Independent rescuer Jesús Coronado

I met Jesús Coronado the week I arrived in Guanajuato with my Chihuahua, Total Chaos, at the seafood restaurant where he was headwaiter at the time. We connected instantly over our love of dogs and cats. Since then, he’s taught me to make caldo, ride the bus, and care for the plants in my garden—and he’s shown me what it looks like to spend one’s life in service of animals that have nowhere else to go.

For more than two decades, Jesús and his wife, Martha, have opened their home to dogs and cats nobody else wanted. Grandes Amores, as they now call it, started small, with five dogs and four cats. Then the highway bypass went in, and the empty lots below their house became a dumping ground for unwanted animals: dogs left injured in the road, cats abandoned in garbage bags. Jesús couldn’t walk past them.

At its peak, Grandes Amores cared for 42 dogs. Today they host 23 dogs  and seven cats, all seniors.

Jesús and Martha transformed their home and property into an independent rescue operation. Soon they reached full capacity, and still more animals showed up needing shelter and care. Jesús said that one night he and Martha appeared at his mother’s door with the overflow. I knew Jesús was the youngest of eleven siblings, and that he and his mother (now passed) were very close, but this seemed like a lot to ask of her. Jesús shrugged it off. “What could she say? I was her favorite.”

To help cover rescue-related expenses, Jesús has become Guanajuato’s exclusive distributor of Los Dos Carnales tequila. Feeling philanthropic and thirsty? To support what Jesús and Martha are doing, you can drink—or gift—tequila. I keep the blanco on hand, and gift the añejo, or even the extra añejo in the matte black bottle. The proceeds are for the animals. Visit Jesús at Amorcito Corazón Grill & Bar in Zona Sur, where he is headwaiter, or contact Jesús directly on WhatsApp at +52 473 153 0191. He’ll deliver your order free of charge within the city of Guanajuato.

I thanked Jesús for his dedication to animals, and he asked me to extend his own thanks to Amigos de los Animales. He said to me, “Thanks to Amigos de los Animales for the great work they’ve done, for truly paying attention to a great need, for investing so much of their time to carry out their great work. My own efforts aren’t much, but I do them always with heartfelt dedication for those who have no voice.”

Here’s more information about Los Dos Carnales for those interested. It is produced at NOM 1619, where the agave is slowly cooked in traditional ovens without the use of additives. The result is an authentic spicy and sweet flavor of cooked agave, free from chemicals or glycerin. Prices (in Mexican pesos) are as follows:

You can WhatsApp Jesús at +52 473 153 0191 to place your order and receive free delivery within the city of Guanajuato.