Known for always being\u00a0<\/span>on the trail<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of criminals in 1920s Mexico, Quintana chased ingenious thieves, interrogated assassins, and confronted all kinds of fakers.<\/span><\/p>\n\n It was 1921, and the government of \u00c1lvaro Obreg\u00f3n was beginning. Mexico felt that peace\u00a0<\/span>had finally arrived<\/span><\/a>, but criminal life was boiling in the underground of its cities. Between crimes of passion, political assassinations, and elaborate robberies, Sherlock Holmes himself would have felt lost.<\/span><\/p>\n\n But not Valente Quintana.<\/span><\/p>\n\n Born in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, in 1890, Quintana\u00a0<\/span>moved<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to Brownsville, Texas, with his family after finishing elementary school. They crossed the border looking for better economic opportunities. He held various jobs until he was blamed for robbing the cash register at the grocery store where he worked.<\/span><\/p>\n\n The young Quintana solved the crime thanks to his intuition and intelligence and decided to pursue a career in criminal investigation. He studied at the Detectives School of America and, upon graduation, worked for the American Bureau of Investigation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n His skills were such that he was considered for the position of commander. However, upon learning that he had to renounce his Mexican nationality, Quintana decided to return to Mexico in 1917.<\/span><\/p>\n\n Just as he arrived, a wave of automobile thefts took Mexico City by storm. One of those affected\u00a0<\/span>hired<\/span><\/a>\u00a0Quintana to solve the case. The detective resorted to a paint trail on the cars that outlined the direct route to the criminals’ home.<\/span><\/p>\n\n But the case that would make his name was the Laredo train robbery. A gang of criminals had made off with a haul of 100,000 pesos in gold and silver, and the news had crossed the border into the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n\n The criminals killed eight soldiers and two civilians. And solving the case earned Quintana the nickname \u00abThe Mexican Sherlock Holmes.\u00bb<\/span><\/p>\n\n \u00abOut of tenacity, I was able to successfully obtain the posts of assistant, second agent, third agent, group chief, agent commander, and Chief of the Security Commission,\u00bb Quintana said in\u00a0<\/span>an interview<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with \u00abEl Universal Ilustrado\u00bb in April 1925.<\/span><\/p>\n\n Ten years later, Valiente Quintana already had a private law firm that solved all kinds of cases \u2014 from the smallest to the most complicated. His adventures led him to fight duels to save a kidnapped\u00a0<\/span>pulquero<\/span><\/em>\u00a0and even to disguise himself as a lumberjack to uncover a gang of criminals.<\/span><\/p>\n\nValente Quintana and the impossible crimes<\/span><\/h2>\n\n
![\"Valente](\"https:\/\/www.eluniversal.com.mx\/resizer\/FOGcDy7hH76eLzjr88cmQmjO-9o=\/1100x666\/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com\/eluniversal\/FH3VZXLZZJBCPI6TJLC3XKMUXM.jpg\")
A crime wave puts the young detective’s talents to the test<\/span><\/h2>\n\n