The best of the Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes: Chucho el Roto

Chucho el Roto. Jesús Arriaga (1858-1894) was a Mexican swindler and bandit who became known for the elegance of his dress (hence his name: “Chucho,” a nickname for Jesús, and “el Roto,” slang for a well-dressed person), his swindles, and his form of social justice. He appeared in a number of Mexican films, novels, radio shows, soap operas, comic strips and comic books from 1919 to the present, beginning with Santiago J. Serra’s Aventuras de Chucho o El Bandido Generoso. The fictional version of Chucho el Roto is, depending on the text, a Con Man, a Gentleman Bandit, a Lupin, a Robin Hood-esque Costumed Avenger, or some combination of the three.