In the late 1970s, Mexico surprised the world by setting up an outpost in the West for big-time narcotics. Out of the blue, sleepy Mexico challenged Asia’s  famous Golden Triangle for a slice of the world’s heroin market. Mexico was suddenly making tons of the drug and selling it to the U.S. And a very distinct brand too. Mexico’s heroin wasn’t the usual bland sugar white. It was brown.

If you wonder how Mexico got into heroin, and who taught Mexican farmers how to grow opium, read this article. If nothing else, it will prove to you that history matters. And if you tell history right, it is never dull.