Jesus Arriaga, better known as Chucho el Roto (1858–1885), was a Mexican bandit active in the late 19th century, whose life story has been the basis of number of books, plays and other media since before his death. His real name was Jesús Arriaga; the nickname Chucho (literally "mutt") is a common diminutive of Jesús in Spanish, and roto (literally, "broken") can be translated as "discarded" or "ragged".
Arriaga was born in the state of Tlaxcala in 1858. After being forced to abandon his family, Chucho became a bandit, becoming famous in the late 1870s and the first half of the 1880s. His fame came from his ability to cross Mexico's strong socioeconomic circles and use this ability to rob from the wealthy. His legend also includes the love of fine clothes and the theater despite his humble birth and the sharing of at least some of his gains with the poor. The last aspect has prompted comparisons between him and Robin Hood. Chucho was last arrested in 1884 and died in the prison of San Juan de Ulúa in Veracruz in 1885.
Arriaga’s fame and legend began with newspaper accounts of him from the time, with the first fictional story based on him appearing three months before his death. Early works did not give a uniform significance to the legend, but during the epoch of Porfirio Díaz and the Mexican Revolution, his modern persona emerged. His story continues to be told in films, television, novels and other media.
Early life
Arriaga was born in the village of Santa Ana Chiautempan, Tlaxcala in 1858. He was a good student, but after the death of his father, he was obliged to quit school to work to support his mother and sister. Eventually he lived in Mexico City, where he was hired to do some carpentry work at the house of a wealthy family. Here met and fell in love with one of the young women there named Matilde. She was an orphan living with aunt and uncle at the house. He got her pregnant but never married her since he was poor. The family left to hide the pregnancy, stating that they would go on vacation to Europe. They returned two years later with a little girl named Dolores who they claimed they adopted in France. Chucho kidnapped the girl and took her to his sister’s house. However, the police went after him, and he was forced to abandon his family.
Career
The beginning of Chucho’s career is unknown but from the 1870s to his death in 1885, he became an urban bandit whose escapades with the law triggered intense reactions from both lower and privileged classes. He was dedicated to robbing jewelry stores, pawnshops and homes of the wealthy and reputed to be a seducer of rich, lonely women, with a gift for small talk and friendliness. He is distinguished from most other bandits at the time for his ability to cross socioeconomic lines. A middle class carpenter by birth, he found ways to integrate himself into upper social circles, often using these contacts to carry out his crimes. He was also mobile and active along the railroad lines connecting the cities of Veracruz, Puebla, Mexico City and Querétaro, which were the epitome of modernization as well as law and order at the time.
Much of his fame and legend status has its origins in the newspaper accounts of him in the late 1870s and early 1880s. These stories often embellished his abilities and bravery. They also included episodes where he shared his gains with the poor, earning him comparisons with Robin Hood. The federal authorities, however, portrayed Chucho as a danger to peace in the country.
His nickname has a basis in this legend. “Chucho” is a common nickname for his given name “Jesús.” “El Roto” refers to his ability and tendency to dress in fine clothes, with “roto” referring to a well-dressed person, especially someone from the lower classes in fine clothing. In later literary works about him, this would be interpreted in various ways, either as his insulting the lower classes from which he came or as symbolize of his basic honor. Others acknowledge that he may have done so to avoid mistreatment prevalent against the poor of the time.
However, Chucho did not always dress in fine clothes. During one arrest, he was in working class clothing but in possession of “elegant suits and fine gloves” which was reported to function as a disguise. His ability to “disguise” himself was not limited to clothing as newspapers reported that he carried himself as an educated and non-vulgar person. This was also accompanied by the assertion that Chucho did not use violence in his crimes and even “vowed not to kill.”