Maria Gertrudis Barchelo: the life story of the Mexican gambling queen

[ArvindDass]

The history of poker goes back over 500 years. Many believe that this is a purely male game. However, this fact can be disputed. To do this, you need to travel to Mexico in the 19th century, where Maria Gertrudis Barchelo, the queen of poker and excitement, was born and spent her whole life. Her fate was not easy, full of pain, loss and disappointment. However, it was the craving for cards that helped her overcome all the difficulties along the way.

Childhood and youth

The early biography of Maria Gertrudis is scarce - scientists have not found enough information about her family and childhood. It is only known that the future legend of the gambling world was born in 1800 in the city of Sonora, which is located in Mexico. The girl's parents were wealthy citizens. They gave their daughter a decent upbringing and provided primary education.

In 1821, after Mexico gained independence, Maria and her family moved to New Mexico. What happened next - history is silent. However, circumstances developed in such a tragic way that the girl sold herself to a brothel in Albuquerque. It was there that she met with gambling entertainment - priestesses of love in their free time loved to play cards. Gertrudis quickly mastered the necessary skills and often defeated her rivals

In the brothel, Maria stood out from the others. And the point here was not only in her aristocratic manners. Natural charm made her irresistible in the eyes of men. It helped her in the future.

Fateful meeting

The black stripe changed to white when Maria met Manuel Cisneros. A wealthy businessman lost his wife and, in order to brighten up loneliness, began to visit a brothel. A young and pretty girl attracted the attention of a man.

Soon feelings arose in Manuel's heart. And so strong that he bought Mary out of a brothel and settled at home. Neighbors whispered and spread evil rumors, accused the girl of witchcraft. However, the lovers did not care at all. Soon Manuel and Maria announced that they were expecting their first child. They immediately began organizing the wedding. So that none of the ill-wishers could spoil such an important and significant day, the celebration was held in a cozy village. People did not stop discussing Mary, which undoubtedly depressed her. A caring husband offered to move to Santa Fe. There they first had a beautiful daughter, and then a son. Life seems to be getting better...

Strike of fate

Maria was happy - a wonderful husband, two children, a beautiful house ... However, she could not get rid of the thought that she would have to pay for all these benefits. And her intuition did not disappoint.

Things in Manuel's business began to go from bad to worse. To get out of the financial crisis, he decided to take a debt from bandits. But the man failed to return the funds on time, and it was he who was killed.

The death of her husband was a great test for Mary. She was left alone with two children. There was no money - the bandits took all the property to cover the debt. The woman remained to live in a shelter for the poor. But she decided not to give up and fight for a brighter future.

Gambling house instead of a brothel

A woman could not afford to return to a brothel after several years of decent living. Then she remembered that she had a talent for cards . She took the last money and went to a gambling establishment. On the same evening, she managed to receive a large cash prize.

Maria really had talent. She managed to earn enough money in a short period of time to move into decent housing, and then hire a nanny for the children. There were rumors about the success of the woman in the city. In the wake of her popularity, one of the gambling houses offered Mary to become a croupier. And she agreed.

Black veil:

Since the death of her husband, Maria Gertrudis Barchelo has been in mourning. She wore black dresses, and the veil became an invariable element of her image. This gave the woman mystery and charm. Visitors to the gambling house even called her the nickname Black Veil. Everyone was eager to play at Mary's table. Some even tried to beat her at Monte , which, of course, failed.

Soon, Maria became fabulously wealthy. She bought a big house where she settled with her children. And later she opened her own gambling establishment, which was called Sala. It soon became the most popular in Santa Fe.

Edited June 3, 2022 by ArvindDass