Saagar Kote
Netflix’s crime drama series ‘The Dead Girls’ or ‘Las Muertas’ chronicles the journeys of Serafina and Arcángela, the Baladro sisters, who run a brothel empire in Mexico that challenges traditional power structures. The series looks at their journey intricately through a non-linear narration that highlights the most important moments of their lives, ranging from their attempts to establish political influence and control the lives of sex workers. Mexico Lindo and Casino del Danzón are important brothels that play a major role in the lives of the main characters. Throughout the narrative, the sphere of influence of the siblings runs through their brothels. Not only are these establishments significant factors in the plot, but they also add to the visual authenticity of the narrative. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Mexico Lindo and Casino del Danzón are Loosely Inspired by Real Brothels
The two brothels are part of a group of such establishments used by the sisters to establish their influence in Mexican society. Despite being fictional creations originating in the minds of the writers, Mexico Lindo and Casino del Danzón are partly based on real-life brothels run by the González Valenzuela sisters, whose lives the show is based on. When Casino del Danzón is inaugurated, it becomes an instant hit, with many influential local figures like politicians and cops attending it. In comparison, Mexico Lindo becomes a kind of safe haven for the Baladro sisters to discreetly run their business when Casino del Danzón is closed due to morality-related laws.
In reality, the González Valenzuela sisters had their establishments in Mexico that were called “Guadalajara de Noche” and “Barca de Oro,” where young girls were forced to engage in sexual activity. Despite the names of the brothels in the show and the ones in real life being different, they exist within the world of 1950s and 1960s Mexico, and depict the cultural fervor and the nature of crime of the time. It is also interesting to note that there is a certain poetic element in the names of the fictional and real brothels. While “Mexico Lindo” means “beautiful Mexico,” “Guadalajara de Noche” translates to “Guadalajara at Night,” and “Barca de Oro” roughly translates to “Golden Boat.” The show’s utilization of poetic names for the fictional establishments hints at the fact that it wanted to reflect the flavor of the real brothels.
The Brothels Became Means of Survival for the González Valenzuela sisters
A 2020 report from El Norte indicates that the story of the González Valenzuela sisters had its origins in the municipality of El Salto, Jalisco. The first sibling to enter the brothel business was Delfina, who set up a bar in El Salto with makeshift spaces made of fabric and mats for clients to have sex with the girls. After her business closed, Delfina temporarily moved to San Juan de los Lagos, where she rented a bar with several rooms, taking advantage of the town’s fair. This came to be known as “Guadalajara de Noche,” which is an important place in the lives of the sisters.
At another point in time, one of the other siblings, María de Jesús, eliminated some of the competition and moved her business to a better location, and called it “Barca de Oro.” The show has similar sequences where the Baladro sisters try their best to survive in the aftermath of one of their businesses being closed down. The Mexico Lindo becomes a survival tool after the closure of the Casino del Danzón, which partly reflects the tale of the real brothels. The narrative manages to depict the spirit of the real establishments without explicitly or even indirectly mentioning their names in the story of Serafina and Arcángela Baladro.
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