"El Chapito" - Iván Archivaldo Fights On
The son of El Chapo built an empire yet led it into war. Who is the human behind the kingpin?
In the surreal world of narco corridos, or drug ballads, in Sinaloa, Mexico, the videos often contain short dramatic scenes portraying the kingpin being sung about. Members of the band plus actors will play the roles, but a Culiacán producer who works on these videos described me how it’s common to have authentic sicario hitmen in scenes and sometimes even a real kingpin turns up at a shoot and says hello. And narco corridos are often (though not always) commissioned and paid for by the drug lords featured in them.
One such scene was in a 2015 video for the band Enigma Norteño and their record El Señor Iván about narco Iván Archivaldo Guzmán. Iván is the son of El Chapo and is sometimes referred to as El Chapito, while him and three of his brothers are known collectively as Los Chapitos, or Little Chapos.
The video features Enigma singer Ernesto Barajas in the role of Iván as he sips super-expensive Louis XIII Cognac and plays traditional Spanish cards when an assistant roles up in a suit and bow tie. “Sorry for the bother señor,” the assistant says. “I bring a letter that your father sent.” Barajas bursts into song about Chapo penning to him from Mexico’s (supposedly) top security prison to appoint him as the new head of his drug empire. As Barajas croons:
“Chapo wrote the letter with a final destination,
We know the sender, we have a new boss,
Don’t be sad, they have awarded the position.”
It’s one of several ballads that Enigma has in its repertoire about Iván, who is even rumored to actually appear in one of their videos dancing with a girl with his back turned. The closeness of corrido singers to real-life narcos means they not only get a share of their glory, however, but also get pulled into their violent world. Last year, gunmen shot dead the singer Barajas in a parking garage in Zapopan, Jalisco.
As the song says, Iván did indeed take over the empire of his father and he even expanded aspects of it, likely making a fortune from fentanyl. It was a long hard struggle to consolidate his control though, and Iván eventually led his kingdom into a catastrophic cartel war. Meanwhile, two of Ivan’s own brothers are cooperating with U.S. prosecutors in a case that weakens his political protection. Still, Iván was underestimated when he first rose to take control and he continues to defeat expectations and survive. Who is the human behind the kingpin?
Psychological Profile
Iván’s story begins…
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