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

Book Reviews 155 ficas y trayectoria profesional de losjueces, ofrece datos relevantes sobre las universidades en que se curs6 la camera de derecho (abrumadoramente universidades publicas de la regidn), estudios de posgrado, participacidn anterior en actividades politicas, entre otros. Aunque este libro, resulta de lectura obligatoria para 10s acadCmicos interesados en 10s temas de lajusticia y la reforma judicial en la regidn centroamericana; por su posicidn privilegiada en la ejecucidn de las reformas necesarias, lo deseable es que llegase tambiin a 10s operadores del derecho en sus seis paises: abogados, defensores publicos, fiscales, jueces y magistrados. Juan Carlos Rodriguez Corder0 Sistema de Estudios de Posgrado, UNED, Costa Rica. Juan Soldado: Rapist, Murderer, Martyr, Saint. By Paul J. Vanderwood. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2004. p. 352, $22.95. Historians of Mexico and those generally interested in Mexico had not anticipated a new book by Paul Vanderwood. Those who enjoyed his book on Teresa Urrea (The Power ojGod Against the Guns o f Government: Religious Upheaval in Mexico at the Turn o f the Nineteenth Centuv, Stanford: 1998)will not be disappointed with Juan Soldado: Rapist, Murderer; Martyr; Saint. This time, Vanderwood joins a small boom of scholarship currently in progress on local religion and popular saints in Mexico, undertaken by such historians as William B. Taylor and Edward Wright-Rios, and influenced by the work of William Christian. Vanderwood presents an intriguing variation on popular saints never given the Church’sofficial seal of approval by examining the case of Juan Castillo Morales, executed by the Mexican army in 1938 Tijuana for the rape and murder of eight-year-old Olga Camacho. In the first of the three parts of the book, Vanderwood narrates the bizarre and shocking details of the crime, Castillo Morales’ trial and punishment. As horrifying as the crime was, and as much readers will pity Olga’s mother Feliza Camacho , one of the author’s primary sources, Vanderwood generates sympathy for the alleged perpetrator and reveals that this young soldier may have been a scapegoat the authorities used to calm more extensive unrest in Tijuana at the time. There was virtually 156 The Latin Americanist Spring 2005 no hard evidence against Castillo Morales, a 24-year old private from Oaxaca. Vanderwood spoke to the then-young stenographer who took notes at Castillo Morales’ initial interrogation, which occurred while a large mob was attacking the building. Castillo Morales had no lawyer, seemed confused and very nervous, and never admitted guilt-until his common-law wife denounced him. By providing evidence of bloody garments from their house. Meanwhile, the crowd outside became more violent, fearing that the prisoner would be whisked away to a secret military hideout , without receiving the punishment, possibly lynching, they demanded. Later that night, the mob burned down the military command headquarters and the municipal palace. These dramatic events, seen as led by labor agitators at a possibly unstable moment, motivated the authorities to demand a harsher punishment than the standard 20 years’ in prison given to murderers and rapists. With the town under martial law, the military took over the secret and rushed trial. Castillo Morales’ execution by “Ley Fuga” two days later may have been at the direct order of Lazaro Ckdenas. Castillo Morales’ grim execution scene was perhaps an early spark for his devotees. A fake escape was staged not far from the public cemetery and Castillo Morales was shot in the back and in the head as he fled, in sight of hundreds of witnesses. A cross was anonymously placed on the soldier’s shallow grave, and shortly after, miracles began to occur, including blood seeping through the soil. People responded by leaving flowers, candles and smooth stones at the gravesite. Early devotees might have viewed Castillo Morales as a martyr to the government’s struggle to put down labor agitation, as was observed at the time by one newspaper and the local American consul. A few months’ later, a large gathering occurred on the Day of the Dead, in honor of the renamed Juan Soldado. In the second part of the book, Vanderwood turns to Tijuana ’s history, especially focusing on the town’s growth in the late 19thcentury as...