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Mariano Reyes
Character portrait of Mariano Reyes
main Character

Mariano Reyes

Raoul Max Trujillo as El Padrino, the Cartel Boss Behind 10 Petal

Mariano Reyes is the cartel boss known as "El Padrino" and the hidden power behind the 10 Petal Ranch cattle pipeline, played by Raoul Max Trujillo in Dutton Ranch, with Bobby Soto as the young Mariano in Episode 7's 1981 flashbacks. He is Joaquin Jackson Reyes's biological father, a former 10 Petal ranch hand banished decades ago, and the only living witness to the killing Beulah Jackson has spent her life hiding. Heard only as a voice on the phone from Episode 3, he does not appear on screen in the present day until the Season 1 finale — an episode named after him.

Series Connection

Dutton Ranch

Portrayed by

Raoul Max Trujillo

Narrative Role

Primary Antagonist - The Godfather

First Appearance

Season 1, Episode 3

Character Analysis

◈Narrative Significance

Mariano is built entirely out of absence. For eight episodes he is a voice on a phone, a surname in the credits, and the reason the most controlled character in the show loses her composure — a structure that makes the audience assemble him from other people's fear before they ever see his face. When he finally appears in the finale, the reveal is not that he is dangerous but that he was the actual power the whole time: the Jacksons were the visible operation, not the owners of it.

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◈The Master Storyteller

He converts a neighbours-at-war story into something with a floor underneath it. Beulah's empire stops being a rival ranch and becomes the retail end of somebody else's supply chain, which retroactively explains the FMD outbreak, the drought-year expansion and Joaquin's divided loyalty in one move.

Character Story Arc

Follow Mariano Reyes's transformative journey through the series

Season 1

Origin

Mariano enters as a phone call. In Episode 3, "Act of God Business," Beulah takes a call that visibly rattles her, and the credits name the voice as Mariano Reyes — the same surname as her adopted son. Episode 7's 1981 flashbacks fill in the past: a young Mariano (Bobby Soto) working as a 10 Petal ranch hand and protector to a young Beulah, present for the assault that ended with her killing Luke. Episode 8 brings Joaquin's call for help. Then the finale, "El Padrino," opens in Mexico with Mariano stepping on screen in the present day for the first time, introducing himself to a small community as The Godfather. His operation is revealed in full: cattle stolen from local ranchers, select animals cut open and packed with fentanyl, wounds stitched shut, forged veterinary paperwork walking them across the border to 10 Petal — the same pipeline that carried foot-and-mouth into the Dutton herd. He orders Rob-Will's death, and closes the season by having Carter taken.

Key Characteristics

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Patient

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Unseen

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Calculating

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Ruthless

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Paternal on his own terms

Family Relations

Joaquin Jackson Reyes (Son)

Beulah Jackson (Adoptive mother of his son)

Rob-Will Jackson (Adoptive brother of his son, deceased)

Oreana Lynn Jackson (Granddaughter of Beulah, daughter of Rob-Will)

Historical Context

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Mariano belongs to a real economy the series rarely names outright: the cross-border cattle trade, where forged veterinary paperwork and unvetted livestock have long been a genuine disease vector for American herds. His operation weaponises that gap twice over — first as cheap stolen stock that let 10 Petal survive the 2010 drought while honest neighbours went under, then as a fentanyl route hidden inside the animals themselves. The show frames him less as an outside invader than as the buried cost of the Jackson family's respectability.

About the Actor: Raoul Max Trujillo

Nationality

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

◈Biography

Raoul Max Trujillo is an American actor, dancer and choreographer of Native American and Mexican descent, known for playing formidable, physically precise antagonists. He came to acting from a career in dance, where he was a founding member and artistic director of the American Indian Dance Theatre — a background that shows in the stillness he brings to Mariano.

◈Notable Works

▸Dutton Ranch (2026)
▸Mayans M.C. (2018–2023)
▸Sicario (2015)
▸Apocalypto (2006)
▸The New World (2005)
▸Riddick (2013)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who plays Mariano Reyes in Dutton Ranch?

Raoul Max Trujillo plays Mariano Reyes in the present day, and Bobby Soto plays the young Mariano in Episode 7's 1981 flashbacks. Trujillo is heard as a voice on the phone from Episode 3 but does not appear on screen until the Season 1 finale.

What movies is Raoul Max Trujillo in?

Raoul Max Trujillo is best known for Apocalypto, Sicario, The New World and Riddick, and for the television series Mayans M.C. He began his career as a dancer and choreographer, and was a founding member and artistic director of the American Indian Dance Theatre.

Is Mariano Reyes Joaquin's father?

Yes. Mariano Reyes is Joaquin Jackson Reyes's biological father. Joaquin was adopted and raised by Beulah Jackson at 10 Petal Ranch after Mariano was banished, which is why he carries both surnames.

Why is the Dutton Ranch finale called El Padrino?

El Padrino is Spanish for "The Godfather," and it is how Mariano introduces himself in the finale's opening scene in Mexico. The episode is named after him because the season's real power was never the Jacksons — 10 Petal was the retail end of Mariano's cattle and fentanyl pipeline.

Did Mariano order Rob-Will's death?

The show points that way. After Beulah named Rob-Will her successor, Mariano told Joaquin that his adoptive brother had to die, and the finale follows Joaquin driving to the house before cutting away. The shooting itself happens offscreen, and the creative team has left room for Season 2 to complicate the answer.

What happens to Carter at the end of Dutton Ranch Season 1?

Carter is kidnapped by Mariano's men in the final minutes. Alone at the house, he opens the door late at night believing Oreana has come back for him, and is tied up and taken. Mariano then calls Beth to confirm he has him, setting up the Season 2 conflict.

In-Depth Background

From 10 Petal Ranch Hand to El Padrino

The 1981 flashbacks show a Mariano almost unrecognisable from the man in the finale: a young ranch hand at 10 Petal, polite and seemingly gentle, devoted to protecting the daughter of the family he worked for. He searched for Beulah after the assault and was caught up in the fallout around her pregnancy and Luke's death. He was later banished from the ranch. How he travelled from that young man to a cartel boss is a gap the series has deliberately left unexplained — the one part of his history Season 1 refuses to show.

The Cattle Pipeline

Mariano's men steal cattle from ranchers in Mexico. Selected animals are marked, cut open and used as drug mules, with fentanyl sewn inside their bodies and the wounds stitched closed. Forged veterinary paperwork carries the herd across the border into Texas and on to 10 Petal, where the marked animals are opened up and the product handed to distributors. The same route brought unvetted livestock into the state, which is how the foot-and-mouth infection reached Beth and Rip's herd, and how the Jacksons restocked cheaply while honest neighbours were ruined by the 2010 drought.

Why the Finale Carries His Name

"El Padrino" is Spanish for "The Godfather," and it is what Mariano calls himself when he introduces himself in the finale's opening scene. The title is a correction to eight episodes of assumptions: the season had been read as a fight between the Duttons and the Jacksons, and the name of its last episode belongs to neither family.

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Memorable Quotes

""Necesito tu ayuda." — Joaquin's call to his father, Episode 8, the three words that bring Mariano back into Rio Paloma."

Trivia & Behind the Scenes

1

Mariano is heard before he is seen: his voice arrives in Episode 3, but Raoul Max Trujillo does not appear on screen in the present day until the Season 1 finale, six episodes later.

2

Two actors play him. Bobby Soto plays the young Mariano in Episode 7's 1981 flashbacks, opposite the young Beulah.

3

The Season 1 finale is titled "El Padrino" — the only episode of the season named after a character who had never appeared on screen.

4

Trujillo has played opposite the Yellowstone universe's favourite genre before: his credits include Sicario and Apocalypto, both built around border violence and pursuit.

5

His son Joaquin carries both surnames — Jackson from the woman who raised him, Reyes from the father who was sent away.

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Crossword

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Trivia

Daily Challenge

Ten questions, the same for everyone today. Compare your score.

Keep going with Mariano

How the show hid him for eight episodes, and what the clues pointed to before the finale aired.

Who Is Mariano Reyes? The Man Behind El PadrinoFull Dutton Ranch cast

Q&A

Questions People Ask

What do we know about Dutton Ranch Season 2?

Dutton Ranch was renewed for Season 2 on June 24, 2026. Benjamin Cavell is the new showrunner. Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser return as Beth and Rip, with Carter's kidnapping and Mariano's cartel operation driving the next story. No premiere date has been announced.

Why did Dutton Ranch change showrunners?

Benjamin Cavell is the Dutton Ranch Season 2 showrunner, replacing Season 1 creator Chad Feehan. The change is confirmed. Reports have linked it to concerns about Ed Harris's limited role, but Paramount has not publicly named an official reason.

When does Dutton Ranch start?

Dutton Ranch started on Friday, May 15, 2026, with a two-episode premiere. All 9 Season 1 episodes are streaming, including the July 3 finale El Padrino. Season 2 has been officially renewed.

Is Dutton Ranch worth watching?

Dutton Ranch Season 1 has earned 89% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and drew 12.9 million global viewers — the biggest Paramount+ original debut ever. Season 2 has been renewed. Fans praise Beth and Rip's chemistry, Ed Harris as Everett McKinney, Annette Bening as Beulah Jackson, and Carter's Texas arc.

How many episodes is Dutton Ranch Season 1?

Dutton Ranch Season 1 has 9 episodes, all now streaming. The Season 1 finale El Padrino aired July 3, 2026. Season 2 has been officially renewed and is expected in mid-to-late 2027.

What happens to Carter in Dutton Ranch?

In the Season 1 finale, Mariano's cartel men break into the house and kidnap Carter, believing his adoptive parents Beth and Rip are more valuable as hostage leverage than as targets. Carter is alive as Season 2 opens, but he is now the hostage at the center of an all-out war between the Duttons and Mariano's cartel — the only character with no stake in the Jackson-Reyes feud who ends up paying its highest price.

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