Teresa Mendoza didn't start as a queenpin. She started with a guy named Guero. If you’ve spent any time bingeing the USA Network hit, you know that Guero from Queen of the South isn't just a love interest. He’s the catalyst. He’s the reason the whole bloody domino effect even begins.
Honestly, the way people talk about Raymundo "Guero" Davila online is wild. Half the fans think he’s the ultimate romantic tragedy, the guy who just wanted a better life for his girl. The other half? They see a snitch whose reckless choices almost got Teresa killed a hundred times over.
But here’s the thing.
Without Guero, there is no Queen. There is no white oak desk. There is no empire in New Orleans.
The Pilot That Changed Everything
When we first meet Guero, played by Jon-Michael Ecker, he’s a pilot. But not the kind that flies commercial. He’s running coke for the Epifanio Vargas cartel. He’s charming, fast-talking, and has that specific kind of swagger that makes you realize why a young Teresa would fall for him in a heartbeat.
He gave her a life of luxury she’d never seen. He gave her a cell phone that was supposed to save her life.
But he also gave her a death sentence.
When that phone finally rang in the pilot episode, it signaled that Guero was dead. Except, as we’ve learned from years of prestige TV, "dead" is a relative term in the world of narcos. His supposed execution set the entire plot of the show in motion, forcing Teresa to flee Culiacán and land right in the crosshairs of Camila Vargas.
People forget how much Guero’s shadow hangs over those first few seasons. Even when he’s not on screen, he’s the ghost in the room. He’s the memory Teresa is trying to honor—or outrun.
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Was Guero Actually a Hero?
Let's get real for a second. Guero from Queen of the South was a snitch.
That’s the uncomfortable truth that complicates his legacy. He wasn’t just a victim of the cartel; he was actively working with the DEA to bring down the Vargas organization. In the cutthroat ethics of the show, that’s the ultimate sin.
It’s easy to see why he did it. He wanted out. He wanted to take Teresa and disappear to a beach where nobody knew their names. But in his attempt to buy their freedom, he paid for it with other people’s blood.
He stayed in the game too long.
When he eventually resurfaces—surprise, he wasn't dead in that pilot episode explosion—the dynamic shifts. Suddenly, he isn't the savior anymore. Teresa has grown. She’s learned how to survive. She’s seen the dark underbelly of the business he introduced her to, and she realizes he’s a liability.
It’s tragic, really.
By the time they reunite, the power balance has completely flipped. Guero is a man without a country, hunted by the cartel and used by the Americans. Teresa is the one with the power. He becomes a reminder of a version of herself that no longer exists.
The Chemistry Problem (or Success)
Jon-Michael Ecker and Alice Braga had this intense, lived-in chemistry. It felt messy. It felt like two people who knew each other’s worst secrets.
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Compare that to James Valdez.
Fans are still divided on the "Guero vs. James" debate. James is the professional. He’s the protector. He’s stable (as stable as a cartel hitman can be). Guero, on the other hand, was chaos. He was the passion of her youth, but also the root of her trauma.
You can’t help but feel for the guy when he finally meets his end for real. His death in Season 3 is one of the most gut-wrenching moments in the series. It wasn't a grand, cinematic shootout. It was slow. It was painful. It was quiet.
Watching Teresa hold him as he took his last breath was the moment she truly became the Queen. The last tether to her old life was severed.
Why We Still Care About Him in 2026
Even though the show has wrapped its run, the character remains a fixture in fan discussions. Why? Because he represents the "What If."
- What if he hadn't stolen from Epifanio?
- What if they had successfully run away in the first episode?
- What if he had stayed "dead"?
The complexity of the writing made Guero more than a trope. He wasn't just the "dead boyfriend." He was a flawed, selfish, deeply loving man who thought he was smarter than the system.
He wasn't.
But his failure is exactly what allowed Teresa Mendoza to succeed. She learned from his mistakes. She learned that in this world, you can’t half-ass it. You’re either in or you’re out, and if you try to play both sides like Guero did, you end up in the back of a car, bleeding out while the woman you love realizes she has to move on without you.
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Taking Action: Understanding the Character Arc
If you’re revisiting the series or writing your own scripts, Guero serves as a masterclass in the "inciting incident" character. To truly appreciate his impact on the narrative, look for these specific turning points in his storyline:
Check out Season 1, Episode 1 to see the "Legend of Guero" and how the show builds him up as a god-like figure before we even see his reality. Then, skip to the middle of Season 2. Notice how his return creates friction not just for Teresa, but for the viewers' loyalty to James. Finally, analyze the Season 3 finale sequence.
It's the perfect example of a character whose absence is just as powerful as his presence. He didn't need to be in every episode to be the most important person in the room. That's just good writing.
If you want to understand the mechanics of a "fall from grace" character, study his interactions with the DEA. It highlights the impossibility of redemption once you’ve crossed certain lines in the narco-world. He tried to be a good man in a bad world, and the world broke him for it.
The best way to honor the character's legacy is to recognize that he wasn't a hero or a villain. He was a guy who fell in love and got in way over his head. Sometimes, that's the most human story you can tell.
Go back and watch the scenes where he teaches Teresa about the business. It’s haunting to see how the lessons he gave her for survival eventually became the tools she used to surpass him. He was her teacher, even if he didn't realize he was teaching her how to live without him.
Ultimately, the story of the pilot who flew too close to the sun remains the emotional core of a show that could have easily been just another action thriller. Instead, it was a tragedy. And Guero was the heart of it.