TWO INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN LATIN AMERICA: PABLO ESCOBAR AND

EDSON ARANTES DO NASCIMENTO

These two people, Pablo Escobar and Edson Arantes Do Nascimento otherwise known as
Pele, were both influential to their own respective fields. Escobar on the world of drugs and money
and Pele on the world of football. Pablo Escobar became known as a Colombian Drug lord and
controlled an estimated 80% of cocaine that was smuggled to the United States. Pele on the other
hand started playing football at a young age and was able to win national championships. He is
also regarded by many writers, players and fans as the greatest football player of all time.

EDSON ARANTES DO NASCIMENTO (PELE)

Football in Latin America introduced by the Europeans in the 19th century. It was first
introduced by the British in Buenos Aires in Argentina during the late 19th century. It spread in
other countries in Latin America and became a famous sport for the masses. One of the pioneering
football players is Edson Arantes Do Nascimento or Pele who became famous in football in the
History of Football in Latin American history. Despite poverty his family experience, Pele became
more determined for a famous soccer player someday. He won three soccer competitions against
European players in FIFA World Cup on 1956, 1958 and 1962. Even Pele retired from his career
as a football player, Pele continues to promote football in other continents like in North America
and Latin America.

Football entered first in Buenos Aires Argentina by the British sailors during the 2nd half
of the 19th century. The British immigrants formed a first Football club in Argentina in 1867 which
is known as the Buenos Aires Football club. The first football league championship in Argentina
started in 1893. Football also was introduced in Sau Paulo Brazil by a British named Charles Miller
in 1894. This sport became more popular in other countries in South America. British Engineers
and laborers started to play soccer in Columbia in 1903 and formed the Barranquilla FBC in this
country in 1909. British railway workers started to play football in Uruguay since 1891. On 1889
groups of British sailors in Chile formed the country’s first football club called the Valparaiso
Football club. William Paats, A Dutchman started to introduced Football at Paraguay on 1902.
Football became a sport of the local masses in South America played at an early age even it is an
influence from the Europeans. Football became popular in South America in the 1930s. Colored
people in South America popularized football since 1923 when they are stared to be accepted in
the various football club in Rio de Janeiro and Vasco de Gama in Brazil. In 1916 South America
is the first one to hold a regular continental championship, the Copa America. On 1960, South
American club championship (Libertadores cup) was formed and started to compete with the
European football clubs during football league championships all over the world.1 Football also
spread in Central America. Football in Mexico was introduced by Jesuits and Marist Priests who
were Europeans on 1897 after forming a school for football British miners in Mexico started to
introduce this sport in the country on 1900. British players dominate three football clubs in Mexico
namely Orzaba, Pacuca and Reformation alethic club during its 1st championship on 1902. Mexico
for the first time engaged in an international athletic competition in Amsterdam on 1928. On 1930,
Mexico started to compete in the 1st World Cup held in Uruguay but lost to France with a score
of 4-1 in the 1st game. In 1970 and 1986, Mexico hosted the World Cup both times and quarter
finals.2 Edson Arantes Do Nascimento or Pele was Born on October 23, 1940 at Tres Coracoes,
Brazil to Joan Ramos and Dona Celeste from a poor family. He was named after Thomas Edison.3
His father Joao Ramos is also a soccer player. In spite of the poverty they experience in Sau Pa,
The Young Pele became a matured player at Bauru Athletic Club juniors club with the guidance
from Coach Waldemar de Brito and his father. Coach de Brito recommended Pele for a tryout with
Santos FC. The Management of Santos FC approved Pele for a tryout in 1956 at the age of 15.4 At
the age of 16, Pele representing Brazil won the 1958 FIFA World Cup against Sweden which was
held in the same place. Brazilian President Janio Quadros awarded Pele as a National Treasure
after winning the 1958 FIFA world cup against Sweden with the score of 5-2. Pele was injured
during the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile against England. Despite his injuries, Brazil won again
in this World Cup against Czechoslovakia with a score of 3-1. He also won the 1970 FIFA World
Cup in Mexico against Italy with a score of 4-1. Pele retired from his soccer career in 1974. He
enjoyed his retirement until 1975 when Pele has accepted the three years contract with the New
York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League in promoting soccer in the United States until
1977. He was awarded as the Athlete of the Century by the French magazine L Equipe (1980) and

1
Rollin, Jack, Giulianotti et al Football: Encycolpedia Britannica https://www.britannica.com/sports/football-
soccer#ref242671 (Date Acessed:5/6/19)
2
PARRISH, Rogue. Facts About Soccer in Mexico: Live Strong.com https://www.livestrong.com/article/446591-
facts-about-soccer-in-mexico/(Date Acessed:5/6/19)
3
Pele: Biography.Com https://www.biography.com/athlete/pele (Date Acessed:5/6/19)
4
Pelé: Foot Ball History.org https://www.footballhistory.org/player/pele.html (Date Acessed:5/6/19)
International Olympics committee (1999). Pele was received an International Peace Awards by the
UNICEF for his contribution to sports.

Pele has promoted soccer in Latin America even this sport was from the Europeans.
Because of Pele, Latin America became famous on football, especially for its colored inhabitants.
Football became known in Latin America. Pele’s achievement in football shows how Colored
people in Latin America became more competitive in football than European players

PABLO ESCOBAR

FORMATION OF DRUG CARTELS AND SYNDICATES IN LATIN AMERICA

When the National Front era was nearing its end in Colombia, a new problem started to
rise among the area, Narcotics. The country’s role as a supplier in the international drug market
developed rapidly after the major prohibition efforts made by the officials in Mexico in 1975.
Colombia then started to provide much as seven-tenths of the marijuana being imported to the
United States. Using the money made from marijuana, drug leaders especially in Medellin then
transferred to cocaine trafficking. Shipments grew from individuals carrying small amounts to
large quantities through boats and low-flying airplanes. There were two major Mafia-like
organizations known as Drug Cartels. The first one was led by Pablo Escobar in Medellin and
the other one in Cali.5

PABLO ESCOBAR (DRUG-LORD)

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was born on December 1, 1949 in Rionegro, Colombia and
died on December 2, 1993 in Medellin. He was known to be a Colombian Criminal who became
head of the Medellin cartel, he was also known as the world’s most powerful drug trafficker in
the 1980s and early 90s.

Years after his birth, his family moved to Envigado, Colombia which was part of
Medellin. In his teenage years, he started to commit crimes. He started to smuggle stereo
equipment and stealing tombstones so that he can resell it. By the 1960s, he became a small-time
marijuana dealer and a gunman in the drug-trafficking business. His first big money came not

5
Parsons, James J., and Robert Louis Gilmore. 2019. “Colombia.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia
Britannica, inc. March 19, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/place/Colombia/The-growth-of-drug-trafficking-and
guerrilla-warfare.
from drugs, but from kidnapping a wealthy businessman. He earned $100,000 ransom money
and with this money he had, he then diverted into more lucrative work in the drug-trafficking
world of the early 1970s. In the early 1970s, Colombia became a prime smuggling ground for
marijuana. When cocaine started to be popular, Colombia’s geographical location proved to be
its biggest asset. The cocaine industry grew in the country since Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia were
its proximities and it was a major producer of cocaine. Pablo Escobar became involved in drug
smuggling. In the mid-1970s, he helped his partners find the Medellin cartel. Along with the
Ochoa brothers: Juan David, Jorge Luis and Fabio. Escobar became the leader of this
organization. In 1975, the murder of Fabio Restrepo was one of the reasons on how Escobar
moved quickly to grab control of the cocaine trade. People believe that Restrepo’s murder was
the order of Escobar. Since after Restrepo’s murder, Escobar then seized power and expanded
Restrepo’s operation. In the mid-1980s, they dominated the cocaine trade with Escobar having
incredible power and wealth. His net-worth reached up to $30 billion and was named as one of
the ten richest people on Earth by Forbes. He was even able to purchase a Learjet for the sole
purpose of transporting his money. At that time, 80% of the cocaine smuggled into the United
States was controlled by Escobar and not less that 15 ton a day was smuggled in the United
States. The cartel had a net-worth of $420 million a week. With this kind of income, Escobar had
a lavish lifestyle that included a 7,000-acre (2,800 hectare) estate in Colombia. He even had
giraffes, hippopotamuses, and camels, and many more animals. Despite his drug-trafficking
business, he was able to fund various projects to aid the poor, where he gained comparisons to
Robin Hood. This helped Escobar gain an alternate seat in the country’s congress in 1982. His
political leanings were to left-leanings, however, he also expressed admiration for British Prime
Minister Margaret Thatcher. He handled problems with “plata o plomo” which means silver or
lead (bribes or bullets). Being a well-known figure in drug trafficking, he used these methods so
that he could not be caught or convicted. Many politicians and journalists were assassinated at
his orders or threatened so that they will remain silent. He reportedly killed almost 4,000 people
including police officers and government officials. They were even blamed for a bomb
denotation on a plane in 1989 in which an alleged informant was riding the plane. The bomb
denotation killed almost 100 people.6 The threats of expulsion to the United States – which was

6
Tikkanen, Amy. 2019. “Pablo Escobar.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. January
1, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pablo-Escobar.
the destination of most of the cartel’s drugs, regarded Escobar as a top target in its war on drugs
– drew even bigger retaliations from Escobar, who said that he would rather be killed in
Colombia that in a jail cell in the United States.7

Even though that bloodshed was growing, a massive manhunt was made to find Escobar,
while the government also began negotiations for his surrender. In 1991, the same day which the
Colombian Congress voted to forbid extradition in the country’s new constitution, Escobar
surrendered and was jailed. However, due to his power, he was arrested on his own terms and the
prison was built by himself. It also had little effect on his criminal activities and his lifestyle.
This prison was later known as the La Catedral. It included a nightclub, sauna, waterfall and a
soccer field. It also has telephones, computers, and fax machines.8

PERSONAL LIFE

Pablo Escobar married Maria Victoriano Henao when she was 15. He was 26. She claims that
Pablo Escobar was a good husband and father to their family. Pablo works with Her brother, and
they met when she was 13 years old. Escobar showered her with gifts. Maria’s family was well
aware of his life as a criminal. At 16 years old, she gave birth to their first child, Juan Pablo
Escobar, without support from her family. Their daughter Manuela was born 7 years later. They
had 2 children.9
Virginia Vallejo published a book about his relationship with Pablo, with the title “Amando a
Pablo, Odiando a Escobar”. It means “Loving Pablo, Hating Escobar”. It is a memoir made by
Virginia Vallejo, a Colombian author and journalist. It was originally written in Spanish, and is an
autobiography of Pablo Escobar. The book describes the five years long relationship of the author
with Pablo Escobar (82-87) and instantly became #1 bestseller in Latin America and Hispanic
USA. It was Published in 2007 and inspired to movie in 2017.10
Griselda Blanco was known as the Cocaine Godmother and the Queen of Narco-Trafficing, also
from the Medellin Cartel. She had a clandestine, but passionate, relationship with Escobar. In her

7
Colombiareports. 2018. “Pablo Escobar.” Colombia Reports Profiles. October 29, 2018.
https://profiles.colombiareports.com/pablo-escobar/. “Pablo Escobar.” 2019. Biography.com. A&E Networks
Television. February 7, 2019. https://www.biography.com/people/pablo-escobar-9542497.
8
Tikkanen, Amy. n.d. “Pablo Escobar: 8 Interesting Facts About the King of Cocaine.” Encyclopædia
Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. Accessed March 23, 2019. https://www.britannica.com/list/pablo-escobar-
8-interesting-facts-about-the-king-of-cocaine.
9
Pablo Escobar Gaviria – English Biography – Articles and Notes.
https://web.archive.org/web/20061108191638/http://www.colombialink.com/01_INDEX/index_personajes/narcotrafico/escobar_gaviria_pablo_i
ng.html
10
Vallejo, Virginia. Amando a Pablo, odiando a Escobar. Canongate: UK, 2007.
private diary, she addressed him as “Coque de Mi Rey” and “Polla Blanca”, which mean “my coke
king” and “white dick”.11
Escobar owned multiple mansions, among which was the Hacienda Napoles in Colombia. It is the
luxurious estate built and owned by Pablo in Antioquia, Colombia. It covers 200 square kms of
land. It contained a Spanish colonial house, a sculpture park, and its own zoo. The zoo had different
animals such as antelope, elephants, giraffes, hippopotamuses, ostriches, ponies, etc. the property
is home to a collection of old and luxury cars, a private airport, a bullring, and a kart racing track.
After he was killed, the government owned the house, and donate the animals to may different
zoos. There were dinosaur statues built with actual bones, and artificial statues such as mammoths.
There were also military vehicles on display. Escobar’s Hippopotamuses have escaped and are
now feral, living in four lakes and spreading into rivers. There were clash between hippos and
fishermen. From the original 4, there were at least 30 wild hippos in 2011. The Escobar Museum
was built here, and the ticket for the entire park costs around 42,000 colombian pesos, or $15.12
The Miami Beach in Florida was a 30,000 sq foot waterfront house and is for sale at $15.9 million.
This property was seized in the 1980’s. the pink mansion, 6500 sq foot, was demolished. Escobr
hid contrabands here and there were two safes and a bag of cocain were found in this house. His
Secret Island Mansion on Isla Grande was his secret party home. There is a giant complex featuring
a mansion, waterfront apartments, pools, a helicopter landing pad. There are 300 rooms for guests
and party goers. It is now in ruins.13
In 1982 parliament election, escobar was elected as an alternate member of the chamber of
representatives in Colombia as part of the liberal alternative movement. Through this, he was
responsible for the construction of houses and football fields in western Colombia, which gained
him popularity among the locals of the towns he frequented. His primary actions were the
construction of houses and football fields in western Colombia.14
In December 2, 1993, Escobar died in a shootout with the Search Bloc, a unit of the police specially
formed to hunt him and other drug cartel bosses down. He was shot on the leg, torso, and through
the ear. It is now debated whether he was killed during a gunfight, or if he was held captive and
executed with a clean shot in the head. Some people speculate that before he was captured, he

11
Rockefeller, J.D. Cocaine King Pablo Escobar: Crimes and Drug Dealings. CreateSpace Independent
Publishing Platform: Chicago, 2016.
12
Macias, Amanda. 10 facts reveal the absurdity of Pablo Escobar’s wealth.
https:www.businessinsider.com/10-facts-that-prove-the-absurdity-of-pablo-escobars-wealth-2015-9
13
Rockefeller, J.D. Cocaine King Pablo Escobar: Crimes and Drug Dealings. CreateSpace Independent
Publishing Platform: Chicago, 2016.
14
Pablo Emilio Escobar 1949 – 1993 9 Billion USD – The Business of Crime – 5 Success Stories.
https://web.archive.org./web/20010714123931/http://businessnews.za.msn.com/gallery.aspx?cp-
documentid+155873587&page=1
committed suicide to prevent imprisonment. He accomplished to be loved by the public due to his
Robin Hood Image, and over 25,000 people attended his funeral.15

15
Sentinel, Orlando. Colombian Druglord Trying to Turn Wealth Into Respect.
https:www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1991-03-10-9102080293-story.html
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Colombiareports. 2018. “Pablo Escobar.” Colombia Reports Profiles. October 29, 2018.
https://profiles.colombiareports.com/pablo-escobar/. “Pablo Escobar.” 2019.
Biography.com. A&E Networks Television. February 7, 2019.
https://www.biography.com/people/pablo-escobar-9542497.
Macias, Amanda. 10 facts reveal the absurdity of Pablo Escobar’s wealth.
https:www.businessinsider.com/10-facts-that-prove-the-absurdity-of-pablo-escobars
wealth-2015-9
Pablo Emilio Escobar 1949 – 1993 9 Billion USD – The Business of Crime – 5 Success Stories.
https://web.archive.org./web/20010714123931/http://businessnews.za.msn.com/gallery.a
px?cp-documentid+155873587&page=1
Pablo Escobar Gaviria – English Biography – Articles and Notes.
https://web.archive.org/web/20061108191638/http://www.colombialink.com/01_INDEX
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Parsons, James J., and Robert Louis Gilmore. 2019. “Colombia.” Encyclopædia Britannica.
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. March 19, 2019.
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