Mysterious rooster statue puzzles, worries Reynosa residents

by Sergio Chapa
Valley Central News

A rooster statute placed in tribute to a slain Gulf Cartel leader has both puzzled and worried Reynosa residents but is also drawing curious onlookers.

Nicknamed "El Gallo de Vista Hermosa" or "The Rooster of Vista Hermosa," the statue mysteriously appeared at the entrance of the Colonia Vista Hermosa at the beginning of the week.

It's not clear who placed the statue there but it's adorned with a wreath of flowers bearing the name of Samuel Flores-Borrego, a Gulf Cartel leader who went by the nickname “Metro 3” or “M3.”

Flores-Borrego was murdered on the highway to Monterrey back in September.

Media Reports

The rooster statue has made headlines in several national Mexican media outlets.

According to the Vanguardia newspaper, Flores-Borrego was rumored to live in the Vista Hermosa neighborhood.

The neighborhood is located on western edge of the city at the intersection of two major roads leading to Monterrey.

The Vanguardia newspaper reported that the site of the rooster is also the near the singer where Duranguense singer Valentin Elizalde was gunned down in Reynosa back in November 2006.

Elizalde went by the nickname “El Gallo” or the “The Rooster” but no suspects have ever been arrested for his death.

Vanguardia reported that the statue’s location is also the scene where wrestler Jorge “Imagen” Cantu and two others were killed during a chase with a military convoy back in June 2010.

Military officials reported that the three men were armed and have fired upon soldiers.

Twitter Sensation

Reynosa residents have been circulating photos of the rooster statue on the #reynosafollow hashtag of Twitter for the past several days.

Some Twitters even created the #GalloDeVistaHermosa hashtag to specifically talk about the statue.

Although Reynosa residents showed fear about the statue at the beginning of the week, it quickly dissolved.

One Twitter user said on Thursday that area residents were posing for pictures in the front of the statue.

The statue appears to have its own power source and lights to illuminate it at night.

One Twitter user wondered how it got connected and who’s paying for the electric bill.

Neither city nor state nor federal officials have made a statement or publicly taken action to remove the statue.