Jorge Escalante Licona

Biography

Jorge Escalante Licona, better known as “El Panti”, was a Editorial Cartoonist from Cartagena, born on April 26, 1943. For more than 40 years, he worked as a cartoonist for the newspaper El Universal de Cartagena.

His father was Elías Escalante, an auto parts dealer at the old Ford Agency, and his mother was Celinda Licona, a homemaker. He had a twin brother named Roberto Escalante Licona. Escalante studied at the Liceo de Bolívar.

(Read also: Biography of Luis Carlos López “El tuerto López”)

His caricatures first appeared on October 29, 1967, on the front page of El Universal. From then on, his section became one of the most popular and beloved features of the newspaper among the people of Cartagena. His drawings reflected the many faces of the city, becoming both artistic expression and social commentary. Today, he is considered the greatest caricaturist Cartagena has ever had.

The nickname “El Panti” came from one of his cartoon characters, inspired by his own appearance. Other recurring characters included El Champe, Andreíta, El Bobato, and Copito de Nieve.

He lived for more than thirty years in the Alcibia neighborhood of Cartagena, in a large house that had once been a children’s school.

(Read also: Biography of Daniel Lemaitre Tono)

Jorge Escalante Licona passed away on February 4, 2013, at the San Juan de Dios Hospital, after several days of hospitalization due to rheumatoid arthritis. His remains rest in an urn at the Jardines de Paz cemetery, where his parents and brother are also buried.