Belem Prison

The building that would eventually become Belén Prison was commissioned by Padre Domingo Perez de Barcia. It was built in 1683, and in 1908 was listed as one of the oldest buildings in the city. In 1857, during the period known as Liberal reform, the property was confiscated by the state. In 1886, the building re-opened as Belén Prison. == Prison history ==

In 1886, Belén became the main prison for Mexico City. It was in this year that all prisoner and courts were moved from the municipal palace and took up residence in the former convent. This building was located in the southwest area of Mexico City. The prison was known throughout the city to be a center of filth and crime. Criminals who came in left with a better understanding of how to be a criminal. If someone were innocent when they entered Belén that they would come out a full-fledged criminal. Many Prison reformers had urged that Belén was the epitome of a broken prison. They argued that the prison was more of a source of entertainment than a place of rehabilitation. During the Mexican Revolution, the prison was attacked and many of the prisoners set free. == Layout ==

The building had three floors and a basement. The top floor was reserved for elites/nobles of Mexico City. One scholar notes, “once a gentleman, always a gentleman, even in prison”. This area was called the “Department of Distinction” and offered the elite law breakers the same comforts they would find at home. == Prison Order ==

The prison had few officials tasked with oversight of the prison. The inmates were in charge of the daily running of the facility. These residents were called “Presidents” and in charge of making sure the functions were carried out. The few staff that oversaw these “Presidents” were termed “Majors” and left even discipline of the inmates to the “President of Blows”. == Prison culture ==

The inmates at the prison could often be seen sitting on the patio of Belem playing cards. Many of the convicts would leave with a better understanding of how to perpetrate criminal acts than when they entered. The inmates who were frequent visitors to the prison learned quickly how to manipulate the system. The inmates were responsible for the creation of slang language that was used in the prison. Marijuana was a common drug that many of the convicts used. The prison was also "a known hot bed for illicit relations. Like many prisons, the men imprisoned reverted to homosexual relations while incarcerated", relationships ranging from sex partner to servant. Roumagnac was one of the leading prison reform criminologists at the time in Mexico. Roumagnac considered pederasty to be the worst vice morally and wished to understand the connection between social behavior and sexual inclinations. In his time spent in the prison he found that relationships in the prison quite closely followed that on society. The strong subjugate the weak, and homosexual relations were a continuation of traditional gender roles behind the prison walls. == Society and Belén ==

It is important to note the overall ideas of society at the time. To understand better why the prison was so notorious and so overpopulated, we must look to the society that the people who filled it we drawn from. Garza's entire book, The Imagined Underworld, focuses on the break in reality between the ruling elite and the lower class. It focuses on the idea that the ruling elite vilified the poor and their actions without understanding what the outside causes were for illegal actions. Exaggeration was a key part in this view and was carried out through media outlets of the period. The upper class saw two reasons for crime, alcoholism or marijuana drug use. This common thread can be seen throughout the turn of the nineteenth century in Mexican newspapers and public reactions. While the prison was seen as a vile place, the public could and would still come and view the prisoners. A common occurrence during the nineteenth century was for those of higher class to come and view executions, tour prisons, and mental asylums. A contemporary tour guide for foreigners indicates that visitors can view the prison and tour its facilities, but warns against it. == Famous inmates ==

María Villa Villa was a prostitute who was sentenced to twenty years in Belém Prison. The story reads like a melodrama. María and another prostitute were lovers of the same man. The other prostitute publicly humiliated Villa and called into question her honor. The two fought many times publicly over the man. The tale ends with Villa killing the other prostitute. Velazquez is said to have shot himself in the head while incarcerated, but Garza explains that this was a propagated lie and that the Mexican people did not believe it. Jesús Bruno Martínez Inmate who broke out of Belem Prison. Also helped other inmates learn how to manipulate the system and write letters to judges and the President to receive release from the jail. == Infectious disease and Belén ==

The living conditions of Belén were notorious for enabling the spread of infectious diseases. Many of the outbreaks consisted of typhus. Belén was the reason for many communications between Mexico and the U.S. during its time of operation due to its prevalence of infectious diseases. The other issue is that the people who were incarcerated usually came from the lower classes, whose daily living conditions were not much better. ==References==