What was intended to be a Social Reintegration Center for incarcerated individuals ended up as a film set.
The new Durango State Prison (Cereso), built since 2014 and announced as completed in 2020 after a multi-million dollar investment, has never housed inmates, but it has hosted cameras, actors, and international productions.
Located on the Durango-Gómez Palacio highway, this space was transformed into the main setting for a Mexican series that can now be seen on Prime Video.
The prison was one of the key locations for S.O.Z. Soldiers or Zombies, an Amazon Prime Video production filmed in 2019.
In addition to the Cereso, the series used locations in Canatlán, Mapimí, and Gómez Palacio, as well as other points in the state of Durango.
Although the building has never functioned as a prison, its infrastructure was used as a high-security facility within the narrative.
The story blends horror, action, and science fiction. The protagonist is Alonso Marroquín, a drug trafficker who escapes from a maximum-security Mexican prison through a tunnel and flees with his son Lucas to the border, where they find refuge in Paradiso.
Meanwhile, a military experiment with pigs at a U.S. base goes awry, causing an infection that transforms soldiers and police officers into zombies.
The chase between criminals and law enforcement becomes a fight against a new species: the undead.
The production stars Spanish actor Sergio Peris-Mencheta, alongside Mexicans Horacio García Rojas and Fátima Molina, as well as Costa Rican actress Vico Ortiz.
The series premiered on August 6, 2021, and is among the Mexican productions that have gained traction on international platforms, combining national talent, real-world locations, and a narrative that blends social commentary with fantasy.
Source: elsiglodetorreon
