# The Hairless Mexican — Ashenden character guide

> The Hairless Mexican in Ashenden by W. Somerset Maugham.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the Mexican, The Mexican

**First appearance:** 0005-iv-the-hairless-mexican

## Snapshot

A boastful, card-reading assassin in British pay, all vanity and menace, who may be either irresistible to women or simply a magnificent liar.

## Who they are

Manuel Carmona, known to the service only as the Hairless Mexican, arrives in Ashenden's world as one of R.'s hand-picked instruments — flamboyant, voluble, and unnervingly eager to prove himself. He shuffles fate out of a deck of cards, boasts of conquests in Mexico City, and yet admits to a superstitious dread of the four cards that may spell disaster. Ashenden watches him with dry amusement and rising unease, wondering whether R. has finally misjudged a man.

## Relationships

### [Ashenden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/ashenden)

_professional_

Ashenden works alongside the Hairless Mexican, a flamboyant and dangerous agent, on a mission to assassinate a traitor.

### [The General](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/the_general)

_professional_

The General and the Hairless Mexican are both agents working for British intelligence, though their relationship is tense.

### [Ashenden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/ashenden)

_professional_

Ashenden works alongside the Hairless Mexican, a flamboyant and dangerous agent, on a mission to assassinate a traitor.

### [Ashenden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/ashenden)

_professional_

Ashenden works alongside the Hairless Mexican, a flamboyant and dangerous agent, on a mission to assassinate a traitor.

### [The General](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/the_general)

_professional_

The General and the Hairless Mexican are both agents working for British intelligence, though their relationship is tense.

### [The General](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/the_general)

_professional_

The General and the Hairless Mexican are both agents working for British intelligence, though their relationship is tense.

## In the story

### [Ashenden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/ashenden)

A flamboyant and dangerous agent Ashenden works with.

### [IV: The Hairless Mexican](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/iv-the-hairless-mexican)

A flamboyant, dangerous agent with a love of perfume, manicured nails, and a revolver; boasts of his success with women; reveals a quick and violent temper.

### [The Dark Woman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/v-the-dark-woman)

Wins at piquet, tells stories of his past and a dark woman, and discusses fate and love.

### [VI: The Greek](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/chapters/vi-the-greek)

Finds the Greek spy, attempts to retrieve papers, and ultimately kills the wrong man.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters/the_hairless_mexican
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ashenden_se/characters