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"path": "/places/jesus-malverde-chapel",
"publishedAt": "2026-02-18T15:00:00.000Z",
"site": "https://www.atlasobscura.com",
"tags": [
"crime and punishment",
"drugs",
"crime",
"saints"
],
"textContent": "Little for certain is known about the Mexican folk saint known as Jesús Malverde. He is said to have been a Robin Hood figure who stole from the rich to give to the poor. After being murdered, miracles were attributed to him, creating a religious following throughout Mexico and especially in his home state of Sinaloa. As Sinaloa is a center of Mexico's drug trade and those involved seek to identify with Malverde's \"generous bandit\" image, he has become an unofficial patron saint of narco-traffickers.\n\nDespite this notoriety, Malverde is pretty openly revered. That fact can be seen in the main shrine to him in Culiacán, which is ironically just a block away from the Sinaloa state government building. Every year on May 3, the anniversary of Malverde's supposed death, a festival occurs at the shrine. It involves parading a bust of him around the nearby streets and a raffle for the poor of the city. Trinkets of Malverde are also sold at the shrine year-round.",
"title": "Jesús Malverde Chapel in Culiacán, Mexico"
}