Monte de Piedad

Mount of Mercy

Caption 3, Control Machete - El Apostador

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BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Monte de Piedad translates literally to "Mount of Mercy," which sounds like a religiously inspired exclamation use to punctuate this tale of gaming overindulgence; it is in fact the name of Mexico's facinating chain of state-run and state-controlled pawn shops. These exist throughout the country and are actively used by a surprisingly large percentage of the Mexican population on a fairly regular basis.

An excellent write-up including a modern account and full history:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacional_Monte_de_Piedad
Also worth reading:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1280276,00.html