In a country that abounds with nuggets of quasi-religious lore, none can outdo the mysterious cult of Jesús Malverde — El Santo de los Narcos (saint of the drug traffickers).
Take a stroll through the vast and overwhelming San Juan de Dios market in downtown Guadalajara, head for the esoteric stalls selling herbs, spells and B-grade devotional articles, and there you will find images of Malverde peeking out from between his brethren cult figures, such as that Grim Reaper twin known as Santa Muerte (Saint Death) and the less fanciful San Judas Tadeo (St. Jude), the patron of impossible causes — all of whom tend to appeal to those on the fringes of the law, the Church and most any institution you can think of.