The kitschy bar Malverde in trendy Condesa proudly displays an altar to Mexico's #1 narcosaint, Jesús Malverde. One of the country's most beloved santos populares, Malverde was a legendary turn-of-the-century bandit who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Coming from Sinaloa, the heartland of Mexico's drug trade, Malverde has become the patron saint of drug traffickers. There's even a chapel in Culiacán, Sinaloa devoted to him, where narcotraffickers openly pay their respects and give him thanks when large drug shipments make it safely across the border into the U.S.

Supposedly in Culiacán the young men involved in the trade wear medals and necklaces bearing Malverde's face. And the corrido singers—(corridos are Mexican gangster music that often pays homage to the local drug kingpins)—leave copies of their latest hits at his altar.

More to come on Malverde when I head to Culiacán later this month...