The sun rose brightly over La Palma Sola, Mazatlán, on May 12, 1902, when Alfonso Tirado Osuna came into the world, whom everyone would affectionately call “Poncho.” From childhood, he grew up surrounded by the sweet aromas of cooked agave in the family vinata, a business that was much more than work: it was the economic and social heart of the community..
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His father, Don Carlos R. Tirado, taught him that leading a company also meant protecting those who worked in it. His mother, Doña Rutilia Osuna, reinforced this teaching with tenderness, discipline, and the conviction that respect was the basis of all coexistence.
Poncho was a curious child, always asking how the vinata machines worked.
How mezcal was transported on mules to the port, and how families depended on this trade. His restless mind sought to understand every detail.
One of his first family anecdotes is told with a smile: once, at barely ten years old, he helped distribute bottles of mezcal to some merchants. Upon receiving some coins of gratitude, Poncho refused to keep them.
“They are yours, you worked more than I did,” the child told the worker who accompanied him.
That simple gesture marked the seed of what would be his character: generous, fair, and conscious of others, values that would accompany him throughout his life.
After completing his secondary education in Mazatlán, Poncho bid farewell to the sea and his land for a while. Education was a priority for him, and he knew that knowledge was the key to a better future.
He traveled to Guadalajara to study as a commercial accountant.
There, far from the warmth of his home, he learned the discipline of numbers and the importance of organization in business, skills that would be fundamental in his life.
Later, he crossed the border and arrived in Oakland, California, where he trained as a civil engineer at Saint Mary’s College.
His thirst for knowledge led him to explore new academic frontiers.
In California, he discovered a different world: modern cities, fast railways, and expanding industries. It was a spectacle of progress and technology that amazed him and inspired him to dream big.
But amidst that development, he also saw the inequality and harshness of working-class life. That experience reinforced his conviction that progress must have a human face, that it could not leave anyone behind.
In the letters he sent to his family from Oakland, it was said that he always repeated the same phrase: “Everything I learn here will be for Mazatlán, for Sinaloa.” His heart was always in his homeland.
Upon returning to his homeland, Poncho did not dedicate himself to leisure or luxury.
He enthusiastically took on the responsibility of continuing and expanding the family businesses, putting everything he had learned into practice.
In addition to the vinata, he took the reins of the El Guayabo sugar mill, a project that provided employment to dozens of farming and day-laborer families. His business vision always sought the well-being of the community.
It is said that every morning, before starting administration, he would walk among the workers, asking about their families.
It was his way of connecting, understanding their needs, and showing them his support.
An anecdote repeated among old inhabitants of Mazatlán tells how, upon learning that a worker could not send his son to school due to lack of shoes.
Poncho ordered a new pair to be bought for him, reminding him that “a child without study is a lost future.”
When he decided to run for municipal president of Mazatlán, people supported him with enthusiasm. His reputation as an honest and hardworking man preceded him, and the community trusted him.
In 1933, he took office, and with it, he showed that governing could be done with values and principles. From the first day, he announced that he would not accept a salary: “Public service is not about getting rich, but about serving,” he told the council.
A famous episode occurred when Plutarco Elías Calles visited the port.
A banquet paid for with public money was expected at the Hotel Belmar, but Poncho prohibited it: “The people’s money is for the people, not for entertaining politicians.”
During his government, he promoted educational scholarships, medical support for the needy, and infrastructure projects. He walked without escorts, greeted merchants in the Pino Suárez market.
Chatted with fishermen on North Beach, and listened to farmers coming down from the mountains.
Although his life was short, his legacy is profound. Poncho Tirado showed that one can be an entrepreneur without losing humanity, a politician without succumbing to corruption, a leader without distancing oneself from the people. His story inspires young and old to believe that a different kind of leadership is possible, one based on service and not on power.
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