The Legend of a Mexican Bandit The Folk Hero of San Juan de Ulua |
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The Legend of a Mexican Bandit The Folk Hero of San Juan de Ulua |
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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. |
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Note:
The first free weekend I was in Veracruz, I did what most tourists do when they come here for the first time. Take a trip to the old Spanish fort of San Juan de Ulua. The fort has been here for over 400 years, and I still go there on weekends and seem to find something new each time. A new idea, a new legend, or some aspect of the history of Mexico or the United States. |
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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. |
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The Low Yellow Building
Although originally San Juan de Ulua was an island. 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. |
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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 tour 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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Mexican Robin Hoods
Mexico has several Robin Hoods in its historical traditions:
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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 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. |
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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. This time, 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. |
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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. |
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