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| “ | La familia es todo (Family is all). | „ |
| ~ The Salamanca motto. |
| “ | Hector: The boss... can SUCK ME! Bolsa: I'd watch what I say if I were you. Hector: Who you think you are?! You should be kissing my ASS right now! Me and my family, we built this whole business! Bolsa: We all did together. Hector: No, no! Salamanca did! Salamanca MONEY! Salamanca BLOOD! Bolsa: You have to calm down. Hector: That hacienda, I PAID FOR IT! And you treat us like DOGS! Bolsa: Hector, this isn't personal! Hector: IT IS! IT IS PERSONAL-! |
„ |
| ~ Hector to Juan Bolsa, his last spoken words before his crippling stroke. |
The Salamanca Family are the secondary antagonists of the TV series Breaking Bad and its prequel/sequel Better Call Saul.
They are a ruthless crime family who are taught that "Family is all," and they should do anything to avenge or defend their family. Despite this, several members of the Salamancas do not seem to be aware of the the meaningfulness of other families, as demonstrated when Tuco seemed to be casual about telling Walter White that he can just get a new family when they leave New Mexico. They also claim to believe in "blood for blood", although Gus Fring rebukes this claim and claims that they only kill for money.
The family's earliest recorded history dates back to the time when Gus's rival and Abuelita Salamanca's son, Hector Salamanca, rose to prominence as a respected and feared member of The Cartel. Lalo Salamanca, Hector's nephew, joined his uncle as a high-ranking Cartel Capo. Tuco would become the cartel's lead distributor in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Marco, and Leonel, two more of Hector's nephews, joined the Cartel as hitmen and enforcers. Joaquin, the grandson of Hector, would also work for the Cartel as one of Don Eladio Vuente's bodyguards and enforcers.
History[]
Hector Salamanca, together with his superiors Juan Bolsa and their leader Eladio Vuente alongside other high-ranking members of the Cartel, marked the beginning of the Salamanca family's early history. The Salamanca family, according to Hector, "built this whole business" with their money and blood. Hector eventually spent 17 years in San Quentin jail without ever disclosing anything to the authorities.
Soon enough Hector began preparing his family to join the cartel by teaching them lessons. At one point Hector cared after his nephew Tuco as if he were his own son in the hopes that one day he would succeed him when he was no longer able to. When Marco and Leonal were children, Hector tried to drown Marco before Leonel hit his uncle firmly enough to get him to stop - simply just to teach a brutal lesson that "Family is All."
Years later, Tuco would go on to play a significant role in the operations of the cartels north of the border - with Leonel and Marco rising to prominence as notorious enforcers and hitmen. Hector suffered a stroke in 2004, and Lalo Salamanca assumed control of the family's drug business. All of the Salamanca family members connected to the cartel perished between 2004 and 2009: Lalo who was killed in a shootout with Gus Fring in 2004, Gonzo who led to death after getting his arm crushed under a stack of cars in 2008, Tuco in a shootout with Hank Schrader in 2008, Marco after being shot by Hank, Leonel after being poisoned by Mike Ehrmantraut in 2009, Joaquin in a shootout with Jesse Pinkman in 2009, and Hector by blowing himself up in a meeting with Gus to kill him in 2009.
In Hector's final moments, Gus mocks him about how everyone in the Salamanca family except Hector is dead, possibly meaning that Abuelita passed away after her appearance in Better Call Saul due to her old age. However, the fates of Joaquin's father, and Tuco's sister is unknown.
Members[]
Hector Salamanca[]
Hector Salamanca, also known as Don Hector, was an associate of cartel leader Don Eladio Vuente and the senior don of the Salamanca drug gang. He was Abuelita's son, the uncle of the Salamanca twins Marco and Leonel, Tuco, and Lalo, and the grandpa of Joaquin Salamanca. Hector lived by the concept that family is everything while raising Tuco as his own kid and teaching his other nephews the same. He was the second member of the Salamanca family to oversee their drug business after his nephew Tuco, and he was followed in office by his nephew Lalo. Hector was harsh yet fiercely devoted to his family and the cartel. Hectors longtime rivalry with Gustavo Fring began in 1989 when Hector was involved with his partner Max Arciniega's death. in 2004 Hector suffered a stroke which left him paralyzed. Hector eventually died in 2009 by activating a bomb attached to his wheelchair which caused both his and Gustavo's death.
Lalo Salamanca[]
Eduardo "Lalo" Salamanca, also known as Don Eduardo, was a powerful and prominent Cartel member as well as a significant distributor. He was Hector Salamanca's nephew and Abuelita's grandchild. Tuco, Marco, Leonel, and Joaquin were four of Lalo's other criminally inclined cousins. He succeeded his uncle Hector and cousin Tuco as the third member of the Salamanca family to oversee their drug business. Lalo was upbeat and charming, yet he could become ruthless when the occasion demanded it. Lalo died in 2004 in a gunfight with Gus Fring and would be buried next to Howard Hamlin in what would later be the meth lab in which Walter White, Gale Boetticher, and Jesse Pinkman would later cook for Gus.
Tuco Salamanca[]
A drug lord and Cartel distributor, Tuco Salamanca was Hector Salamanca's nephew and Abuelita's grandchild. Lalo, Marco, Leonel, and Joaquin were four of Tuco's other criminally inclined cousins. Tuco also has a sister who is married to his brother-in-law Gonzo. He was the first member of the Salamanca family to oversee their drug business; his uncle Hector and cousin Lalo took over after him. Tuco was well-known for having a schizophrenic mentality, being unpredictable, and being prone to violent outbursts that were frequently fueled by his drug usage. In 2008 Tuco would start buying meth from a dealer named Heisenberg. During one of their meetings Tuco would have a violent outburst in which he would mistakenly assume that one of his men, No-Doze was calling him stupid and beat him to death, This would lead into a path of events which ended with Tuco dying in a gunfight with Hank Schrader.
Marco and Leonel Salamanca[]
Marco and Leonel Salamanca, also known as The Cousins, were twin brothers who served as Eladio Vuente's drug cartel's lethal enforcers and frequent hitmen. The two were Hector Salamanca's nephews and Abuelita's grandsons. Tuco, Lalo, and Joaquin were three further relatives of Marco and Leonel who were involved in criminal activity. The Cousins had a terrifying presence because of their stern, mechanical physicality and almost entirely nonverbal conversation, and they slaughtered without remorse or feeling. In 2008 they would attempt to kill Hank Schrader for killing Tuco Salamanca however Hank would kill Marco in a gunfight and severely injure Leonel. Leonel would die in the hospital after being poisoned by Mike Ehrmantraut.
Joaquin Salamanca[]
One of Don Eladio's bodyguards and a Cartel enforcer, Joaquin Salamanca was a relative of Tuco, Lalo, Marco, and Leonel as well as the great-grandson of Abuelita and the grandson of Hector Salamanca. He appeared the least out of all of the Salamancas, appearing in only one episode. He was shot and killed by Jesse Pinkman in 2009.
Abuelita Salamanca[]
Hector Salamanca's mother, Abuelita (Spanish for "grandma"), is also the grandmother of Tuco, Lalo, Marco, and Leonel as well as the great-grandmother of Joaquin Salamanca. She is the only Salamanca family member whose fate is currently unknown and who is not associated with the Cartel. She is most likely dead by the end of Breaking Bad as Gus states that all of the Salamancas are dead.
Gonzo[]
"Gonzo" Gonzalez is a Cartel lieutenant. He is a member of the Salamanca family as Tuco Salamanca's brother-in-law, being married to his sister, and is one of his most trusted lieutenants, alongside No-Doze and Nacho Varga. He assisted tuco when he kidnapped Jimmy McGill and the two con artists in 2003, and he witnessed Tuco beat No-Doze to death in 2008 and was later killed after getting his arm rushed under a stack of cars where he tried to hide No-Doze's body.
Tuco Salamanca's Sister[]
This Unseen Woman is the sister of Tuco Salamanca, the Wife of Gonzo, the niece of Hector Salamanca, the cousin of Lalo, and Marco and Leonel, the granddaughter of Abuelita, and the First cousin once-removed of Joaquin Salamanca.
Victims[]
- Max Arciniega (Killed by Hector Salamanca on Don Eladio's orders)
- Unnamed Hotel Proprietor (Burned alive by Hector and Lalo Salamanca)
- Unnamed Good Samaritan (Killed by Hector Salamanca)
- Dog Paulson (Shot in the face by Tuco Salamanca)
- Ximenez Lecerda (Killed by The Cousins on Hector Salamanca's orders)
- 21+ members of the Espinosa Gang (Most killed by The Cousins, one shot by Nacho Varga)
- Fred Whalen (Killed by Lalo Salamanca)
- Gus' Hitmen (Killed by Lalo Salamanca)
- Sylvia (Stabbed to death by Lalo Salamanca)
- Mateo (Killed and then burned by Lalo Salamanca)
- Two human traffickers (Shot to death by Lalo Salamanca)
- Howard Hamlin (Shot in the head by Lalo Salamanca)
- Four of Gus's henchmen (Shot to death by Lalo Salamanca)
- No-Doze (Beaten to death by Tuco Salamanca)
- Tortuga (Decapitated by The Cousins on Juan Bolsa's orders)
- Unnamed DEA agent (Blown up by a bomb set by the Cartel)
- Nine Mexican stowaways (Shot at close proximity by the Cousins)
- Unnamed coyote driver (Shot in the back while fleeing from the Cousins)
- Mrs. Peyketewa (Killed by the Cousins)
- Bobby Kee (Stricken in the back with an axe by Marco Salamanca)
- Olive Oil (Killed by the Cousins)
- Unnamed man (Shot to death by Marco Salamanca)
- Tyrus Kitt (Blown up by Hector)
- Gus Fring (Blown up by Hector)
Trivia[]
- The only Salamanca family members who have ever been referred to as Dons are Hector and Lalo, suggesting that they are the leaders of their family. They are the only Salamanca relatives to have killed a main character.
