The Alcázar is an enormous fortress that is the headquarters of bandit leader Juan "Juarez" Mendoza in Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood and Call of Juarez. It also served as a major trade route for the Mendoza Cartel in Call of Juarez: The Cartel.
Background[]
Sometime during the Spanish rule of Mexico, a fort was constructed outside the city of Ciudad Juarez. After the Mexican-American War, it was abandoned. In 1859, a man named Juan Mendoza discovered the ruins of the fort, and claimed it as headquarters for his newly formed outlaw gang. For the next 25 years it would remain Mendoza's home and headquarters.
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood[]
After Mendoza kidnaps his wife and William McCall, Ray and Thomas McCall stormed the fort. Thomas was tasked with procuring horses while Ray rescued William. Marisa found Thomas and begged him to leave with her to find the Gold of Juarez. Thomas reluctantly agreed.
Meanwhile, Ray escorted William through the mansion and shot down the majority of the gang. However, Ray discovers Thomas has disappeared. Ray goes through the mansion again, and into a wine cellar. Shortly after, Ray duels Juan Mendoza and escapes with William.
Layout[]
The Alcázar comprised of an elaborate mansion surrounded by a wall on four sides. The base of the walls were made of adobe brick. Within the courtyard, there were numerous buildings, barns, a water tower and corrals. The only animals that were raised were horses, goats, and chickens. There was also a gallows on the west wall. Within the walls themselves were many rooms. Usually storage and dining areas. Outside were many benches and tents. On the right and left side of the mansion were gardens. Near the south wall of the mansion was a large door on the ground which revealed a prison cell below underground. The mansion was elaborately decorated and was open in the middle which contained a gazebo. Under the mansion were many cells that were converted into storage rooms. The main prison cell had a balcony. All the doors in the mansion were made of wood. Around the south, east, and west walls was a balcony. The floors of the mansion were of diamond and square tiles. The ground around the mansion was made of gravel. Around the mansion were many wagons and stagecoaches.
Call of Juarez[]
Mendoza, however survived the duel, and after learning he had a son he was hellbent on acuiring a medallion the boy possessed which was the key to finding the Gold of Juarez. Two weeks after sending a group of men to search for him, the boy (named Billy Candle), and a girl were captured. However, Billy's stepuncle Ray McCall who became a reverend, stormed the fort with a gatling gun and shot down most of the gang. Ray headed into the mansion and shot down the remaining outlaws and rescued the girl, a rancher's daughter named Molly. Juan meanwhile set the prison cell ablaze which was promptly extinguished by Billy. Billy freed Ray and Molly, however Mendoza burst into the room and shot Ray, mortally wounding him. Billy knocked his father unconcious in a fistfight and embraced Molly. However, Mendoza woke up and pulled out a knife. Just as the outlaw was about to stab Billy, Ray pulled out his revolver and shot Mendoza in the head. Ray shortly died thereafter.
Layout[]
In the next 18 years after Bound in Blood, Mendoza negelcted his fort. He tore down nearly all the buildings and removed almost everything save for several crates, baskets, and other miscellaneous objects. He also removed the adobe foundation, and replaced the gravel with a broken tile floor. He procured a cannon which guarded the south wall, and tore down the balcony on the mansion save for the side on the south wall. He also removed the doors around the mansion and its dungeons, replacing them with metal doors.
Later Years[]
After the extinction of the Juarez gang, the fort became abandoned once again. However sometime during Prohibition, the American Mafia used the fort to smuggle alcohol into the United States. They built an underground tunnel from the prison cell, under the border and into the basement of a ranch on the American side. However, after Prohibition was repealed, the fort once again became abanonded and continued to be consumed by age.
Call of Juarez: The Cartel[]
Sometime during the 1990s, the fort was used by archaeologists as a base of operations and rediscovered the Gold of Juarez. The Gold was then placed in the Juarez National Museum. Sometime later, the Mendoza Cartel was formed by a man named Juan Mendoza. He used the fort and underground tunnels as a means of smuggling drugs, guns, and immigrants across the border.
Assisstant Deputy Director Shane Dickson became corrupt during her employment and sought to protect Mendoza. She introduced Mendoza to Michael Duke, the CEO of the bankrupt PMC, Peacekeepers International. Duke had asked 50 million dollars and the Gold of Juarez in exchange for the weapons, the deal taking place at the fort. The newly formed Interagency Task Force led by Ben McCall (descendent of Billy Candle), headed to the ranch (also in a state of neglect) and discovered the tunnels. The three-person team went through the mansion, and attacked Cartel footmen and mercenaries. The team annihilated the threat and procured the weapons and Gold. The weapons sent to the Mexican governement, and the Gold sent back to the museum. It is currently unknown what becomes of the fort after the events of The Cartel.
Layout[]
The fort had some renovations done to it, but is still in disrepair. The adobe brick was replaced, and the ground surrounding the mansion was replaced with gravel. Many doors however were cemented shut, and the prison cell was filled with dirt. The west wall of the mansion had the balcony built back on it, and there is scaffolding around the fort. There are also bulldozers, bags of cement, and many other construction paraphernalia. A gate was also built sealing off the northern half of the fort, and the south wall has been destroyed, and replaced with a chainlink gate. Inside the mansion, the vent leading to the wine cellar is sealed off.
Trivia[]
- The Alcazar features in Call of Juarez as a multiplayer map called "Fort Stanton".
- The Alcazar is currently the only location in the series to appear three times, and one of two to appear in more than one game (the other is Raytown).