Dutton Ranch Season 1 wrapped with several jaw-dropping reveals, including the long-awaited present-day introduction of the mysterious Mariano Reyes, former 10-Petal ranch hand and Joaquin’s father.
When Dutton Ranch Episode 7 flashed back to August 1981, we got a glimpse of a younger Mariano’s (Bobby Soto) relationship with a young Beulah (Rebeca Robles). As a big brother figure and babysitter, Mariano dropped Beulah and friends off at Billy Bob’s Texas Honky Tonk bar one night, where she met a man who sexually assaulted her. When Beulah later learned she was pregnant, Mariano drove her to the man’s house where she fatally shot him.
We knew Mariano left Rio Paloma after that event and Beulah raised Joaquin as her own. But we didn’t know why or what Mariano’s specific ties to Beulah and the 10-Petal were in present-day — until the finale… Dutton Ranch Season 1’s penultimate episode ended with Joaquin calling his dad and asking for help, and in Episode 9, Mariano makes his highly-anticipated return to town.
So who is Mariano on Dutton Ranch? And what do we know about Raoul Max Trujillo, the actor who plays Mariano in present-day? Here’s what to know about the spin-off’s new character and Trujillo acting career, just be warned Season 1 finale spoilers lie ahead.
Who Is Mariano Reyes On Dutton Ranch?
We knew Mariano was 10-Petal’s former ranch hand and Joaquin’s father, but the finale filled in a whole lot of blanks and introduced us to the man Mariano is today, after he moved from Texas to Mexico.
Shortly after Beth and Rip realize the Jacksons are using cows as drug mules, Dutton Ranch takes viewers to a church in Mexico where a man in a white suit — who we later learn is Mariano (Trujillo) — holds a baby in his arms and repeatedly renounces Satan to a priest. It appears he’s at a Christening, becoming the baby’s godfather, or “El Padrino.” (AKA the title of the episode.) He dances at the afterparty, smiles, and plays with children. But he also pulls a man called Gato aside with a straight face and says “Gather up some men. We’re going to Rio Paloma.”
When Everett finds out that Beulah has been dealing drugs for over a decade, he demands the truth and she explains everything we learned in Episode 7, plus the aftermath. “My daddy finds out about the whole thing, blames Mariano. Mariano was so fucking scared. My daddy forces him to make a deal: He takes the heat, disappears to Mexico, we take care of baby Joaquin in the short term. Something went down when they got to the border and Mariano’s wife, Joaquin’s mother, was killed,” she says. As for the drugs, when the drought hit Rio Paloma the 10-Petal was about to fold until Kino brought Beulah an option from Mariano. “I made a terrible mistake,” she says, admitting that a temporary fix turned into her running drugs with her sons for nearly 15 years.
In response to Joaquin’s request for help, Mariano rolls up to the motel to meet Kino with six protective vehicles. He gets the deets on Beulah passing the 10-Petal to her blood son and the “strangers” she brought into the business, then heads to her house for a visit and marvels at the way she “built a kingdom in a country that hates kings.” He comments on her health and notes that their business isn’t for the weak of heart, so she asks to be set free. To that, he simply orders her to publicly reinstate Joaquin as her successor and send Beth and Rip packing — or he will. When he gets back to the motel, Rob-Will fills him in on Beth and Rip’s ambush at the ranch, then Mariano schools Kino on power: “Power is anticipation. The horse that leads the herd isn’t the biggest, or the strongest. It’s the one that doesn’t wait. And you have been standing at fences your entire life.” So how does he achieve power? “I want you to kill your brother.”
If you want the really juicy finale spoilers, we’ve got ’em here. But while we wait to learn more about Mariano in Season 2, let’s learn more about Raoul Max Trujillo, the actor who plays him, shall we?
Who Plays Mariano On Dutton Ranch? Meet Raoul Max Trujillo
As noted, Mariano Reyes on Dutton Ranch is played by Raoul Max Trujillo, a 71-year-old actor, dancer, choreographer, and theater director from Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Since kickstarting his on-screen career with a role in 1990, he’s starred in 120 films and television series, including Riddick, Apocalypto, The New World, Blue Beetle, Mayans M.C., Dark Winds, Jamestown, Salem, True Blood, and more!
Based on Season 1’s finale we have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of Trujillo on Dutton Ranch, so stay tuned for Dutton Ranch Season 2 updates and much more Mariano.
Dutton Ranch Season 1 is now streaming on Paramount+.