Narcoculture is a subculture that has developed in response to the strong presence of drug cartels throughout countries such as Mexico. Similar to other crime- and drug-related subcultures worldwide, such as the Scottish neds, European hooligans, American street-gang members, cholos, and outlaw bikers. Like them, narcoculture has evolved distinctive forms of dress, music, literature, film, religious beliefs and practices, and slang. These elements have contributed to its integration into mainstream culture in some regions, particularly among lower-income and less formally educated youth.Canalestrellatv. "Narcocultura part 1.mov." online video clip. Youtube. Youtube, 15 November 2011. Web 26 May 2013. Narcoculture is not uniform, but dynamic, with significant regional differences within Mexico and among those who engage with it.
Origin
Narcoculture, like drug trafficking, had relatively modest beginnings in Mexico. Narcoculture is generally traced to drug-trafficking practices in the highlands of Badiraguato, Sinaloa. It was in the Sierra Madre Occidental, or rural highlands, that a distinct drug-trafficking identity emerged, before being consolidated as it expanded into urban areas. Narcoculture has been described as a code of conduct and a lifestyle associated with participation in the "narco world."
Several scholars, including Luis Alejandro Astorga Almanza and Jorge Alan Sánchez Godoy, argue that there is no evidence that cannabis or opium was consumed in Mexico prior to the arrival of the Spanish and the Chinese immigrants. Although indigenous communities in Mexico used hallucinogenic mushrooms and peyote for religious purposes, cannabis was introduced following Spanish colonisation. Astorga argues that drug trafficking in Mexico originated in connection with Chinese immigration to Sinaloa, where Chinese immigrants are said to have brought poppy seeds when they arrived to work on railroads and in mines.
Sánchez Godoy further argues that after cannabis was introduced to Mexico, it was initially used for medicinal purposes, while poppy plants were used ornamentally and served as inspiration for several Mexican corridos, or ballads.
Narco production in Mexico
The US effectively banned all psychoactive drugs when the federal government passed the Harrison Act in 1914, prohibiting all non-medicinal use of opium, morphine, and cocaine. In 1919, the National Prohibition Act made alcoholic beverages illegal (though this was later voided by the Twenty-first Amendment, ratified in 1933), and the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 outlawed marijuana.
Mexico's proximity to the US made it an easy black-market source of these drugs, and American bootleggers and traffickers rushed to obtain illicit narcotics and alcohol. Exports of illicit Mexican opium, heroin, and marijuana for US consumption steadily increased as a result of Prohibition.
The black market grew quickly, with millions of Americans creating a sudden demand for a huge supply of alcohol, heroin, marijuana and cocaine. The initial shortage caused a boost in drug prices, and these new "super-profits" attracted black-market suppliers to fill the vacuum.
Expulsion of Chinese producers
During the early 1920s, the Chinese in Sinaloa were victims of segregation, hate crimes, and forceful deportation. In 1927, to cooperate with its northern neighbour, Mexican President Plutarco Elias Calles, by federal mandate, ordered the expulsion of the Chinese poppy producers.
US morphine demand Once Chinese poppy producers were expelled from Sinaloa, the production of narcotics became controlled by rural Mexican farmers. The narcotics production in Mexico was still small, but the demand for morphine in the United States, created by the disruption in its morphine supply from Europe during the World Wars, led to the temporary legalization of narcotics in Mexico.
Mexican production and the birth of narcoculture Scholars like Jorge Alan Sánchez Godoy and Luis Alejandro Astorga Almanza argue that narcotics were temporarily legalized in Sinaloa in order to supply the United States' demand during the World Wars. The period when the production of narcotics was temporarily legalized ultimately shaped and created the drug trafficking identity in the region. This is when narcoculture first began to appear. It is also the period when Mexico began large-scale production of narcotics.
Rise of Mexican drug cartels and consolidation of narcoculture
The 1950s in Mexico were marked by the term narcotráfico ("drug traffic"), which began to appear throughout the media. During the 1940s through the 1970s, drug trafficking in Mexico was considered to be a small family business with a relatively simple organization and division of labor. It was not until after the 1970s, with the growth of demand from the United States and alliances with Colombian drug traffickers, that cartels in Mexico were formed to control the production and distribution of narcotics. At this point, Mexico became both a major producer and distributor of illicit drugs, especially narcotics. Alliances between Mexican and Colombian drug cartels allowed Mexico to serve as a route of entrance for cocaine arriving in the United States from Colombia, becoming a major distributor. Mexico had been a major producer since Prohibition in the United States, when Mexico supplied the United States with heroin, morphine, opium, alcohol, and cannabis. As drug trafficking expanded in Mexico, so did narcoculture. Narcoculture expanded into the urban sector of society and began the process of legitimization, moving away from a subculture into a part of the dominant culture.
Coining the term narcoculture The term "narcoculture" was first coined in the 1970s. Narcoculture describes the way of life and ideas of drug traffickers. Its existence depends on drug traffickers and drug trafficking, maintaining a transnational network of production, transportation, and commercialization of illegal drugs.
Drug trafficking has political, economic, ideological, and cultural implications. Drug traffickers interact with the rest of society, and as this daily interaction progresses, some of the drug traffickers' mannerisms are adopted by society, leading to cultural change and legitimization. That is, the drug traffickers' way of life, narcoculture, becomes legitimate in society. Some aspects are adopted by those outside drug trafficking, and over time, people forget that what they have adopted is narcoculture. Narcoculture begins a process of legitimization when it begins to include the popular classes in urban cities.
Rise of the Mexican Mafiosos Narcoculture in Sinaloa shares many characteristics with Mediterranean culture and mafias in that both are based on honor, bravery, family loyalty, protection, vengeance, generosity, hospitality, nobility, and prestige. Drug traffickers use claves ("codes") to maintain a level of secrecy. Some of these codes, however, have been revealed in narcocorridos (Mexican ballads about drug trafficking) and are then used by people who listen to this music, even if they are not drug traffickers. This is an example of when narcoculture becomes a part of mainstream discourse.
Prior to the 1970s, narcoculture and drug trafficking in Sinaloa were almost exclusively rural. The stigma that was placed on narcotics early on meant that people in the cities were reluctant to accept it as a legitimate activity. But in the countryside of Sinaloa, people were starving, and drug trafficking often seemed like the only viable solution. The rural population was a marginalized part of society with little access to education or other means of upward social mobility, and was often ignored by the government and society. Drug trafficking for them became a source of income and an outlet to rebel against the government that had forgotten them in the countryside.
Mafioso Poseurs and modern narcoculture Narcoculture is a type of crime-related subculture that emerges in places where traffickers or other mafias have great power and, in consequence, great cultural influence. Because of that influence, their lives and exploits are often glamourised by the mass media, and they are looked up to as role models by some young people.
Subcultures similar to Mexican narco culture emerged in the United States during Prohibition, and in Colombia and Italy in the 1990s. These subcultures were characterized by extravagance, ostentation, hedonism, rural roots, honor, prestige, consumerism, power, utilitarianism, religiosity, and violence.Sanchez, Godoy Jorge A. "Procesos de Institucionalizacion de la narcocultura en Sinaloa." Frontera Norte 21:41 (2009): 77-103. pdf file.
Those who take part in narcoculture are not necessarily drug traffickers or part of a criminal organization. Indeed, many of the participants in narcoculture are young people who come from marginalized sectors of society. The admiration that youth have for narcos is similar to the way other kids might look up to rock stars or sports legends. In some cases, the admiration that they feel for drug traffickers, whom they see as heroes, does lead them to get involved in drug trafficking. But in most cases, they merely consume narco culture and imagine that they are part of the narco world, becoming "narco-poseurs".
Narcoculture has created a fantasy where some people believe that drug trafficking is the only way to escape poverty. This fantasy is supported primarily through music (narcocorridos) and visual media, including television and film. Some believe that narcoculture originated in the highlands of Sinaloa, where many of the famous drug lords were born, such as Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo (aka "El Jefe de Jefes"), the Beltrán-Leyva brothers, Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo (aka "Don Neto"), Rafael Caro Quintero, Juan José Esparragoza Moreno (aka "El Azul"), Pedro Avilés Pérez (aka "El León de la Sierra"), and many more. Narcoculture is rooted in the rural areas of Mexico's Pacific Northwest and, although it is constantly changing, it continues to foster and strengthen its rural roots over time.
Narcoculture lifestyle
Narcoculture glorifies the usually male individual and his achievements, wealth, and masculinity.Rockwell, Natalia Mendoza. Conversaciones Del Desierto: Cultura, Moral Y Tráfico De Drogas. México, D.F.: Centro De Investigación Y Docencia Económicas, 2008. Print. Narcos often live luxurious lifestyles and display their wealth by wearing expensive clothing. There are regional differences in the styles of dress; for example, the northern cities closer to the border are influenced by American styles of dress and brands. Narco fashion is gender-conscious, where men and women wear distinct fashion items pertaining to their gender. In many Mexican cities, men may wear piteado belts, cowboy boots made of exotic animal skins, silk shirts, and cowboy hats or baseball caps. Some narcos have cast aside the "cowboy" or northern style in favour of expensive designer clothes.
Certain clothing brands, such as Ralph Lauren polo shirts or Ed Hardy style clothing, were worn by several infamous drug traffickers at the moment of their capture, becoming highly fashionable items among the masses and prompting the creation of imitation styles sold on the black market.
Styles vary in many cities, but it is very common to see drug traffickers wearing luxury brand labels such as Balenciaga, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Hugo Boss, and Louis Vuitton hats, shirts, belts and shoes. Women associated with drug cartels often dress very ostentatiously and wear much jewelry, and it is common to see them wear brands such as Bebe, Burberry, Chanel, Coach, Dior, Gucci, and Guess.