Jenkins’s Earthly Afterlife

Jenkins lived on in both a Black Legend, whereby leftists memorialized him as a grasping gringo, and a White Legend, whereby his Mary Street Jenkins Foundation perpetuated his repute as a philanthropist. Ironically, Espinosa Yglesias steered the foundation askew, focusing on private education rather than public and on projects outside Puebla, as he fought the rise of the left at universities and sought protection for his bank. Having lost Bancomer after all amid the nationalizations of 1982, he pursued philanthropy full-time. Espinosa’s story reflects his mentor’s. Both excelled at making money with the complicity of politicians; both pursued business to the detriment of their families. The Jenkins legends continue today, and in Puebla one’s view of Jenkins is a litmus test of one’s ideology: left or right. But the gringophobia of which he was a major tool has waned, as increasing contact between Mexicans and Americans has eroded old fears and suspicions.