Los Ladrones Viejos - The Old Thieves

The old thieves is the story of a generation of thieves who reached their peak in the 1960’s in Mexico and who are currently serving sentences in prison. It is also the story of the Mexican criminal underworld at that time, its codes of ethics and behavior, the diverse “categories” of the offenders who settled the city’s streets, the alliances of police authorities that allowed them to go on with their illegal activities, the treasons that came as a consequence of such alliances and the price that they wound up paying for it.

Everardo González:

"Some years ago, being a delinquent required developing a skill in order to be a worthy member of the family. Delinquency was a trade that was inherited from father to son; it was taught the way a potter is taught how to make a vessel, with the help and experience of his teacher. Just like craftsmanship, delinquency in Mexico City was made up by families in the decades prior to the 80’s. Such family trade groups were named artegios.

Artegios were subject to great legends in the criminal world. “El carrizos” was one of these legends; he was a “zorrero” who would “cleanly” assault houses –without the use of weapons and without shedding any blood. He is known for having broken into Mexico´s President Luis Echeverría’s house during his administration. Efraín Alcaraz Montes de Oca, a.k.a. “el carrizos” is the leading character of the story; with his testimony, we will talk about the artegios’ codes of honor, their beginnings, origins and methods, as well as the relationship they kept with the now disappeared Secret Service of Mexico City’s Preventive Police Department. His voice is accompanied by that of other thieves, like Raymundo Moreno, a.k.a. “el burrero”, Rubén Chacón Fernández, a.k.a. “chacón”, Arcadio Ocampo, a.k.a. “xochi” and Jorge Calva Márquez, a.k.a. “fantomas”.

On the other hand, the old police officers, who tried for years to catch the legends of artegio, give testimony about the way the police operated during the decades prior to the 80’s. Both are former agents of the Secret Service and are the antagonists of this story. Their names are: agents Mauro Morales and Marco Antonio Villareal.

This type of delinquency that could boast about their almost artistic skills, their seduction, their ability to trick their victims and/or their ability with their hands evolved in later years, mainly during the eighties due to the beginnings of the crisis of the country. It turned into a more violent delinquency since drug trafficking rapidly grew. Artegios became a barrio-legend; everything changed: the modus operandi, the codes of honor, the relationships between cops and robbers and the relationships between theft teachers and apprentices."

Everardo Gonzales

Was born in 1971. He has a degree in Social Comunications at the UNIVERSIDAD AUTONOMA METROPOLITANA in Mexico city; He also studied Photography at the ESCUELA ACTIVA DE FOTOGRAFIA, and film at the CENTRO DE CAPACITACION CINEMATOGRAFICA (C.C.C). Now he works as a Director and Cinematographer for the T.V. series “MEXICO NEW MILLENIUM”, produced by Enrique Krauze; these are some of the shows he has made: Jalisco is México. Live in the desert, The sense to be appart, The apostol and the barón, The voice of poberty. And also “Tequila´s World” produced by Mel Lawrence.

Filmography