and all). I was the DHS liaison, and it was fascinating coming upon shrines in the middle of nowhere. Malverde is very much reverred in the region. Then, a patron saint of smugglers.
This reminds me of the role Guan Gong plays in Chinese culture. Cops and crooks both venerate him for his association with the brotherhood oath which both groups take.
Today I really did indeed learn something new
Kind of an interesting coincidence, I have been watching a multi part lecture series (on Prime) all about occultism throughout history & an ep featured Narco Saints & Lady Muerte.
What's the name of the series?
Fascinating, as always
Awesome video, thanks so much! You should do one on Gauchito Gil in Argentina!
I appreciate your yt channel.
love these more modern religious topics! thanks :)
Can you make a video explaining alot about Khmer Occult/Magick, such as the Phra Ngan and Sak Yant traditions of Thailand aswell as the other countries practicing this? It would be very interesting to see it especially how it syncretizes alot of Hinduisim/Buddhisim to the countries indeginous beleifs and i'd like to learn more about it! thanks just a suggestion
Excellent episode! Very interesting. First learnt about Malverde thanks to the book "Undocummented Saints" by William Calvo Quirós
This is a great video.
please do Maximon next and would deeply appreciate San Ramon Nannatus and El Nino de Atocha.
Can you please make a playlist of Mexican Religion particularly saints and folk saints
I love all the folk saints, definitely alot more relatable and understanding than "mainstream"
I find folk beliefs to be so fascinating.
Perhaps you can do one on Sarita Colonia, from Peru. I believe there are some similarities that may be interesting.
I am very excited to watch this! I think Jesus Malverde, the Robin Hood of Sinoloa, is fascinating, and people thinking he is specifically a narco-saint is really too bad.
I started watching the telemundo series “Malverde,” recently and really liked what I saw.
Thanks!
Please do a video about the Rizalistas - a Filipino form of folk Catholicism that venerates the reformer Jose Rizal as divinity. As a reincarnation of Jesus, he is believed to be still alive and will one day deliver his followers from poverty and oppression.
walang daan
No thanks
@@Ai14106 Ok. Cool. When did you become Dr. Henry's spokesperson again?
@@Ai14106Fukushima Hentai Fukushima Hentai Yamete Kudasai Baka Nippon
Oh, neat. If you enjoyed doing folk Latin American saints we have a couple similar stories in Argentina. _Gauchito Gil_ is a very popular one. And then theres _Gilda_ who was a singer-song writter who died in the 90s which seems like a strange origin for a folk saint, but there she is.
AH yes, how could I forget about Gilda? What a legend... Sigo el ritmo de tu piel, de tu piel morenoooo
As Lucas Milone already commented, this brought to mind El Gauchito Gil from Corrientes. It would be interesting to see a video on him and/or other South American fringe saints and beliefs.
Excellent video. I know it would be going to deep, but I read a great article on the use Pedro Infante for the image of Malverde, and the construction and performance of masculinity in the veneration of Malverde.
I’d love to see you do an episode on the Mexican folk saint Niño Fidencio.
I've heard of him...
It's a big deal!
Fortunately, we have a plethora of recorded information about him including old original films and apparently presidential staff testimonies too.
Sounds like Gauchito Gil in Argentina. He was a 19th century “gaucho” (South American cowboy) who defied conscription and became a symbol of anti authority. There are shrines doting the roads of Patagonia celebrating his legacy and story.
can u please do one about Gauchito Gil? or potenciana there very interesting
That is such a cop thing to do for him to just treat Jesús Malverde as a narco saint and ignore any other sort of devotee to the saint.
1. Malverde means "evil green".
2. Al Capone ran a soup kitchen.
3. You don't become the patron saint of smugglers (who do horrible horrible things to their victims) by being a nice guy.
@@RonJohn63He has also mostly fictional, so speculation about his character is worthless.
Malverde's cult reflects and shapes the society that created it. It's the overarching social structures and culture that gave rise to cartels, and make so that whenever one is toppled, a new one rise to take it's place. Hank completely ignoring them to have a new "bad guy" is indeed a strong cop thing to do.
@@marcospatricio8283 if you're the patron saint of the cartels, you're the patron saint of the cartels, regardless of whether or not you're _also_ the patron saint of poor people.
@@RonJohn63 That's such a cop attitude to have.
@@deathpigeon2 it's a _rational thought process,_ not an attitude.
When I was taking my confirmation classes, my class was made up of Mexican students and a white teacher who knew no Spanish. One of the other students chose him as his saint and it made it through the priest to the bishop when we finally had the ceremony. I can’t remember if he got away with it though.
5:27 was that image upscaled using AI or something? It looks very off especially the items in the corner
There are some similar "folk saints" in Colombia and Venezuela. Doctor Jose Gregorio Hernandez a medical professional in the early 20th century in Caracas, Venezuela, became a venerated figure for those who pray for health. It's been really popular in Colombia, my country. There are more "folk saints" in Venezuela which is a syncretism of Native American, African, Catholic and Spiritism, (la corte malandra) or something like it
Great video, you should do a video of the Maya Yucatec religion the Cruzo'ob Maya, They have their holy book known as the A'almaj T'aan, A prophet called Juan de la cruz Puc ,their supreme symbol is Ki'ickelem Yuum wrongly called the talking cross ,green crosses dressed in indigenous attire . There is also a Saint connected to this which is known as Yuum Santísima Cruz Tuun from xocen .
this really remids me of some Brazilian entities like the Malandros and Exus spirits
Santa muerte is My favourite folk saint. I didn't know of Malverde before. Pls do a video on Santa muerte and other mexican folk saints 👍
He already did one about her.
Interesting.
An interesting topic for a video would be the different iterations of virgin Mary in Latin America. We have lots of versions of her, venerated by different people, in different ways, for different reasons. I'm Brazilian, but would like to understand this phenomenon better
Mi Santito preferido 🕯️🙏🙏🙏
This sounds like a good podcast. But I listen to so many podcasts now that I don't want to start another.
4:11 What does it mean for there to be an "official chapel" to Malverde? I'm havin trouble reconciling that with the later statements about how veneration of Malverde is folk belief among catholics and thus defined by not being officially sanctioned by the Catholic church.
I want a comic book about him, Sante Muerte and Baron Kriminel reaming up.
OMG, in re: the Mexican Revolution …you should do a video on the central role spiritualism played in it!
Never been this early before
Please make a video about Chrislam.
Today I learned zoro is a folk saint
10:39 "Some say"...
My great grandparents from Sinaloa were born in the 30's. They had his photo framed in the kitchen right when you walk into the house. Always wondered who he was as a child until I asked and someone explained he was the Sinaloan Robin Hood
To all English speakers, the h is silent in Spanish.
Nope
Do an episode on la Santa muerte
Check his videos, he already has one about her.
Me fue bien todo el año
Por eso, ahora vengo a verte
De Culiacan a Colombia
Que viva Jesus Malverde
Este santo del colgado
Me ha traido buena suerte
Los Cadetes de Linares - Jesus Malverde
I love your videos! I know you don’t often do reaction videos, but I think it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the video “Satan’s Guide to the Bible” and how accurate/inaccurate information is represented.
I adore Mexicos folk saints
Please talk about Santa Muerte soon
He already mentioned a video he made about the Santa Muerte.
That's interesting? What about Santa Muerte? Can you do a video on her?
He's already done a video on her.
@@chansesturm7103 cool! I'll check it out! Thanks
There is a story about a good theif all over the world it seems
Imagine that you are a bandit who does not believe much in religion, you never preached, you never promoted spirituality, and you see that 100 years after your death they have created a religion in your name.
tuyo by Rodrigo Amarante, intensified
No formality.
Anybody is a Saint with enough Patrons
Or Patreons?
07:34 Watch your head
What the hell is that title Andrew 😭
What is the mexican catholic church's stance on Malverde? Where there attempts to canonise him?
They are not fans
He says he (Malverde)'s not official, like Santa Morte
Not a saint. No attempts to canonize this person.
They condemn the veneration of folk saints, which is understandable because why would you want to venerate literal drug dealers and thieves?
@@RickyLole They had no issue with plenty of their saints... their degenerate popes and stuff
reupload?
First time covering this subject on the channel. Maybe you're thinking of the Santa Muerte episode from a few years ago?
Do you have Nebula? You could have seen it there.
👍
I grew up in Juarez and there was a tons of alters for this saint. This was in the 90s, it’s funny how people outside the culture just assume the negative.
The Guadalupe that Mexico holds so dear is based on Tonantzin. “7 dioses Mexicas que fueron sustituidos por deidades espanolas,” and “5 dioses prehispanicos que la Iglesia cambio por virgenes, cristos y Santos.”
I feel like I’m having deja vu
"He won't judge you for your past or current activities." Very convenient...
You must be a blast at parties
Thanks for making this, my family venerates Malverde and painting everyone that does as drug traffickers is disrespectful to the devotees and his image. I’d say 90% of people supplicate to Malverde is because of poverty and a sense of relatability.
Sounds like an English Robin Hood
Hey
hello
@@ReligionForBreakfastThank you for the content for all these years. Also, Have you ever considered a video on Taino religion in the Caribbean?
Looks like that moustache guy from Fallout.
My godparents SAINT 🇲🇽
❤
I’m surprised Chalino isn’t a saint yet. 😂 he’s already on clothing, I’m wearing a hat with him on it rn.
For being the patron saint of the poor he clearly didn't learn to render to caesar what belongs to caesar