Triumph and tragedy: The life of Baja California Sur’s greatest poet

Sometime astir 3 a.m. connected the greeting of May 14, 1956, astatine a location connected Revolución de 1910 Street, a fewer blocks from the malecón successful La Paz, Baja California Sur’s superior city, and connected the artifact wherever the Hotel Seven Crown Centro Histórico stands today, idiosyncratic fired a .44 caliber slug into the bosom of Fernando Jordán Juárez, sidesplitting him instantly. 

Was it execution oregon suicide?

The gunshot whitethorn person been fired by Jordán himself, though a compelling lawsuit tin beryllium made for either execution oregon suicide. Jordán had precocious fallen retired with his mentor and exertion astatine Impacto magazine, Regino Hernández Llergo, aft helium refused to tally a portion connected a corrupt businessman. This wasn’t the archetypal influential person, from politicians to different almighty people, that the writer had felt compelled to spell aft successful print. 

The malecón of La Paz arsenic it looked successful 1957, the twelvemonth aft the city’s top writer was changeable to death. (Howard E. Gulick Collection, UCSD)

Jordán, staying astatine the location of a person the nighttime helium died, was besides said to person burned respective letters earlier the fatal gunshot was fired. But were these letters of a idiosyncratic oregon nonrecreational nature? It was intimated astatine the clip that Jordán was progressive successful an matter with a joined woman, besides not for the archetypal time. Could his decease person been astatine the hands of an aggravated husband? 

Several radical who knew Jordán well, including his member Raúl, believed helium was a suicide, and that was the official verdict rendered earlier helium was interred astatine the Panteón de Los San Juanes cemetery successful La Paz. On the different hand, however galore suicides screen themselves with a expanse afterwards? Or indeed, sprout themselves successful the heart? Nearly 90% of termination shots are to the head. These unexplained clues led to galore speculations aft Jordán’s death, including the anticipation of a state-sanctioned assassination.

Only 1 happening was certain. The state’s top writer and writer was dormant astatine the property of 36. 

The aboriginal beingness and journalistic vocation of Fernando Jordán

Remarkably, fixed however indelibly associated Jordán is with the Baja California peninsula, helium spent clip determination during lone six years. His last six, arsenic it turned out. Jordan was born successful Mexico City successful 1920 to a father, Amado Jordán Sánchez de la Barquera, a subject fencing master, and a mother, Elena Juárez Villegas, who was the girl of 2 doctors. Given his parentage, helium seemed destined for a bully education. But the awesome lawsuit of his young beingness was when, pursuing his graduation from vocational school, helium changed his caput astir becoming an designer and decided to enroll successful the National School of Anthropology and History (ENAH) to survey anthropology. 

Jordán met his wife, Swede Barbro Dahlgren, the parent of his 2 children, portion astatine ENAH. His anthropological grooming informed everything helium would write. However, portion his woman became a respected world (with notable enactment connected Baja California’s prehistoric stone art), helium opted for a vocation successful journalism, starting astatine newspapers similar La Prensa and Novedades earlier moving connected to magazines specified arsenic Mañana and Impacto. Hernández Llergo was an important fig astatine the second two, and Jordán’s talents were unleashed connected assignments that took him each implicit the country, from the Revillagigedo Islands to Yucatán, Chiapas, and the Alta Tarahumara.

His biggest assignment, however, wouldn’t go wide until a September evening successful 1949 astatine the Impacto offices connected Paseo de la Reforma successful Mexico City. In effect to Hernández Llergo’s query arsenic to what helium wanted to bash next, Jordán pulled retired an aerial representation of the Baja California peninsula and began speaking passionately of his question plans.

Baja California: “The Other Mexico”

Jordán’s 1951 book, “El Otro Mexico: Biografia de Baja California,” was a landmark enactment whose bequest has been enduring. (Chris Sands)

The bid of articles Jordán wrote astir the Baja California peninsula for Impacto would yet beryllium published, forty years aft his death, arsenic the publication “Baja California, Tierra Incógnita.” However, the publication that established his estimation during his beingness was published successful 1951. Inspired by his travels, “El Otro Mexico: Biografía de Baja California” was a landmark work, a masterpiece, that the distinguished professor, historian, and writer Arturo Sotomayor would telephone “the astir transcendent and invaluable Mexican publication of the past 4th century.”

What makes this publication truthful special, and wherefore has it formed its spell connected generations of readers since it archetypal appeared? The publication seamlessly integrates history, anthropology, and journalism, but with ample helpings of what tin lone beryllium called poetry. Jordán himself claimed helium “handled past similar a caller and geography similar an adventure,” but without violating “any of the precepts of the historian, the geographer, oregon the biographer.”

The book’s archetypal printing instantly sold out, and though it wouldn’t pb to a fiscal windfall for its author, its taxable substance would besides supply him with a canvas for his 2nd masterpiece successful 1955.

Calafia, Jordán’s lasting triumph and legacy

La Paz famously dates its commencement arsenic a metropolis to May 3, 1535, erstwhile Hernán Cortés arrived there. Jordán’s poem “Calafia,” written successful the 24 hours preceding the Juegos Florales of 1955, celebrating the 420th anniversary, and for which helium received 500 pesos arsenic the victor of the poesy contest, looks backmost astatine the archetypal gathering betwixt conquistadors and the Indigenous Guaycura, and the naming of the onshore California.

“Yours is the magical seashore of pearls and sand,” helium writes successful a translated stanza from the Guaycura’s perspective, welcoming the conquistadors to “the forests of cardóns / the mountains that emergence / to look retired astatine the oversea / the fountains that chopped emeralds / implicit the adust world / the valleys wherever the prima / takes its siesta / the islands of mysteries and food / and the veins / these veins fused by the devil / with the bellows of God.”

Calafia remains the top poem ever written astir La Paz, Baja California Sur, and the Baja California peninsula, and its bequest endures, adjacent if, sadly, it was a valediction for its author, who died lone a twelvemonth aft penning it.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook and a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily. His specialty is travel-related contented and manner features focused connected food, vino and golf.