Chapo's wedding: Boda en Durango

Proceso (5-1-13)

Translated by un vato for Borderland Beat

A few days ago, Ines Coronel Barrera and Omar Coronel Aispuro,  Chapo Guzman's father in law and brother in law, respectively, were arrested in Sonora. Proceso  recalled an account  first published on September 2, 2007, of the wedding of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and Emma Coronel Aispuro. I've translated only the portion of the report that narrates the wedding. It's an interesting story. --un vato

...The Deputy Secretary of Standards and Media of the Department of the Interior (Segob), Eduardo Sanchez Hernandez, said that "according to intelligence information, Ines Coronel Barrera is identified as the father of Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of Joaquin Guzman Loera, whom she married in 2007 in the town of Angostura, Canelas County, Durango.

In its Edition No. 1609, on September 2, 2007, Proceso published a report titled "Wedding in Durango...and the highest capo was married to Emma I".


There, it tells the peculiar love story of Emma and El Chapo Guzman, which filled with pride her father and mother, Ines Coronel Barrera and Estela Aispuro Aispuro, respectively, both from the town of Angostura.

In its public version, the story began on November 20, 2006. On that day, the city council called on all the young girls to compete in the contest to elect the queen of the 2007 Great Coffee and Guava Festival.

One of the candidates surprised people: Emma, a girl from the remote village of La Angostura, would compete against Baudelia Ayala Coronel, from El Ranchito; Rosa Sandoval Avitia, from the county seat; Alma Diaz Rodriguez, from Zapote and Nancy Herrera Vizcarra, from Mesa de Guadalupe.

From that point on, the five candidates organized events to win sympathizers. Emma invited as many people as she could to the big dance she would hold on January 6, 2007. About this event, the local newspaper, El Correo de la Montana, stated that it gave Emma a sort of "morbid popularity", based on the expectation that El Chapo would be present. There were already rumors -- which later became news -- about a wedding.

The Day of Epiphany came. At 11:00 in the morning, some 200 motorcycles with seating for two riders arrived at Canelas. They carried men with black uniforms and hoods, with submachine guns on their shoulders and large caliber pistols on their belts. Little by little, they spread out to the town's ten entrances, including those used by horsemen. They placed themselves on all the streets.

Then, the members of the band Los Canelos landed on the local air strip aboard five-seat airplanes; their job was to provide the entertainment. But they were also armed with weapons: they showed off pistols with gold grips. Hours later, at 4:30 p.m., six fixed wing aircraft landed . El Chapo descended from one of these.

He wore jeans, jacket, cap and black leather athletic shoes. These had a white stripe. As if it was part of his clothing, he had an AK-47 "cuerno de chivo" assault rifle strapped across his chest and, on his waist, a pistol that matched his clothes.

Behind him, his right hand stepped down from the same airplane; Nacho Coronel, originally from Canelas.

Immediately, the rest of this most wanted drug trafficker's security team was deployed. From three other airplanes descended men wearing green clothing, similar to military uniforms; they were wearing vests and had radios attached to their chests. The operation was more ostentatious than that seen on presidential trips.

The other two airplanes carried the weapons: grenades, cuernos de chivo, submachine guns and handguns. And innumerable cases of whiskey.

Two helicopters began flying over the area; the operation was complete. In the town square, Los Canelos started the dance with Cruzando cerros y arroyos (Crossing Mountains and Streams), the song that El Chapo used to court Emma with.

Cruzando cerros y arroyos /he venido para verte...
(Across mountains and streams /I've come to see you..) 

Another verse:

Eres flor, eres hermosa, /eres perfumada rosa /que ha nacido para mi. Acerca tu pecho al mio /y abrazame, que hace frio, /y asi sere mas feliz.
(You're a flower, you are beautiful /you're a perfumed rose /who was born for me. Hold your breast close to mine /and embrace me because it's cold, /and I will be happier.)

The proud girl from Angostura strolled around the town square, mixing with people and properly chaperoned. Her boyfriend's men would clear the way when he wanted to dance. The couple, like the song says, appeared happy.

With all this security, the party should have been a success. Suddenly, from one side of the plaza, a man fired off a round, but El Chapo's guards simply calmed him down. No fighting, those were their orders. That clueless person who tried to take a photograph was simply deprived of his camera. Afterwards, there was only the music and the noise associated with any big town dance.

Of course, Emma's parents were there: Blanca Estela Aispuro Aispuro and Ines Coronel Barrera. In La Angostura, Ines was officially a cattleman, although those who know him know that his real strength is growing marijuana and amapola (opium poppies).

Emma announced her wedding that day and, all during the dance, Coronel Barrera could not hide his pride at being related to such a powerful boss.

There were few, but notorious, people. Some of the attendees say they recognized the former Sinaloa Attorney General, Alfredo Higuera Bernal, and the mayor of Canelas, Francisco Cardenas Gamboa, a PAN loyalist whose term ended August 31 and whose presence was explained with two versions: he was forced to attend, or, he is simply another member of El Chapo's organization.