Final answer:
El Patron created five other clones before Matt to try to prolong his life, as revealed in the novel 'The House of the Scorpion' by Nancy Farmer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question refers to the novel "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer, which is set in a world where cloning is used by the powerful drug lord, El Patron, to extend his life. El Patron created several clones for this purpose. The protagonist of the story, Matt, is the sixth clone of El Patron, implying that there were five other clones before him that were used in attempts to prolong El Patron's life. The ethical implications of cloning and the treatment of clones as less than human are major themes in the book.