Dreamland: Part 1: The Man and the Nayarit Summary & Analysis

In the early 1990s, the Man is incarcerated at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center. He gets to know the prison’s small Mexican population and, being bilingual, becomes a spokesperson for them, working to improve their living conditions in the prison. Through his involvement with the Mexican community, he grows acquainted with a man from Nayarit. Shortly after arriving in the U.S., the Nayarit travelled to the San Fernando Valley where a cousin was selling heroin. The black tar heroin they sold was made from opium poppies that grew in Xalisco’s mountains. He tells the Man that his family’s business had since expanded to Honolulu, Phoenix, and Portland since he’s been in prison.

The Nayarit cuts a deal with the Man: since the Man is bilingual (and the Nayarit and his family are not), he would be a valuable asset to their business. In turn, the business could transform the Man from an addict into a rich, successful businessman. In 1993, the Man is released on parole. A few months later, the Nayarit visits the Man and tells him about the Xalisco Boys’ system of phone operators, pagers, and salaried delivery drivers. The Man, a lifelong addict, has never heard of salaried drug work and he sees “the ingenuity in the system.” He decides to enter into the business in Reno. More cells start up after theirs, and business becomes more competitive; eventually, the Man and his partner move on to Salt Lake. As their business flourishes, the Man accompanies his Nayarit partner on a vacation to his hometown of Xalisco.