About 25 years ago, I had a chance to work for a U.S. company in Mexico.  It was a wonderful experience, and I learned two things:  

1) Mexicans are very nice people, and it takes a while to get used to their 3pm lunches and 10pm evening meals.

2) Mexicans don't believe a word that their government says.     

Mexican cynicism is on a fast track these days regarding El Chapo's escape.  There are more theories than taquerías in Mexico City.   

William Neuman reported in the NY Times that everyone has a theory about El Chapo's dramatic escape:

The official version of the escape is that Mr. Guzmán, who is known as El Chapo, or Shorty, slipped through a hole in the floor of the shower of his cell and then out through a mile-long tunnel secretly dug under the walls of what was supposed to be the country’s most secure prison.    

“The government wants to sell us a tale in which no one knew about the tunnel and he got away,” said Carlos Castaños, an opposition legislator from Sinaloa, Mr. Guzmán’s home state. “It’s like they think that Mexicans are all kindergartners and they’re going to believe anything they tell them.”

The conspiracies go from A to Z.  Just ask your Mexican friend, and he will tell you how El Chapo escaped!

Some say that the tunnel story was a ruse and that El Chapo just walked out.  Others say that the tunnel was used constantly by other cartel members to go out for dancing and dining.  One rumor going around is that El Chapo was never really in the jail in the first place.

Of course, you can't avoid all of the conspiracy theories, especially in Mexico.  Have a glass of wine (maybe tequila) with your Mexican friend, and you will hear more rumors than you can ever imagine.

Regardless of how he did it, the sad truth is that El Chapo did escape.  His amazing escape speaks volumes about corruption in Mexico.  Sadly, our southern neighbor is overwhelmed by the billions of dollars flowing in from the consumption of illegal drugs.  The cartels are loaded with cash and willing to get whatever they want with it.

Last, but not least, El Chapo's escape raises some very legitimate questions about Mexico's viability as a partner in the border crisis.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.