The journey of El Chapo in folklore is completed in his native country where cartel violence continues to rage

TThe chapel dedicated to Jesus Malverde – generally considered the "holy saint" – is in the town of Culiacan, in northern Mexico, in the county of Sinaloa. A folk character, Malverde was a bandit who stole the rich to give to the poor. Residents and visitors from all over came to ask for favors and blessings.

But there's a new addition to the busts, keychains and Malverde trinkets for sale here: a miniature statue of the drug lord Joaquín "el Chapo" Guzmán. Guzmán, wearing a bullet-proof vest over a bright pink shirt, holds in his hands the weapon of predilection of Mexican drug dealers, an AK57. His face, provocative, really looks like the man who just …