Juan Soldado: Rapist, Murderer, Martyr, Saint by Paul L. Vanderwood (review)

192 The Latin Americanist Fall 2006 Juan Soldado: Rapist, Murderer, Martyr, Saint. By Paul L. Vanderwood. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2004, P .332. $16.00. Unofficial saints of the Roman Catholic Church, often manifestations of popular canonization, range from the renowned events at Lourdes and Fatima to the unlikely story of Juan Castillo Morales in Tijuana, Mexico. In the book under review, Paul L. Vandenvood,professor emeritus of Mexican History at San Diego State University, uses the execution of Juan Castillo Morales as a starting point to examine popular canonization on a broader level and its impact on society. The author divides his study of Castillo Morales into three sections:the crime, the circumstances,and belief. On 13 February 1938, Olga Camacho Martinez, an eightyear -old girl from Tijuana, was raped and murdered. This event served as a focal point for a frustrated town. Tijuana had recently undergone the impact of the Great Depression, the end of prohibition in the United States, and the increasingly restrictive and moralistic national policies of President Lazaro Cardenas. Cardenas had recently closed the casinos in Tijuana, which created a large number of un-employed people. Castillo Morales, a low-ranking soldier in the Mexican army, was quickly arrested as a suspect due to circumstantial evidence. Under harsh questioning and the pressure of an unruly lynch mob he confessed to the crime. The local authorities turned him over to the army, which proceeded to sentence him to death after a court martial. Castillo Morales was executed pursuant to la leyfuga, where the condemned is taken to a cemetery and given the opportunity to flee while being shot at by a firing squad. If Castillo Morales had managed to escape, he would have been freed according to law. Although Castillo Morales’sguilt is questionabledue to the circumstances surrounding his confession, no overwhelming evidence of his innocence has yet been uncovered. Castillo Morales’s legacy as an unofficial saint began immediately after his execution when blood seeped up from his grave. This phenomenon caused many Mexicans to believe that his anima [soul] was crying out for justice. Vanderwood, however, dispels this miracle by pointing out that shallow graves of unembalmed people often have such leakage. Despite the logical explanations, the deeply rooted faith of Mexican Catholics has allowed Castillo Morales to become Juan Soldado [SoldierJohn], the unofficial patron saint of illegal immigrants crossing into the Book Reviews 193 United States. According to Vanderwood, “faith has the power to provide a person’s passportto liberation” (p. xi). Juan Soldadohas become a tangible historic figure for needy people. Vanderwood recreates the story of Castillo Morales through extensive archival research and interviews. Ironically, most official documents from Tijuana during the 1930’swere burned when the mob demanding justice for Camacho Martinez set fire to the municipal building and the police station. Vanderwood, however, uses the interviews from people such as Camacho Martinez’s mother and even current patrons of the shrine to piece together the story of Juan Soldado. These oral histories allow a broader exploration of how and why such popular canonizations take root and flourish. Vanderwood asserts that this devotion “develops in small, out-of-the way places, frequently locales with soiled reputations (typically for backwardness or bawdiness), and in areas dominated by the political brawn and economic weight of betterknown , much larger and more important neighboring cities” (p. 75). By placing the story in historical context, it becomes clear how folk saints such as Juan Soldado flourish. Although the number of devotees has steadily declined since 1950,Juan Soldado still has a nominal number of dedicated patrons each year. Even though the memory of Castillo Morales fades over time without officialrecognition by the Roman Catholic Church, Vanderwood makes reference to new stories that have had similar impacts on society, such as the slaying of Selena or the assassination of Mexican presidential candidate Luis Donald0 Colosio The story of Castillo Morales allows the reader to examine the origin and impact of popular canonizations.Vanderwood’s study contributes not only to the field of Latin American studies but popular religion and criminology as well. It is an accessible read for anyone who is interestedin unofficial saints and...