Mica for cartelinsider.com
Although today the corridos that narrate the life and activities of members of organized crime are widely popular, this type of compositions in Mexico can be traced back to the late 19th century.
In contemporary times, bosses like Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as ‘El Mencho’, Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, and Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán are among the most mentioned in songs of this genre. However, the first trafficker whose exploits were recorded in a corrido did not even have any drug-related businesses.
This is Mariano Reséndez Garza, known by the alias of ‘The Smuggler’, a criminal leader who during his short life was repeatedly under the scrutiny of the government of Porfirio Díaz.
In his book “Singing to the Narcos”, Juan Carlos Ramírez Pimienta explains that Reséndez Garza was a feared smuggler who was born in 1860 on the Charco Escondido ranch, about 40 kilometers from Reynosa, Tamaulipas.
His/her family had investments in different industries, such as livestock, agriculture, and commerce. Additionally, they owned a store where one could purchase various national and imported products.
However, Mariano Reséndez decided to amass his own fortune by challenging the authorities through the illegal trade of textile products from the United States.
“I bring a very fine breadfruit and a first-class casimir, and a good rifle, come on ‘now that there is a way’, says the first ballad written in his honor. Although it is presumed that this theme was born in the late 19th century, the first known recording is that of the duet of Timoteo Cantú and Jesús Maya in Nuevo Laredo, approximately in 1948, according to research by Américo Paredes, a writer and professor at the University of Texas who passed away in 1999.”
The song, titled “Mariano Reséndez,” narrates the influences that this smuggler had in the central and northern region of Tamaulipas.
Employees of San Fernando are nothing but scoundrels, they let contraband pass in order to grab some suitcase handles […] Employees of Matamoros, those of the first gang, here I bring them liquors inside my cartridge belt.
Ramirez Pimienta’s investigations suggest that Resendez had alliances with public servants, including Reynosa customs agents, to smuggle and distribute the trafficked merchandise to his stores.
Given that Reséndez was perceived as an icon of civil resistance against the Porfirian government, his capture was not easy.
In April of 1887, the Mexican ambassador to the US, Matías Romero, requested the help of that country to monitor the activities of ‘The Smuggler’.
His corrido indicates that the one in charge of arresting Reséndez would have been Colonel Nieves Hernández, although he would have actually been relegated from the planning due to his ties with the trafficker.
On November 23, 1887, Reséndez was surprised by a operation led by General Eulalio Vela. The military surrounded him in his house in Charco Escondido. “In his ranch, El Charco, on an unlucky Tuesday, the man could not save himself because he woke up under siege,” the song says.
Despite being hunted down without a weapon, Reséndez refused to surrender himself to anyone other than Nieves Hernández, believing that he would help him. However, it was not the case.
The military called for Hernandez and, once Resendez was under their protection, they handed him over to the forces of then-governor of Nuevo Leon, Bernardo Reyes. The plan was to transfer him to the city of Monterrey, but he was killed on the way.
“The Tamaulipas forces delivered him to Nuevo León, and as soon as they received him, they killed him. They were afraid that he would receive some charge, so they killed him between the towns of Agualeguas and Cerralvo,” states the song.
The body of ‘El Contrabandista’ was buried in the local cemetery of Agualeguas on November 30, 1887. After his death, according to the song, the federal agents were finally able to sleep in peace.
“Workers of Guerrero, I bring all of you on the list, you will no longer die of fear, ‘El Contrabandista’ is over. Employees of El Encinal, San Fernando, and Méndez, sleep soundly, Reséndez has been killed.”
Thanks for reading!
Mica
Email: mica@cartelinsider.com
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