Malverde, the legend of the generous Robin Hood

1963

legend has it that Jesus Juárez Mazo was originally from Las Juntas, Mocorito.

Mocorito, Sinaloa.- The story of this Robin Hood or “The Generous Bandit”, emerged in the middle of the last century, just when the crime of drug trafficking and criminal cells took force in the country, its history emerged in the middle of the last century.

Jesus Juarez Espinoza narrates that Jesus Juárez Mazo, better known as Malverde, was a man who did not have wealth and dedicated himself to helping those who needed it the most. He was known to steal and assault wealthy families to distribute the money and goods. to low-income people, so that they could improve their quality of life. He says that blinded by the anger of knowing that his parents were victims of death caused by hunger, was that he carried out these acts vandalism and illicit, which led to the then governor of the state, General Francisco Cañedo, a friend of Porfirio Diaz, a Offer reward for your capture.

This man of noble character and fair to many and hated by others, was characterized by helping the needy, it is said that he was originally from Las Juntas, Mocorito, in a house that was located on the side of the road, almost out of the populated. In that place where he first came into the world, there is only a nanchi tree left, some inhabitants say that it is as if he had never left that place. At present, a small part of the Juárez Cabrera family lives in this area. 

Don Alfonso said that this famous person died on March 3, 1909, it is said that Jesus was killed and his body was left hanging in a tree, but nobody could muster the courage to lower it. 
Until one day a peasant untied it, and later found a donkey carrying gold, which was considered a ‘miracle’. Another version is that he was apprehended by the police and that he received a bullet wound in a confrontation with the forces of the law, which caused gangrene. 

Malverde, knowing that he would not survive and that the reward for his capture increased, endured while he could before asking his compadre to hand him over to the authorities to collect the reward. For this reason it is said that this man was generous until the last day of his life. The cacique prohibited to be buried, out of fear nobody dared to contradict him. 

With the passing of days, at night, people were going to place stones trying to surround the body of Jesús Malverde. As time passed, a small chapel was built among all and the body of Jesus was covered. And those who wanted it began to bring flowers to the chapel, where the soul of Jesus Malverde was wandering.

Source: El Debate

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