Such was even the case in the 1990s when season three takes place. Spanish and Spanglish are the most common languages.
Last I checked, 94% of the students at the University of Texas at El Paso were minorities, the Border Patrol and local police were mostly Hispanic and so even were the anti-narcotics agents, and of course most people in the streets. Was the model for this depiction The Bridge, Cormac McCarthy, Traffic, Breaking Bad or what? Certainly not El Paso itself. The DEA agents are, of course, white and they have southern or Midwestern accents. It’s a world away from Mexico where all the (violent) action takes place. For Narcos: Mexico, El Paso for the most part is a redneck country town-with its favorite cowboy music playing in the background of Texas Roadhouse-like joints.
Where to begin with what’s wrong with it? Well, since I am writing from El Paso, let’s start there. Neither historically or culturally accurate nor artistically imaginative, it is essentially a sexy product made for the marketplace. It is certainly fun to watch but despite its perhaps lofty intentions, Narcos: Mexico is commercial celluloid pulp, plain and simple.
Narcos: Mexico season three is concerned with the 1990s, especially the rise of Amado Carrillo Fuentes and the Juárez Cartel, disputes between Sinaloans and the Arellano Félix Cartel, and corruption within the PRI government. Commentary- Narcos: Mexico Season 3: A View From El Paso and Ciudad Juárez