Photographs and Text by John Todd, Jr.

En Español

Chucho El Roto A Legend of Mexico

Now on Sale At the Fort of San Juan de Ulua, there isn´t much to buy for souvenirs in good English and Spanish. At lot of people go there because of the legend of Chucho El Roto, yet most of the literature on sale at the fort is about the general history of the fort. For several months, I had been thinking about printing a half page booklet about Chucho El Roto in English and Spanish at the Fort of San Juan de Ulua, but needed a "patrón" to help me with the finances. Printing color pictures is expensive nowdays. Around mid March I found someone who wanted to help me, and we went to press. On April 12 the first booklets came out and are on sale at the fort. If you come to San Juan de Ulua, I hope you will buy one of my little booklets to take home to show your friends. At the same time, we have several other ideas for similar booklets, so stay tuned.

The Entrance to San Juan de Ulua	When People Come to Veracruz When people come to Veracruz, just about everybody visits the Aquarium and the Fort of San Juan de Ulua. You can do the aquarium in about an hour, and the fort takes a little longer if you take an organized tour. You can do the fort on your own, but if you don´t hire one of the guides the first time you go, it will look like a bunch of rocks.
The Entrance to San Juan de Ulua	The Low Yellow Building Although originally San Juan de Ulua was an island, but now it´s less than a ten minute drive from downtown Veracruz. You park your car and walk the distance of about 2 blocks past the guards at the Naval Arsenal No. 3. First you see the cannon emplacement before you get to a low yellow building which is now where you buy tickets. On Sundays, the admission is free, and that´s when I go. You still have to pay about $3 dollars extra if you have a video camera.
Waiting for a Ticket	Tour Guides The low yellow building looks like it was built during the 19th century as a receiving area for boats arriving at the fort, probably bringing food and more prisoners. It was probably the last construction done at the fort. Since then, most of the work has been in restoration and preservation. Next to the ticket window are several guides who offer to show you the fort. They are very good and don´t charge very much. If you hire one of the guides, you will find it´s worth it.
Taking Pictures	The Other Tourists When you go on Sundays, there are a lot of other tourists. Most of them look different from the local people in Veracruz. Their clothes are a little heavier, and some even wear long sleeve shirts. Perhaps like they are from the "tierra fría", or the highlands where the weather is colder. From their accents, some sound like they may be from Mexico City or the small towns around Puebla. These are people who really enjoy spending Sundays with their families, going places and doing interesting things. In spite of the people who come by the busload, the fort is spacious, and each group has a guide who tell them the history of the 400 years of San Juan de Ulua.
Groups	The Legends of San Juan de Ulua Besides the long history of the fort, you can see that the old dungeon is one of the main attractions. People everywhere seem to like old prisons, especially old dungeons. At least I do. There are few countries that have as many Robin Hood legends as Mexico. I don´t know of any stories of thieves who have robbed the rich to help the poor in other cultures, say China or Africa. There may be some in India. Maybe there were a few in the States like Billy the Kid, Jesse James, or Bonny and Clyde, but none are on the scale of Mexico. These are legends that very few foreigners hear about until you have lived here for awhile.
Exploring the Fort	Mexican Robin Hoods Mexico has several Robin Hoods in its historical traditions: Zorro, in the later years of the Spanish colony of California, the Cisco Kid created by O. Henry in the old west, and later Joaquín Murrieta around San Francisco. Jesús Malverde is popular in Culiacan, Sinaloa along the Northwest Mexican Pacific Coast, "El Ojo de Vidrio" around Monterrey, "Chucho El Roto " the highlands around Mexico City, Puebla, and Veracruz. Many became popular weekly shows during the early days of radio. "Chucho el Roto" probably has more than 10 films and numerous books about his exploits.
Our Tour Guide Explains	The Story of "Chucho El Roto" In the semi darkness, our guide begins to explain to our group the story of Chucho el Roto, who spent some jail time here at San Juan de Ulua. It is a story that everyone was waiting to hear. "Chucho el Roto´s" real name was Jesús Arriaga. He was born in 1858 in the small town of Santa Ana Chiautempan, Tlaxcala, about 30 minutes north of Puebla. He learned the trade of carpentry, and as a young man he moved to Mexico City where did odd jobs around the city.
Our Tour Guide Explains	Chucho Meets His Only Love One day he was hired by wealthy Don Diego de Frizac to do some work at his mansion. There he met Matilde, the charming niece of Don Diego de Frizac. Jesús had a special charm, and Matilde fell in love the young carpenter. Later they began to see each other secretly because they knew the society of Mexico City in those days would not allow it. Later Matilde became pregnant, and was sent away to one of Don Diego´s haciendas, far away in the country. She kept secret of the name of the father of her baby.
Listening to the Legends	Jailed for Love When don Diego found out about his niece´s love for Jesús from others, he had him unfairly jailed for robbery in the infamous jail of "La Cárcel de Belén". Today it is located about a block from Televicentro in Mexico City, just off Avenida Chapultepec. There he made friends with 3 of the criminals who taught him how to steal. It was then that he adopted the name, "Chucho el Roto". "Roto" means "broke", and in those days it referred to one who appeared to be wealthy, but had no money.
Wrong to Steal	Wrong to Steal But, he remembered the faith of his mother who told him it was wrong to steal. At the same time, in Mexico City he saw a poverty, suffering, and injustice he had never seen in his "pueblo" back home. One day he escaped the horrors of the Cárcel de Belén with the help of his friends and began to steal from the rich and give to the poor. Matilde later gave birth to their daughter, María de los Dolores. When the Dolores was 3 years old, Chucho returned, and kidnapped his daughter, took her to live with his mother in Tlaxcala. As time went on, the legend of Chucho El Roto grew as he continued to steal from the wicked rich of Mexico City and Puebla. At the same time, he gave to the poor perhaps in the tradition of San Martín Caballero.
A Dank Dungeon Cell	The End Comes In spite of his wide support of the many poor people he helped, and the ingenious ways of performing his deeds. One day the law caught up with him, and he was sent to a solitary cell at the worst prison in the country: San Juan de Ulua across the harbor from Veracruz. In those days, nobody escaped. Even if you tried to swim to the safety of Veracruz, the many sharks in the bay, made it an impossibility.
Across the Bay to Safety	The Last Escape But, with the help of some friends from the past, Chucho El Roto escaped during a very dark night. Don Diego de Frizac intervened and put extreme pressure on the authorities and Chucho was finally apprehended in the remote mountainous area around the Cumbres de Maltrata. He was returned to San Juan de Ulua and given 300 lashes. 200 lashes were the limits of most human beings. Because of the bullet wound and the severe punishment, Chucho´s condition worsened and he was transferred to the Hospital San Sebastian in Veracruz, where he died on March 25, 1894. However, some say that he staged his own "death" and returned to Matilde a reformed man, and that he lived a very long and happy life with his identity unknown to the people who lived around him. No one will know for sure because his remains were never found.

The Prison is in the Middle Section Across the Drawbridge

El Puente del Ultimo Suspiro

Over the Bridge of the Last Sigh Our guide leads us over the drawbridge, called the Bridge of the Last Sigh where hundreds of people perhaps crossed for the last time. The mortality rate was high in those days. According to one account, the conditions were so bad in those days, that the guards passed out from the smells, when they opened the wooden doors. Our guide told us that the prisoners didn´t just sit around all day.

Weekend Tourists

They had work to do. Some were sent out to work long hours in the sun on public works projects in Veracruz, or on maintenance at the fort. In addition to the overcrowded conditions, the food probably wasn´t nutritious either. Some say the tides at night rose high into the cells to a level of a foot or two. Plus there was the ever present dripping of condensation from the ceiling to the floor. Other cells, of course, were for punishment and torture, but just being here in the remote prison of San Juan de Ulua was enough punishment for most.

Background: The Times of Chucho el Roto Our guide told us that the cities of Mexico in the 19th century were not large, and only 4 cities had a population of more than 50,000. Guadalajara had around 100,000; Puebla, 90,000; Monterrey, 60,000; and San Luis Potosí, 60,000. Mexico City was the largest city with approximately 550,000 inhabitants. Over half the population consisted in people who had not been born there. According to census statistics of the day, the migration of people from the small rural towns to Mexico in the 19th Century was phenomenal. On the other hand, migrants were scarcely missed from the countryside. By as late as 1900, a little over 70% of all people still lived in communities of less than 2,500 inhabitants which was down from about 90% a century earlier. From some five million inhabitants in 1800, Mexico grew to eight million by 1855, and to over 15 million in 1910. Over 70% of the working class continued to depend upon agriculture for a livelihood. It is also estimated that 75% of the middle classes lived in towns and cities. Despite its small size these small towns offered migrants better opportunities for work, schools, and a more open society than in the countryside. Bandit Novels Become Popular After 1880, there began to appear books about the highway bandits in the region that became very popular. The "Los Bandidos de Río Frío" by Manuel Payno was one of many such novels. Their took place in local settings, and many times incorporated well known events of the day, and made for interesting reading for the people of the day. Around 1888 a short novel called "Chucho el Roto, o la nobleza de un bandido mexicano" was published anonymously, and quickly became very popular. It was different from the other books of the day, in that it was about a bandit who stole from the rich to give to the poor, similar to the legend of Robin Hood. By 1895, local newspapers picked up the legend, and even suggested the "Chucho el Roto" be pardoned so he could run for Congress. According to legend, "Chucho el Roto" lived in this time period from 1858 to March 25, 1894. Back to Chucho El Roto "Chucho el Roto", was born in Santa Ana Chiautempan, Tlaxcala, about 20 miles north of the present day city of Puebla. The town is very old and its name comes from the Nahuatl or Aztec language. "Chiatl", means "swamp", "tem" is from "tentli" which means "shore" and "pan" means "place". Chiautempan means "place on the shores of the swamp". It is almost in the shadow of one of Mexico´s tallest mountain peaks, El Malinche. Born Jesús Arriaga His original name was Jesús Arriaga. His childhood was probably like many children of those days, but Jesús was unique in several ways. From a very early age, it was noted when he learned to speak, his pronunciation was perfect. He would imitate the voices and accents of the people around him. His mother and grandmother probably had a small place in the Friday market where the Indians speaking different dialects would come to sell their wares. Young Jesús could imitate the words of their dialects perfectly and later would learn the meaning of the vocabulary words. Perhaps he was like many children in Mexico whose parents work in the markets. He probably made money doing odd jobs around the market and helping people carry their bags or unloading merchandise. Skills Learned from the Circus When the circus came to town he was happiest. He especially loved watching the ventriloquist and his dummy, and learned how to "throw his voice." Once the circus had left town he would delight in playing tricks on people in the market with his "new voice". He made the heads of lettuce could talk and sometimes invented conversations between Mr. Carrot and Mrs. Radish. Magicians He was even more fascinated by the magicians, and how they did their tricks. Because of his outgoing personality, the young man gained the confidence of the magicians and spent hours with them learning their tricks. Back in the market, he found it was fun entertain the people around his mothers vegetable stand with his new magic tricks. Stealing Was Easy One day he found he could steal. It was easy to take little things that weren´t worth much and most of all he enjoyed the little thrill or excitement of the act. It wasn´t necessarily the value of the object that was stolen, but the sensation of not getting caught. His mother often admonished him for stealing, saying that in life we have "pagos" and have to pay for our misdeeds. To ease these payoffs we should help the people who are less fortunate than we are. Chucho´s family didn´t have much money, but in those days, there were many people who were less fortunate, and he began to give to the very poor to help make their lives a little better. His mother told him never to shed the blood of another man, and according to legend, he never did. Travelling Theater Troupes In those days, there were troupes of travelling actors. Jesús was fascinated by the actors and how they could play multiple roles with different accents by just changing clothes. After the show was over, Jesús made friends with the actors and learned many tips from them, as well as new accents. When the French occupied Mexico from 1862-1867, Jesus often did odd jobs to help the soldiers, and picked up an excellent grasp of the French language. His photographic memory, his power of imitation, and charming personality helped him to gain the confidence of the soldiers. After awhile he began to act like a French soldier, and would go around the town market speaking French to his mother and her friends. A Friendly Carpenter One of Chucho´s neighbors was a friendly carpenter, and on days when the weather was bad, he would talk to his neighbor and watched while he carefully worked with his tools. Young Jesús was fascinated how the man could transform a piece of wood from a tree into a beautiful piece of furniture or a statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe. "Every man should have a trade", the carpenter used to say. The friendly neighbor helped Jesús learn the carpentry trade which he was told would be useful to him later on. The Railroad Comes to Santa Ana On September 16, 1869, President Benito Juarez inaugurated the Mexico City-Apizaco-Puebla portion of the national railroad line. Young Jesús enjoyed hanging around the railroad station looking at the different people coming and going. Besides doing odd jobs like carrying luggage, and or performing his magic tricks while the train was in the depot, it allowed him to observe people from Mexico City, how they dressed, and their manner of speech. Later as a young man, he took the train to Mexico City to look for work as a carpenter. Later around 1885, he would return with his gang to rob the same train station in Santa Ana. In Mexico City In Mexico City, he got several jobs, one of which was with Don Diego de Frizac. It is at his wealthy mansion that he meets his niece Matilde who is fascinated at once by him, and some of his magic tricks. Later she discovered his clever acting abilities, and how he can imitate accents, and his knowledge of languages. It is said one time, she invited him to a party dressed in her uncle´s clothing, and no one suspected that he was a "Roto", or someone from the lower classes masquerading as one of the wealthy. On Sundays, it was common for people to stroll the Alameda Park in Mexico City, and dressed in an elaborate disguise Matilde and Jesús would take a stroll complete with top hat, silver tipped cane, and a dashing monocle. As time went on, they fell deeper in love, unbeknownst to her uncle, don Diego de Frizac. Later when she became pregnant, she was sent to her uncle´s plantation where she had a daughter they named María de los Dolores. Because of this Don Diego had Chucho arrested on false charges of robbery and was thrown into infamous the Cárcel de Belén in Mexico City. There Chucho learned how to read and write from a political prisoner. He later escaped with his friends, "La Changa", "Juan Palomo" and "Lebrija", and began his life of crime that lasted 10 years. He was able to utilize his innate skills in acting, languages, magic tricks, as well as what he learned while he was in jail. What made "Chucho El Roto" different from ordinary thieves of the day was he robbed the rich and gave to the poor. His high sense of justice made him give most of what he stole to the very poor in Mexico City, and the small towns and surrounding "ranchos". Perhaps the words of his mother were always in the back of his mind. Each of us have our own talents and defects of character, but we must always help those in need. Many Stories Become Part of the Legend Some say that the stories of Chucho going to parties with Matilde are fiction, since after she became pregnant while Chucho was working as a carpenter for her uncle who sent her to his finca to have the baby and she never had anything to do with Chucho again. One widely popular story is that Matilde taught Chucho how to ballroom dance, and they frequented many of the high society balls of the day. One time President Porfirio Díaz was in attendance. When Chucho and Matilde were introduced to the President, Chucho stole his pocket watch. Later that evening, Chucho asked Don Porfirio for the time. It is reported that he looked for his watch and remarked, "It appears someone has stolen my watch!". Matilde hurriedly excused them from the dance and they left with Chucho smiling behind his monocle and false moustache. He escaped from jail by stealing a visitors hat and cane and cape and walking out the door. One article says that after escaping the Belén prison, he kidnapped his baby daughter Dolores, and took her to live with his mother in Tlaxcala. And thus began his life of crime. The article mentions some of his most famous robberies, always involving disguises. Once they robbed a shipment of silver dressed as indigenous women. He robbed a wealthy woman in DF by entering the house dressed as a bishop, called the family into the living room to bless them, of course including the servants, while this was going on the gang cleaned out the house. Another time he planned a robbery on a store by hanging around as a deaf street sweeper to get information. Chucho is Caught In 1885, after several years of stealing from the rich to give to the poor, he was finally captured. This time he was sent to the grim dungeon of San Juan de Ulua which was then an island in front of the port of Veracruz. Nobody had ever escaped. But with the help of a cellmate, Chucho El Roto made a daring escape by hiding in a "cuba" which was a large bucket or vat used for the disposal of sewage. Later, he was picked up by a boat and got away. Nine years later, he was again caught, near the Cumbres de Maltrata which borders the states of Veracruz and Puebla near Orizaba and was returned to San Juan de Ulua. This time when he tried to escape, he was betrayed by a cellmate called "Bruno". In the escape attempt he was wounded in the leg. This time he was dragged across the wide plaza at the fort and thrown into a solitary confinement cell.

Entrance to Limbo, Purgatorio, y El Cielo	Diego de Frizac Intervenes Diego de Frizac heard about Chucho´s recapture, and told the prison director, Colonel Federico Hinojosa to give him 300 lashes. 200 lashes applied by the experienced torturer and hangman nicknamed "el Boa" were the limits of human endurance. At this time, Matilde intervened and bribed "El Boa" 1,200 pesos in gold not to kill him. He was taken to the special cell known as "El Limbo" and the punishment was applied. But, the punishment appeared to be too much, along with the bullet wound received when he was captured. Matilde paid to have him taken to the prison infirmary next door to the prison which was managed by a religious order.
Entrance to Limbo(Photo Taken in the Dark with a Flash)	When they saw Chucho´s condition, at once they suggested he be sent to the Hospital de San Sebastian across the bay in Veracruz. A hefty donation by Matilde to the chapel probably speeded up the administrative procedures. Author´s Note: Inside the ceilings constantly drip from the humidity. After all these years, it´s still dark and creepy. These obviously were the torture rooms. They say Chucho el Roto was near death when he arrived at the Hospital de San Sebastian in Veracruz. There he was met there by Matilde, her daughter Dolores, and Jesús´s sister Guadalupe. It is said they took care of him during his final days. According to the sisters who were the nurses at the hospital, on March 25, 1894, Jesús Arriaga, alias Chucho el Roto, died and a death certificate was duly issued by the Civil Registry.
El Limbo(Photo Taken in the Dark with a Flash)	Later Matilde and her sister sadly accompanied the coffin by train to Mexico City, where he was buried in a quiet family service in one of the finer cemetaries. For a year, as was the custom, Matilde dressed in black in mourning. Later she was seen dating an Austrian count and awhile later, they, along with her daughter Dolores, departed for Veracruz and boarded a steamship on their way to Europe. They were never heard of again.

When You Face It Alone	Here is a walk through the old prison of San Juan de Ulua. First you cross over the Bridge of the Last Sigh.
Inside the Old Prison	The cellblocks are dark, and water is always dripping from the stalactites hanging from the cieling. Little stalacmites form on the floor, drop by drop.
An Open Cell Block	Notice the old style architecture in the ancient doorways.
The Stairs	Under the stairs is a small cell.
The Cell of Chucho el Roto	It is the cell of Chucho el Roto.
The Cell of Chucho el Roto	The door was firmly closed.
Mystery Number 23	On the upper left is the Number 23, still barely readable after all these years.
Inside the Small Cell	The inside of the cell is very small. There is no escape from the dripping water and the stalagmites which must have made it impossible for anyone to sleep on the raised ledge.
A Closer Look	Here´s a closer look.
Chapel	Here is the chapel and infirmary where Chucho El Roto was taken after receiving the 300 lashes by "El Boa".
Back Across the Bridge	We can take a last look at the prison before crossing the Bridge of the Last Sigh again. I guess we made it out of the famous prison of San Juan de Ulua.
Up the Stairs	You can go back into the fort section. Just to the left or to the right, past the main gate, is a small stairway upstairs to where you can see a panoramic view of the fort plaza.
Twin Flower Pots	Just before you get to the top you can look out across the plaza.
The Stairs	The elegant stairway is a relic of the past. I like to take one last look at the 400 year old plaza because where I stand, millions in treasure passed through and countless men died defending the fort, or died in the prison. San Juan de Ulua belongs to all of us.

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