The recent discovery of what is believed to be an extermination camp belonging to the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has sparked nationwide outrage across Mexico. On March 15, 2025, as news spread of the grim findings at Rancho Izaguirre in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, where at least 400 pairs of shoes and numerous human remains were unearthed, citizens united to demand justice for countless missing persons across the country.
During public gatherings, including one at the Zócalo, Mexico City’s main square, demonstrators expressed their outrage with poignant reminders of the tragedy: "Mexico is not a country, it is a grave," read one banner, encapsulating the despair felt by many. Attendees placed candles and shoes on the ground to symbolize the void left by those who have disappeared, paying homage to the victims of violence whose stories often go untold.
The horrific discoveries at Rancho Izaguirre emerged when the relatives of missing persons, alerted by former captives, approached the site under the escort of the National Guard. On March 5, they uncovered hundreds of bone fragments alongside clothing, shoes, toys, and backpacks. The evidence suggests not only forced disappearances but potentially horrific methods used by the cartel for torture and murder, leaving the families with evidence of the atrocities committed against their loved ones.
Relatives of the disappeared, predominantly women, reported their relentless pursuit for answers, sharing harrowing accounts of their loved ones’ fates. Lorena Cabrera, part of the group known as "Guerreros Buscadores," expressed her heartbreak over the discovery of tiny bone fragments, fearing how difficult it is to extract DNA for identification. "How will they get DNA from something so small?" she lamented. These sentiments resonate deeply with families across Mexico, where the crisis of disappearances has reached alarming levels.
The statistics paint a grim picture: more than 115,000 individuals have disappeared nationwide, with 15,000 alone from the state of Jalisco. Reports indicate approximately 30 people vanish every day, highlighting the urgent need for action. This crisis is far from new—the legacy of violence rooted deeply within Mexican society stretches over decades, exacerbated by drug wars and governmental negligence. Despite recent efforts to investigate and address these crimes, many families have lost hope, feeling abandoned by authorities.
Adding to the social unrest, mothers searching for their lost children have accused the government of failing to act decisively, calling attention to the fact 24 families of missing persons have been murdered since 2011 as they sought justice. Patricia de la Cruz, whose son disappeared in Tamaulipas, spoke out during protests, stating, "We live in a country of horror... The authorities never listen to us." This confrontation of the government’s response emerged repeatedly from the voices of those seeking justice.
Meanwhile, across the nation, advocates and organizations rallied, issuing calls for accountability. The Red TDT revealed the government’s lack of thorough investigations and has demanded clarity on the discoveries at Teuchitlán as well as other potential sites of extermination. The grim historical parallels draw attention to the collective trauma shared among victims' families, reminiscent of backpackers’ known horrors from the San Fernando massacres years prior.
CEO of Amnesty International urged international awareness, emphasizing the regime's mishandling of such grim circumstances, noting how impunity festers, weakening the rule of law. "We must not normalize these human rights atrocities," stressed the organization, which garnered significant media attention over the last week. The urgencies of these protests have put tremendous pressure on the administration, with President Claudia Sheinbaum asserting during press briefings her plans for comprehensive investigations, promising to communicate findings from the Attorney General’s Office as they emerge.
Reflecting on the situation, it becomes clear how deeply intertwined the issues of memory, justice, and societal healing are, particularly as voices from both victim families and human rights advocates converge. Just as Colombia has strained to redefine its own narrative of violence and memory since the 1950s, Mexico grapples with its ghosts, striving for collective mourning and resilient hope. Recent discussions surrounding transitional justice, advanced by Colombian historical frameworks, challenge Mexico to similarly confront its brutal truth.
Both nations find themselves knee-deep in the murky waters of trauma yet prompting societal recognition of the past, seeking to honor those lost lives through documentation, acknowledgment, and reparative pathways. Initiatives to establish official narratives around violence serve as poignant reminders to million lives upturned by loss—a complex and arduous task amid the challenge of explicable collective grief and action.
The situation remains fluid, with civil society advocates continuing to amplify their demands for transparency and remembrance steps forward to rebuild destroyed lives and shed light on deeply buried truths. The shoes arrayed across the nation’s streets serve not just as symbols of loss but as calls to action. The piano of the past is played at high stakes, and only time will reveal whether more deaths can be avoided through concerted action.
Despite the apparent fragility of authorities, the resilience of families and communities advocating for change serves as both inspiration and driving force, challenging the narrative of desolation with the prospects of justice and memory, refusing to let the lost remain silent.
Mexico must act, for not just its present but for the future it hopes to reclaim, resisting oppression and silence, and weaving back the threads of its social fabric with the hopes, dreams, and memories of its people.