For the first time in the taqueria’s 50-year history After years of searching for a flagship location in the heart of La Villita, Carnitas Uruapan has found one in a former concert venue for Mexican grupera acts The father-and-son team of Inocencio and Marcos Carbajal have launched the next chapter in their restaurant’s 50-year history with an art deco space featuring a spacious dining room boasting a Mexican aesthetic with deeply personal touches that ownership hopes will remind visitors of home also features something their other two restaurants lack: cocktails and beer the second-generation restaurateur whose father built the stalwart emporium for crispy golden carnitas expanding the family-owned business into Little Village feels like a full circle moment “[Little Village] feels very much like a place where I’m at home it’s just kind of a throwback vibe for us,” says Carbajal Little Village is widely considered the heart of the Midwest’s Mexican community and is concentrated mostly along 26th Street, home to numerous businesses that cater directly to the region’s diaspora community. While the food menu at the new location remains the same, the Little Village debuts a beverage program created by cantinero Luis “Luigi” Estrada, a bartender who’s created bar menus at notable Mexican restaurants Tzuco and Kie Gol Lanee Estrada and Marcos Carbajal worked on draft cocktails that emphasize regional Mexican spirits like mezcal and charanda from Michoacán using ingredients “that even an abuelita or tia can relate to,” says Estrada The beverages also include micheladas and a lineup of Mexican beers including a collaboration with Mexican American-owned Casa Humilde Cerveceria which recently relocated to suburban Forest Park The new space is situated in a three-story 1920s-era art deco building that had previously housed a furniture store with manufacturing space on the upper levels and eventually went on to become a restaurant and bar that once served as a music venue with eight inches of standing water in the basement when Carbajal purchased the property in 2021 Work has been done to improve the decaying facade and used materials throughout the space that offer visitors an homage to Mexican culture grew up around the corner from the restaurant) created a culturally resonant space are made with the same textile as a rebozo — a traditional garment Chairs and banquettes are accentuated with ostrich leather The walls are lined with custom-cut slabs of terracotta a 40-foot sign on the exterior of the building that can be seen from blocks away now dons the words La Villita The dining room floor has been hand-painted with a stencil pattern reminiscent of the designs found on the patios of old homes in Mexico The dining room has seating for 150 diners There’s also parking across the street on two lots bought by Carbajal Carbajal says he is renovating the upper levels to include apartments Carnitas Uruapan was founded by Carbajal’s father Inocencio “El Guero” Carbajal in 1975 Carbajal tells Eater that his dad was part of a wave of Mexicanos who hail from Michoacán — the birthplace of carnitas — responding to Chicago’s demand for folks with whole hog-butchering skills Carbajal’s father’s recipe was based on what he learned as a kid from Carbajal’s grandfather and an uncle who ran a carniceria in Uruapan in the 1940s and ‘50s The original Carnitas Uruapan location opened across the street from what Carbajal says was the first Mexican grocery store The supermarket provided this newer wave of immigrants with pantry staples like avocados and chiles ingredients that were harder to come by at the time Carnitas Uruapan offered them a taste of home Expansion for Carbajal has been focused on areas of the city where the Mexican community has since migrated in the years since Carnitas Uruapan first opened the family business opened a location in Gage Park knowing that many of the restaurant’s longtime customer base had since relocated there One mark of success that the restaurant is serving its purpose comes when the restaurant gets visitors from Mexico a great direct lineage that goes back to Michoacán Carnitas Uruapan, 3801 W. 26th Street, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends. 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All rights reserved Dear Reader,Unfortunately our comment platform isn\'t available at the moment due to issues with our paywall and authentication vendor President-elect Donald Trump to impose 25% tariffs could affect a wide range of iconic Mexican products some of which support entire regional economies URUAPAN, Mexico — Mexicans are worried that threats by Donald Trump to impose 25% tariffs could affect a wide range of iconic Mexican products and threaten entire regional economies In western Mexico, no crop supplies an income for so many small growers as avocados “I think that when there is an increase in the price for any product demand declines,” said avocado grower Enrique Espinoza Orchards like his are the economic lifeblood in the western Mexico state of Michoacan “It would be a tragedy if they closed down (the border) on us,” he said Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration — when he said he would impose tariffs — couldn't come at a worse time: It's around when Mexico starts shipping crates of the green fruit north for Super Bowl Sunday, the annual peak of consumption. a manager at an avocado packing house in Michoacan “Work for us could decrease because it won't be quite so attractive to export," Arroyo said It may not just be Mexican producers who are affected; U.S Mexican business leader Gina Diez Barroso told a news conference Tuesday that one U.S. agriculture official told her he had never had as many complaints as when the U.S. government halted import inspections on Mexican avocados in 2022 “Never in his life had he had so much chaos in his office because they halted Mexican avocados,” Diez Barroso said Espinoza agrees that consumers are likely to share the pain and I don't think they are going to stop consuming it,” he said Rather, the reverse effect has him worried; if Mexico retaliates with its own tariffs, as President Claudia Sheinbaum has suggested Mexicans will face not just a drop in income which is a main supply of feed for animals in Mexico so in some ways it is going to hit us,” Espinoza said “The United States can pay 25% more for Mexican products very few of us have enough money to pay 25% more for what we import from the United States.” It’s not just the guacamole; Mexican tequila producers have seen a bonanza in the U.S. market. In 2023 imported $4.6 billion worth of tequila and $108 million worth of mezcal from Mexico That has raised cautious concern among tequila producers including farmers who grow agave on some of the driest marginal soils that couldn’t support many other crops “We are analyzing the statements by the authorities and their reactions and in the coming days we will establish a position,” the National Tequila Industry Chamber said in a statement And industry representatives say a drop in the consumption of tequila — America’s third-most popular spirit behind vodka and pre-mixed cocktails — could affect U.S tariffs on spirits products from our neighbors to the north and south are going to hurt U.S consumers and lead to job losses across the U.S hospitality industry just as these businesses continue their long recovery from the pandemic,” the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S The tariffs would probably plunge Mexico into an immediate recession Mexican financial group Banco Base estimated in a report that for every 1% that Mexican exports increase in price Supposing that Americans might absorb half the impact of the tariffs and just pay higher prices for Mexican goods they still might reduce their consumption by 12% “This would be reflected in a 4.4% drop in gross domestic product,” the bank wrote adding “the decline would not just occur in 2025 but would get more serious the longer the tariffs last.” And the tariffs could affect some products that aren’t thought of as particularly Mexican at all Mexico’s Economy Secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, said Wednesday that 88% percent of all North American pickup trucks come from Mexico though it was unclear if he meant just parts of the trucks or their final assembly Ebrard claimed that 25% tariffs would mean U.S consumers might have to pay $3,000 more per pickup truck “It is shooting yourself in the foot," Ebrard said Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america MEXICO CITY — California avocado growers are fuming this week about a U.S decision to hand over pest inspections of Mexican orchards to the Mexican government Department of Agriculture have been guarding against imports of avocados infected with insects and diseases since 1997 but they have also been threatened in Mexico for refusing to certify deceptive shipments in recent years Threats and violence against inspectors have caused the U.S and California growers question whether Mexico's own inspectors would be better equipped to withstand such pressure "This action reverses the long-established inspection process designed to prevent invasions of known pests in Mexico that would devastate our industry," the California Avocado Commission wrote in an open letter to U.S Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Monday Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Because the United States also grows avocados inspectors observe orchards and packing houses in Mexico to ensure exported avocados don't carry pests that could hurt U.S "It is well known that their physical presence greatly reduces the opportunity of others to game the system," the avocado commission wrote "What assurances can APHIS provide us that its unilateral reversal of the process will be equal to or better than what has protected us?" "We are looking for specifics as to why you have concluded that substituting APHIS inspectors with Mexican government inspectors is in our best interest." The decision was announced last week in a short statement by Mexico's Agriculture Department health safety agency is recognizing the commitment of Mexican growers who in more than 27 years have not had any sanitary problems in exports." The idea that there have been no problems is far from the truth inspections were halted after one of the U.S inspectors was threatened in the western state of Michoacan where growers are routinely subject to extortion by drug cartels Only the states of Michoacan and Jalisco are certified to export avocados to the United States Department of Agriculture said at the time that the inspector had received a threat "against him and his family." The inspector had "questioned the integrity of a certain shipment and refused to certify it based on concrete issues," according to the USDA statement Some packers in Mexico buy avocados from other and try to pass them off as being from Michoacan Sources at the time said the 2022 threat involved a grower demanding the inspector certify more avocados than his orchard was physically capable of producing suggesting that at least some had been smuggled in from elsewhere two USDA employees were assaulted and temporarily held by assailants in Michoacan to suspend inspections in Mexico's biggest avocado-producing state Department of Agriculture did not immediately respond to questions about why the decision was made Mexico currently supplies about 80% of U.S Become an NPR sponsor Mexico is among the most dangerous places in the world for journalists to carry out their jobs, with 167 killed or disappeared since 2000. The figure increased this week after Mauricio Cruz Solis was shot dead on Tuesday in the city of Uruapan, Michoacan La #FiscalíaMich inició Carpeta de Investigación con relación a los hechos en los que perdió la vida el periodista Mauricio Cruz Solís, tras agresión por arma de fuego ocurrida esta noche, en la zona Centro de #Uruapan; una segunda persona resultó lesionada. pic.twitter.com/Ppryg1RvJW Apart from being a radio host, Cruz Solis was also a writer for Minuto x Minuto outlet. He is the eight journalist killed in Michoacan since 2000, according to Articulo 19 a nonpartisan organization that promotes and defends freedom of expression and access to information in Mexico Different groups and associations mourned and denounced Cruz Solis's killing violence against journalist was historically high during the Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) administration A total of 47 journalists were murdered or went missing between 2018 and 2024 the same number of victims as Enrique Peña Nieto's administration between 2012 and 2018 Cruz Solis's murder is the first of a journalist under the government of Claudia Sheinbaum, who was sworn in on Oct. 1. However, as CBS News reports there have been other attacks on members of the media since she took office gunmen shot at the front of the El Debate newspaper's office in Culiacan a delivery worker with the outlet was abducted by presumed criminal groups No information about his whereabouts has been released Veracruz is the entity with the most deaths of media members since 2000 more than double of any other Mexican state Media workers continue to be regularly targeted all throughout Mexico often in direct reprisal for their work covering topics like corruption and activities pertaining to cartels and other criminal organizations there have now been four murders reported against journalists in Mexico so far this year "Impunity is the norm in crimes against the press," the the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a report on Mexico in March Data from the international nonprofit Reporters Without Borders ranked Mexico as the third most dangerous place for journalists to carry out their profession According to the organization's 2023 rankings Irak and Syria are the only places in the world where journalists are being targeted at a higher rate than in Mexico Editor’s note: All quotes by Abigail Carbajal were translated from Spanish by the reporter Abigail “Abi” Carbajal attended the premiere of the third season of Netflix’s “Taco Chronicles,” which featured her family’s restaurant Her appearance in the show was limited to one picture without captions who rarely participates in public events or interviews people talk about it while waiting in line to pick up their food Her husband, Guero, always cooked, and Carnitas Uruapan became famous for its authenticity since he is from Michoacán. In 2019, a Chicago Tribune food critic called it the best place in Chicago for this taco style Netflix featured it on the first episode of “Cross the Border,” the third season of “Taco Chronicles.” The docuseries shows different taco recipes and restaurants from all over the U.S. Carbajal’s husband and son showed the recipe Guero developed and the right way to eat it: with tortillas and salsa But her behind-the-scenes work was a secret ingredient in building the restaurant’s name “Chicago has good tacos because it has good people,” the owner of Revolver Taco Lounge said on the episode featuring Carnitas Uruapan But despite being part of the history behind a famous place and the good publicity the restaurant received after appearing on Netflix Carbajal treats it as if it is no big deal This gave her the flexibility to care for her widowed mother who needed constant attention after spending six months at a hospital recovering from a car accident “I always say that one can do anything with God’s help,” she said He lived on the second floor of his carnitas restaurant he told me that he needed a lot of support,” she said Soon she met her husband’s friends and other business owners in the neighborhood she started helping at the restaurant and met more people and the place could get crowded on weekends She also seated customers and washed the dishes if the men in the kitchen were too busy cleaning and dismantling whole pigs “She was always there to see that everything was OK,” said Yolanda Nuñez who owned a grocery store across the street and became very close to Carbajal and I think that’s what I liked about her,” said Nuñez said Carnitas Uruapan felt like “a family down to earth.” Carbajal was a hard worker who was always available to serve people “She was very helpful and just jumped in,” Nuñez said Carbajal also cared for her son and the house “Everything was easier because we lived upstairs,” she said She would make dinner and do laundry after 6 p.m. she stopped going to the restaurant regularly and together they decided it was time for Carbajal and Guero to rest They moved to a quieter street in the same neighborhood where they don’t hear the telephone ringing all day long with customers placing orders “paying attention to what he eats and making sure he is taken care of,” she said After Netflix aired the episode featuring Carnitas Uruapan Carbajal and the restaurant’s staff noticed an increase in the number of clients People who watched it decided to try the tacos for the first time said watching the show made him go to the restaurant the next morning to grab some carnitas but it (the show) reminded me that it’s literally down the street from me.” Carbajal never considered participating in the Netflix show she watched it only two more times at home “I don’t feel it has changed anything for me,” she said donating unsold food to avoid waste and help those in need and greeting employees during the Christmas season “She is just an extraordinary person,” Nuñez said she prefers to stay at home — like an ingredient that wants to remain a secret Carolina Baldin is a magazine graduate student at Medill. You can follow her on Twitter at @RuizBaldin MEDIA,INTEGRATED MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS1845 Sheridan RoadEvanston Our dining editor whips up some very impressive party food. Read the complete recipe here. Chicago magazine newsletters have you covered The top taco maker aims to open a “gargantuan” new outpost next year on 26th Street in Little Village Venerable Pilsen landmark Carnitas Uruapan aims to open its third and largest restaurant on a long-vacant corner in Little Village Second-generation owner Marcos Carbajal anticipates the “gargantuan” project will require about a year of renovations on the three-floor outpost at 3801 W this new location will also feature a liquor license making this Carnitas Uruapan the first one that can serve agave Known for drawing long lines of dedicated fans seeking succulent pork by the pound Carnitas Uruapan — founded by Carbajal’s father in 1975 in Pilsen — operates a second location in Gage Park with 6,000 square feet on each floor and an extra-wide sidewalk for outdoor seating Carnitas Uruapan has long served as all-ages gathering places Carbajal wants to maintain that feeling in Little Village but does plan for the first time to offer alcohol: in particular charanda — a sugarcane-based spirit (similar to rum) that originates in his family’s hometown of Uruapan but hopes to give it a “moment in the sun.” The restaurant will also feature a very limited menu of tequilas and mezcals along with familiar Mexican beers and micheladas “We’re a place you want to go with your kids on a Sunday morning and we don’t want to change that,” Carbajal says Carbajal has wanted to open in Little Village for some time but didn’t initially anticipate taking on such a large construction project. Aided by $250,000 from the latest round of the city’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grants he’s decided to embrace the challenge and rehabilitate the 1920s-era building on 26th Street and Hamlin Avenue A party-friendly music venue from the 1980s through the early 2000s along a bustling commercial corridor the spot featured a lot of famous Mexican singers and musical acts but my parents remember it and a lot of people in the neighborhood remember the space from that era,” he says “It was kind of the place to be in the neighborhood.” Carbajal estimates it’ll take 10 months to a year of work before opening he acknowledges that timeline is speculative but ultimately will be worth the wait “Given the dynamics of that neighborhood and the fact that 26th Street is the biggest commercial corridor for Mexican businesses in the city I think we can actually use a space,” he says Block Club Chicago first reported this annoucement Carnitas Uruapan Little Village BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — Abraham Diaz, 42 was identified as the man shot and killed outside Mariscos Uruapan early Monday morning by the Kern County Coroner's Office Bakersfield police officers arrested a 21-year-old suspect late Monday night on murder charges.At approximately 2 a.m south of 17th Street for a report of a shooting via ShotSpotter activation Officers said they found two men in the parking lot of the nightclub suffering from injuries consistent from a shooting They were both taken to the hospital by ambulance Diaz was pronounced dead at the hospital and the other man was listed as critical.After investigation was struck by a stray bullet while in his residence in the 1300 block of East 19th Street He is expected to live.Just before midnight Monday 21 of Bakersfield on murder and aggravated assault with a firearm charges in connection with the killing of Diaz and severely injuring the other unidentified man He was arrested in the 1900 block of Eye Street.If you know information you are urged to call BPD at (661) 327-7111 or Kern Secret Witness at (661) 322-4040 Inocencio Carbajal set out to re-create the signature fried-pork dish of his native Michoacán There’s a reason his family’s carnitas — sold by the pound with tortillas or tucked into a taco — attract lines out the door on weekends: After a low slow simmer in manteca (the fat rendered from chicharrones) and skin (timid eaters can request shoulder only) are sufficiently rich and nourishing to placate lunchers until bedtime One of Chicago’s finest taco makers — and one of the city’s essential restaurants — has opened a second location after 44 years of business in Pilsen. Carnitas Uruapan debuted a new restaurant that’s about three times as large as the original there were long lines — customers waited as much as an hour — over the weekend at the new location at 2813 W Carnitas Uruapan opened in 1975 in Pilsen. Named for the birthplace of carnitas (Uruapan is in the Mexican state of Michoacán also known as the avocado capital of the world) founder Inocencio Carbajal has been serving delicious pork tacos for more than four decades has been working more closely with the business He grew up with the rest of the family in a dwelling above the original restaurant The new space has room for 95 seats in about 3,800 square feet armed with an MBA from Northwestern University (he earned the degree attending night classes) has goals of expanding the brand his father worked so hard creating there’s more to a restaurant’s success than those two vital qualities the family hopes customers won’t have to wait as long for their tacos The lines at the Gage Park location were just as long as in Pilsen Customers will be served faster at the new location “My dad had been operating under the premise that word of mouth was all the advertising you needed to do,” Marcos Carbajal said The Carbajals still believe word of mouth is the most important way to attract customers Marcos Carbajal wants to open more locations after they get their feet under them in Gage Park Rick Bayless has worked with the Carbajals on getting heirloom white corn masa imported from Mexico to El Popo The Pilsen location already uses El Popo shells Carnitas Uruapan has been the first stop for El Popo trucks on their delivery routes they use heirloom corn masa to make tortillas Generations of customers have eaten at Carnitas Uruapan and ownership doesn’t want to alienate them but authenticity remains a key part of the experience They looked at their customer’s zip code data to see where they were coming from and based on that they picked another neighborhood with a large Mexican community to open their restaurant “We tried to recreate as much of the nostalgic old-school Mexican feel as we could,” he said The second location of Carnitas Uruapan is now open for a new generation of Chicagoans to discover Carnitas Uruapan “Family owned and operated since 1986,” it says on the hard-cover menu. Actually, this place, Carnitas Uruapan Family Restaurant, opened little more than a year ago, on that section of El Cajon Boulevard that sits midway between the College Area and La Mesa. However, the table-service eatery is sister restaurant to Carnitas Uruapan Mexican Food and it’s that La Mesa counter shop fans have raved and written about for nearly four decades now Uruapan is the name of a city in the Mexican state of Michoacán and its namesake taco shop earned its following for consistently serving some of the best in San Diego more often ordering from a makeshift drive-thru lane squeezed into its narrow parking lot If I wasn’t sure what the differences between the original shop and the newer “family restaurant” might be I would sure spot them the moment I arrived The newer location is four or five times the size of the original featuring three distinct dining rooms and a separate bar you wait to be seated; a server takes your order at the table; and rather than a menu board mounted above the pick-up counter Regulars will find plenty of overlap between the two menus except the family restaurant offers fewer burritos It’s the type of place you’re more likely to order combo plates Such combos have long been available at the original location but I’ve never thought to order one before Maybe I should have: the rice and beans are outstanding Some of these plates make simple meals out of pork chops plus a sope and half pound of carnitas for $29.50 a carnitas plate is always a safe bet (half pound for $7.50 Less safe but more adventurous would be one of Uruapan’s other pork specialties: chicharrones ($4.50/$9) or buche ($5.75/$11.50) If you haven’t yet acquired a taste for pork skin and stomach which features all three pork dishes for $14.50 a broad range of dishes means they tend to be hit or miss satisfied but ambivalent toward an order of green pozole and uncharacteristically impressed by a shredded beef enchilada I think it’s worth poking around the menu to find the gems especially because you can salvage any meal for a mere That’s how much it costs to order a carnitas taco a seven-inch corn tortilla packed with no less than a quarter pound of Uruapan’s superb pulled pork the best bang-for-your-buck taco in the entire San Diego region – As the United States prepares to eat several thousand tons of avocados this weekend during the 58th edition of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas a terrible security crisis is unfolding under the threat of organized crime 2,700 kilometers from the neon city in the Mexican state of Michoacan the world’s largest exporter of avocados An EFE team rode with Michoacan’s Civil Guard (formerly the state police) along the trails that run through avocado fields where the Guard and municipal police usually patrol every day and where in recent days they have had confrontations with people identified by their clothing as members of the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación During a stroll through his avocado plantation a chemical engineer and the owner since four years ago of Rancho La Luna in the municipality of Morelia explained to EFE that police presence has been made difficult in the areas where the crops are grown known as “green gold,” has further complicated the situation In light of this and a wave of violence that has included posters with threats between criminal groups the government has deployed all of its various security forces to the region the groups that are there (in the hills and fields) undersecretary of police operations for the Secretariat of National Security The state has a tragic history of violence in recent decades It was one of the epicenters of the so-called “War on Drugs” initiated by former President Felipe Calderón (2006-2012) which resulted in high levels of violence throughout the country was the third most violent state in the country in January and during the first week of February alone According to the National Public Security System in 2023 the state ranked sixth in the country in terms of homicides Despite the current president Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s slogan “Hugs not bullets,” the authorities themselves admit that in states such as Michoacán the number of homicides is not decreasing despite a 20% decrease in homicides at the national level the state of Michoacán was able to meet US requirements to export avocados to the neighboring country Mexican customs officials estimate that approximately 110,000 tons of avocados will be shipped criminal groups have diversified their activities moving from drug trafficking to other activities involving the transfer of large sums of money locals decided to take charge of their own security and armed civilian groups called self-defense groups emerged in Michoacan to confront criminal groups such as the Familia Michoacana but in recent years we have had more: the one we have given ourselves,” Montero said under his avocados adding that he believes that the situation will not improve until there is a change in mentality and corruption ends I would venture to guess that many Mexican handcraft aficionados started out like I did attracted at first by colorful baubles in tourist markets then wanting to know if what I was buying was “real” or not Although it is getting easier to find information about Mexico’s true artisans Your best bet is to buy direct from one at their workshop (often in their home) there are a few highly reputable annual handcraft fairs in Mexico I’m glad to say that Michoacan’s Tianguis de Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday Handcraft Market) in the city of Uruapan is back Uruapan today is best-known for being in the state’s avocado-growing region but it hosts what Michoacán officials say is the largest handcraft market of its kind in Latin America it draws over 1,300 artisans per year from all over Michoacán to display their wares for sale The focal point of the event is at the city’s main plaza which annually gets covered in tarps that shelter a maze of aisles and stands Stalls also spill over into adjoining streets The event promotes the four main indigenous cultures of the state: the Purépecha not only because they are the dominant group but also because handcraft production has been highly developed in their region since both the pre-Hispanic and colonial periods You’ll also find traditional clothing One other interesting item to find if you go on or before Palm Sunday is the plethora of nimble fingers that weave palm fronds into intricate shapes for the holiday The fair does a decent job of keeping out items not made in Michoacán — usually cheap souvenir items; its only small sin is that not all vendors are artisans; some are resellers but the overall quality of merchandise here is good I should note that the event has grown tremendously in the past few years but if you are looking to buy the finest handcrafts the market has to offer the best stuff sells out almost immediately the handcrafts and cultural events are available all the way until the event ends on April 24 I also strongly recommend checking out pieces from the LXI Michoacán State Handcraft fair whose winners will be announced on April 10 at Uruapan’s Casa de Cultura (cultural center) The chances of buying any of these pieces are low since people with connections usually get to them first But you will get to see the best of the best and learn who makes them You can always contact the artisan later to get your own piece made In addition to everything that the city has to offer such as the Barranca del Cupatitzio National Park Uruapan is also near other Michoacán attractions such as the Paricutín volcano (main access is in the town of Angahuan) and the better-known city of Pátzcuaro a couple of potential drawbacks to attending the fair: firstly and so hotel space may be difficult to find in Uruapan proper this part of Michoacán admittedly has long had problems with narcos I personally have never run into any issues meaning you can spend your nights there and your days in Uruapan The fair brings experienced collectors back year after year I know of few other places to jump in and be surrounded by the true magic of what Mexico’s hands create Leigh Thelmadatter arrived in Mexico 18 years ago and fell in love with the land and the culture in particular its handcrafts and art. She is the author of Mexican Cartonería: Paper, Paste and Fiesta (Schiffer 2019) Her culture column appears regularly on Mexico News Daily ADVERTISE WITH MND COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Subscription FAQ's Privacy Policy Mexico News Daily - Property of Tavana LLC how Chicago restaurant leaders are coping with the COVID-19 outbreak Much still remains unknown about what the next few months will look like for Chicago’s hospitality community, as public officials and restaurant owners wrestle with complex questions of public health and economic viability Some frame the experience in relationship to events like the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the 2008 financial crisis noting that times of fiscal strife can lead to innovation Eater Chicago will talk to three members of Chicago’s food world asking them how they’re handling the cards they’ve been dealt and what changes they see happening in their businesses long-term Marcos Carbajal is the owner of Carnitas Uruapan, a 45-year-old Pilsen institution and Eater 38 stalwart founded by his father in 1975 The pair opened a second location in Gage Park in 2019 Both restaurants are open for curbside pickup and are donating meals to area hospitals for front-line workers “I remember [the beginning of the shutdown] very vividly — it was a traumatizing time and I was keeping a close eye on what was going on around all the world looking for information on what are they were doing with restaurants long-established restaurant to zero money coming in and all the other things that would ensue?’ It felt like this wild roller coaster ride.. When we heard we were able to operate on a takeout and delivery basis there was a giant sigh of relief — at least we have a fighting chance It’s very lucky that we have a really loyal customer base as we’ve been in Pilsen for 45 years and people come out every single week to buy carnitas on Sunday I knew we’ve got a community of people that stay loyal and we’d make some sales...We braced for a 50-percent drop in business and ended up in the first week with a 60-percent drop and tried to make the best of the situation.. The Pilsen restaurant is more kitchen than dining I’m guessing around 1,200 square feet of restaurant space so we’re going to take all the tables out and make it takeout only because there’s no way to insure social distancing The way carnitas kind of works is that you buy by the pound That whole experience is going to have to change because can’t have lines of people next to diners in that restaurant so we’re going to take out all our tables and going to be takeout-only because of nature of space I think that’s going to have to happen with small neighborhood spots There’s not enough room for people to distance without being on top of each other to Roseland Community Hospital on the city’s South Side “At first I experienced a lot of anxiety [during the pandemic] — not because of my business is my mom going to be okay?’ That is where a large part of my anxiety lived so I immediately went into the fight mode and not the flight mode what am I going to do.’ What can I do with what I have and I don’t have a retail location so curbside pickup doesn’t work for me.. I will say this: when you look back at the more difficult times for our generation you look at the market crash of 2008 — after that we saw some really innovative businesses break through I’m talking about businesses like Lyft and Pinterest companies who broke through in spite of the dwindling economy I think that if you are the position to look at this with a positive outlook in terms of how can we innovate through this and also stay in flow of abundance to know you’re going to be okay even though it’s really scary right now we can come through this the way lot of companies did in the financial disaster.. but I also love to eat other people’s food so my biggest hope is those places are still open I hope and pray that small food entrepreneurs power through this Rich Labriola is the CEO of Stan’s Donuts & Coffee, an offshoot of the original California-based company founded by baker Stan Berman in 1965. Berman retired and permanently closed his legendary Los Angeles bakery in April and nine (out of 12) are currently offering delivery and pickup “My history was in the wholesale baking business so the first thing I started doing was seeing that the grocery stores are swamped and we don’t have a presence We’re working on a presence that won’t tarnish the brand in grocery stores and by fall we’ll see some donuts in certain grocery stores that’s at a higher level than what’s in the stores at this point in time.. That has really helped us out with sales and kept a lot of people working We have a commitment to safety and trying to keep our people working and getting paid We’re trying to keep most of our force working most of the time.. The hard part about this is that I’m the type of person who puts their head down and gets to work But it doesn’t matter how hard you work at this point people don’t want to come out of the house it’s all about public perception and safety so this is much more difficult than 2001 and 2008 put together.” Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker and Vietnamese restaurants are revealed as part of Dr They’re also launching a new line of paletas who requested anonymity in Block Club’s story Edward Burke’s (14th Ward) staff for support she was rebuffed and told that “street vendors were not welcome” in the ward When reached for comment by Block Club, a police spokesperson wrote that the officer’s actions were in response to unspecified “complaints” about the vendor. The episode is reminiscent of the complaints levied against Claudio Velez, the Tamale Guy. Complaints filed from the West Loop ultimately led to a cease and desist letter sent to Velez A post shared by Carnitas Uruapan (@carnitas_uruapanchi) on Jul 26 The federal government has placed three additional airports under military control further entrenching the prominent role the armed forces play in civilian life in Mexico Communications and Transport (SICT) on Tuesday published documents in the government’s official gazette that grant control of the airports in Uruapan Chiapas; and Puebla to the Olmeca-Maya-Mexica Airport a state-owned company run by the National Defense Ministry (Sedena) Those airports were previously operated by other state-owned companies The SICT also published a “concession title” that places the airport in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, under the control of the Mexican Touristic Airport Group another state-owned company that operates the airport in Tepic The Olmeca-Maya-Mexica group – which already operates a number of other Mexican airports and will control the Tulum airport once it opens – will take charge of the airports in Uruapan Palenque and Puebla for an indefinite period of time Among the airports that Sedena already operates via the state-owned company or independently are the Felipe Ángeles International Airport which the army built during the current government The newspaper El Financiero reported that the army will now control 12 airports across Mexico President López Obrador announced in June that the navy would be given complete control of the Mexico City International Airport, where it has been in charge of security since early 2022 In addition to operating airports, Sedena will soon launch a new state-owned airline to operate under the long-dormant Mexicana de Aviación brand The military has been given a wide range of non-traditional tasks during the current government infrastructure construction and the management of customs and ports Sedena also controls the state-owned company that will operate the Maya Train railroad, which is set to begin operations next month. The navy will take charge of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec trade corridor which will include a modernized train line between Salina Cruz that is set to begin operations in December López Obrador said earlier this year that the military is a “fundamental pillar of the Mexican state,” but denied claims that he has militarized Mexico during his presidency “Despite what our adversaries maintain, … it’s important to point out that the greater participation of the armed forces in security tasks doesn’t imply authoritarianism or militarization … of the country,” he said during an Army Day address in February “… It has been proven that society feels safer and more protected with the army’s fulfillment of this mission people feel that a soldier is one of them in uniform … and – like the majority of Mexicans – maintains a great reserve of cultural moral and spiritual values,” López Obrador added With reports from El Financiero and Reforma Mexico — The cartel members showed up in this verdant stretch of western Mexico armed with automatic weapons and chainsaws Soon they were cutting timber day and night the crash of falling trees echoing throughout the virgin forest explaining that the area was protected from logging they were held at gunpoint and ordered to keep quiet Stealing wood was just a prelude to a more ambitious plan members of a criminal group called the Viagras were almost certainly clearing the forest to set up a grow operation They wouldn’t be planting marijuana or other crops long favored by Mexican cartels but something potentially even more profitable: avocados More than a dozen criminal groups are battling for control of the avocado trade in and around the city of Uruapan the laborers who pick the fruit and the drivers who truck it north to the United States “The threat is constant and from all sides,” said Jose Maria Ayala Montero who works for a trade association that formed its own vigilante army to protect growers After seizing control of the forest in March the Viagras announced a tax on residents who owned avocado trees charging $250 a hectare in “protection fees.” Rivals from the Jalisco New Generation cartel wanted to control the same stretch of land — and residents were about to get caught in the middle of a vicious fight a convoy of pickup trucks loaded with Jalisco fighters raced into the woods and an hourlong gunbattle broke out a 72-year-old professor who runs a small nature center in the area cowered on the floor of his small cabin as bullets flew overhead His fear eventually gave way to anger at the growing power of the criminals “Now they are fighting for the keys to life.” Homicides are at an all-time high in Mexico which has long been home to the world’s most powerful and violent narcotics traffickers Yet much of the killing today has little to do with drugs the homicide rate has nearly tripled over the last three years as criminals battle for access to gasoline pipelines cartels control access to gold mines and even the price of goods in supermarkets the local Coca-Cola bottler closed its distribution center last year after more than a dozen groups tried to extort money from it bar owners in upscale neighborhoods must pay taxes to a local gang cargo robberies have risen more than 75% since 2016 a complex venture that requires managing contacts across the hemisphere these new criminal enterprises are more like local businesses This new approach to organized crime was pioneered by the notorious Zetas cartel and spread in response to the government’s 2006 declaration of war on drug traffickers focused on capturing or killing cartel leaders But that strategy backfired as the big cartels fractured into smaller and nimbler organizations that sought criminal opportunity wherever they could find it it’s far easier to just prey on local populations,” said Falko Ernst a Mexico-based analyst with the International Crisis Group which promotes nonviolent solutions to conflicts “It’s a myth that it’s only about drugs.” where there have been dozens of cartel splits over the last dozen years organized crime’s invasion of the avocado industry is a microcosm of what is happening elsewhere in the country — and a potent illustration of how the government has unintentionally fueled more violence Many people here now long for the early 1990s when just one family trafficked drugs through the region and the state was largely at peace The Valencia family was known as a benevolent force gave money to the sick and averted violence by paying local authorities to ensure easy shipment of marijuana trafficking groups from other parts of the country had grown envious of the Valencias in particular their control of the Lazaro Cardenas seaport on Michoacan’s Pacific coast Formed in the late 1990s by deserters of an elite Mexican army unit the Zetas embraced a new philosophy when it came to the drug trade Instead of simply controlling strategic points along drug transport routes they sought to minimize risk by also commandeering businesses along the routes that meant taking over the sale of stolen gasoline and the smuggling of migrants the Zetas partnered with locals to put the Valencias out of business and then began extorting money from cattle ranchers and lime farmers denouncing the Zetas as thieving outsiders while also adopting their predatory tactics members of a group that called itself La Familia Michoacana burst into a crowded nightclub in Uruapan and rolled five severed heads onto the dance floor — a message to the Zetas and a turning point for a nation not yet accustomed to such barbarity The group’s methods helped it win control of the state but they also provoked President Felipe Calderon to send in several thousand troops the opening salvo in his national fight against cartels The government strategy failed to end crime and violence in Michoacan Originally part of La Familia and later the Knights Templar cartel which emerged in 2011 after the government crackdown the Viagras later joined a government-run rural police force designed to topple the cartels But they still had their weapons and military-style training An important change has transformed the state: Americans fell in love with avocados consumption increased from 2 pounds per person to nearly 7.5 pounds sunshine and rich volcanic soil make it an ideal place to grow the fruit was uniquely positioned to capitalize on its rising popularity It is the only state in the country allowed to sell to the United States which banned avocados from Mexico until 1997 over concerns about pests As exports of Michoacan avocados boomed — on their way to $2.4 billion last year — luxury housing developments and car dealerships sprang up in Uruapan and elsewhere as huge swaths of forest were cleared to grow more And the increasing number of criminal groups all wanted a piece of the action On a recent chilly morning at a large farm a few hours outside Uruapan dozens of avocado pickers sipped coffee around a crackling fire Scaling trees and clipping avocados pays much better than many jobs in Mexico – $60 a day compared with the $5 minimum wage – but it increasingly comes with serious risks a slight 28-year-old who spent his childhood in California said the dozen-man team of pickers that he leads was recently summoned to a farm that turned out to be run by gang members “They came at us with pistols,” he said “They forced us to pick for seven hours and didn’t pay us.” gangs have barred his team from working in order to create a scarcity in supply which raises the profits for cartel-controlled groves Before the Valencia family trafficked drugs and it is an open secret here that for decades criminals have used avocado farms to launder money But never have the lower rungs of the industry been so vulnerable with multiple gangs extorting cash from small-time growers and state officials recording an average of four truckloads of avocados hijacked each day who was heaving 45-pound crates of avocados into a tractor-trailer said that in the last six months he has been held up twice by armed men who forced him to drive to a safe house and unload there “They’ll come to your house and shoot up your whole family,” he said putting the death toll on track to top 1,500 Security has become so tenuous that in June a group of avocado producers bought ads in several national newspapers warning of an “irreparable impact” to the industry unless officials address the problem Department of Agriculture temporarily suspended its avocado inspection program in a town near Uruapan after threats to some of its employees Local media reported that one inspector had been carjacked and another group of employees subjected to intimidation after they canceled a farm’s certification a political scientist at Barnard College who is writing a book in part about extortion in Michoacan said the avocado trade’s relationship with organized crime varies dramatically across the region which makes it difficult for authorities and citizens to navigate “When you don’t know who controls what it becomes much harder to live your daily life,” he said Many here had high hopes for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador who took office a year ago and declared that Mexico was no longer at war with cartels But besides vowing to fight poverty and shift security duties from the military to a newly created civilian National Guard he has yet to articulate a new plan to curb violence “There is an abject absence of law enforcement strategy,” said Vanda Felbab-Brown a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution “If you’re going to say what does not work avocado producers in Michoacan are taking their own drastic measures After gangsters burned down two major packing plants and kidnapped the 16-year-old son of another prominent packer several years ago producers in the municipality of Tancitaro a major avocado hub an hour and a half from Uruapan Working with the local avocado trade association the producers armed their own civilian police force built guard towers at the entrances to every town and orchestrated a takeover of the municipal government by ensuring that only one mayoral candidate — theirs — was on the ballot The strategy has been criticized as a dangerous experiment in frontier justice “It’s safe here now,” said Diana Flores Murillo the sister of the 16-year-old who was kidnapped Now the director of finance at her father’s profitable company she arrives safely to work each day in a shiny red Jeep and new Gucci sneakers was so angry after war broke out in the woods in May that he went to state authorities to complain about a cartel takeover of the forest state police officers broke into his home when he was not there stealing gardening tools and leaving him a warning note to stay silent State police officers did not respond to requests for comment He fought back by filing a complaint with the state’s human rights commission and taking the story to local journalists “The worst-case scenario is that they decide I’m making too much noise and they kill me,” he said residents in Uruapan awoke to a grisly scene “Be a patriot,” read a banner draped from a highway overpass and signed by the Jalisco New Generation cartel Nine more bodies hung from the bridge — seven men and two women strung up for the whole town to see LA is a city that runs on corn tortillas, and the best of them start with quality masa. In 2014, Good Food’s Evan Kleiman spoke to Eddie de la Torre, owner of Carnitas Uruapan in Boyle Heights The restaurant makes its own masa in house Carnitas Uruapan2100 E Cesar E Chavez AveLos Angeles KCRW and Gustavo Arellano’s second annual Great Tortilla Tournament is now underway with 32 tortilla makers from across Southern California moving on to the second round.. and the best of them start with quality masa Good Food’s Evan Kleiman spoke to Eddie de la Torre When you’re introduced to a cuisine by eating in restaurants often times the process and pantry seem impenetrable But Brooklyn chef Sohui Kim likens Korean home.. These days Los Angeles chef Jet Tila is recognized by millions as a presenter on Iron Chef America chefs are flocking to Weiser Family Farms for biquinho peppers These teardrop-shaped peppers have all the fruitiness and.. Gustavo Arellano wrote for the New Yorker about Le Mirage Pastry Good Food’s Evan Kleiman delivers local-first missives from our vibrant food community FLASH SALE: Snag The OG Black Zip-Up designed by LA artist Chuy Hartman— inspired by the 24/7 service we provide to the LA community ends tonight Get the latest from KCRW in your inbox 3x a week it plants a flag in your appetite and becomes a landmark to look back upon and fondly remember for the rest of your life it’s a big fancy meal involving multiple courses and the option for coordinated wine pairings Other times La Mesa’s Carnitas Uruapan isn’t new to me I’ve driven past it dozens of times in the past decade and on multiple occasions rolled up to its de facto drive thru (really just a window facing its cramped parking lot) my order has always been some version of the same: carnitas tacos That’s not exactly something to regret. The word carnitas is in the name after all, and Uruapan refers to the city in the Michoacán state of Mexico where the slow-cooked pork dish is said to have originated. The location of this family-owned restaurant may have moved around over the past few decades, but its carnitas have been consistently (and rightly) declared among the best in the city combining pulled pork tenderness with flavorful it’s a place I mentally noted for a good carnitas fix and I never stopped by frequently enough to look beyond the specialty of the house While waiting inside its small dining room to order I read more closely through the burrito options on the menu and realized it departs a bit from the San Diego usual meat the surf and turf burrito features carne asada One called El picoso fixes up the carne with chorizo But the burrito that really caught my attention was the Ranchero: carne asada stuffed inside a chille relleno The long California chili used in the relleno conveys only mild heat but its peppery flavor makes an ideal complement for the steak and melted cheese and an almost gravy-like ranchero add more savor to the mix every component of this burrito contributes taste and texture to a cohesive finished product This ain’t a bunch of ingredients slopped together inside the same flour tortilla it’s one of the finest burritos I’ve ever encountered in what has proven a thoroughly burrito-packed life I literally went to sleep thinking about it that night And when dinnertime came around the next evening I returned to Carnitas Uruapan and ordered it again My return engagement earned a few chuckles from the friendly folks working the small shop which I now realize has so much more than carnitas to offer “See you tomorrow!” someone shouted with a laugh as I returned to my car 43,000+ global companies doing business in the region 102,000+ key contacts related to companies and projects news and interviews about your industry in English The victims - 16 men and three women - were shot and their bodies showed signs of torture, Michoacan Attorney General Adrian Lopez Solis said in a press conference. Some of the bodies were dismembered and others left hanging off a bridge, the AG said. The main industry in Uruapan is growing avocados for export to the United States, Europe and Asia. Authorities initially said that 16 bodies had been found in the city, but three more bodies were discovered as investigators searched the area. The bodies were dumped at three locations along Boulevard Industrial, one of the main avenues in Uruapan, the second-largest city in Michoacan, Lopez Solis said. The Michoacan Attorney General’s Office said it was investigating the possibility that the killings were linked to the turf war being waged by the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), Caballeros Templarios and Nueva Familia Michoacana organizations. The Nueva Familia Michoacana drug cartel employs a team of hitmen known as Los Viagras. Los Viagras was created in 2013 after criminals infiltrated community self-defense groups battling the Caballeros Templarios cartel. In 2015, Los Viagras took control of the illegal drug trade in the Tierra Caliente, a region straddling Michoacan, Guerrero and Mexico states. The three criminal organizations have been fighting for control of drug production and trafficking, kidnapping, auto theft and extortion rackets in the region. Organized-crime groups have been targeting the avocado industry, kidnapping business owners and running extortion rackets to squeeze money out of them. Officers from different law enforcement agencies and army troops were deployed in Uruapan after the killings to search for cartel safe houses and other buildings where drug traffickers may be hiding. In June, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s administration ordered the deployment of the newly created National Guard in Michoacan in an effort to contain the wave of violence in the western state. Uruapan, like many other cities in Michoacan, has been plagued by drug-related violence for more than a decade. On Sept. 6, 2006, hitmen on the payroll of the Familia Michoacana cartel tossed the heads of five men on the dance floor at the Sol y Sombra bar in Uruapan along with a message threatening a rival gang. The incident is considered the event that unleashed the wave of violence in the region. The Caballeros Templarios cartel was created in 2010 by former Familia Michoacana members. In the first half of 2019, a total of 17,138 murders, or 95.2 killings per day, were registered in Mexico, a figure that was up 7.2 percent from the same period last year. In 2018, 33,369 murders were recorded in Mexico, making it the most violent year since 1997. EFE Deportes Subscribe for unlimited access Site Map set to arrive in the United States just days before the Super Bowl so we don’t get robbed,” Abraham explained he lost his truck and its tons of avocados after being stopped by robbers about 100 million pounds of avocados are regularly consumed in the U.S but the journey from the orchard to the guacamole bowl can be a perilous one the same people from small towns rob you,” Abraham said He requested that his full name not be disclosed out of fear of retaliation He spoke of the risks of working in a place divided and controlled by two different criminal groups the local Los Viagras cartel and the powerful regional Jalisco New Generation Cartel or CJNG More:A ruthless Mexican drug lord’s empire is devastating families with its grip on small-town USA “Our bosses have to pay a fee to the cartels their trucks also brimming with avocados bound for the north The trucks arrived safely in Uruapan, in the state of Michoacán, the region that produces 80% of Mexico’s avocados and more avocados than anywhere in the world. Cartels impose ‘war tax’ on avocado farming“Honestly you have to pay to be able to work,” the owner of a packing company located in Uruapan who didn’t want to be identified for fear of retaliation The owner said some growers and packing companies pay 1,000 Mexican pesos (around 50 U.S dollars) per hectare monthly to criminal groups The massive worldwide demand for avocados has turned the business into a very profitable one in Mexico but it also turned the “green gold” into a target for multiple layers of organized crime seeking to control the trade organized crime groups in this war with each other have been diversifying their criminal portfolio,” said David Saucedo “They (cartels) are engaged in kidnapping and extortion and they quickly identified some very lucrative activities such as controlling and collecting extortion fees from avocado producers this war tax that the cartels imposed on them,” Saucedo explained More:Outbreak of Mexican cartel violence targeting innocents raises worries of what’s to come In February 2022, the U.S. halted avocado imports from Mexico over an anonymous threat made to an American agricultural inspector in Michoacán According to Mexico’s department of agriculture the worker received a threatening message on his cellphone The packing company owner said the situation is complicated with these criminal groups but emphasized that sometimes it is even worse with the government they even say ‘hi’ and talk to you nicely,” the owner said A laborer at an orchard in Uruapan said the cartels usually don’t mess with them “They treat it directly with the owner of the orchard; they don't mess with the workers and they started disappearing the workers,” the man The fee the owners pay includes protection and some benefits “I’ve heard they even take care of your family.” More:Will El Chapo son's arrest slow export of drugs to US? Next steps crucial, experts say it is due to the normalization of violence in Michoacán,” Saucedo said There are entire areas of the state where there is no presence of the Mexican government and public security forces are at times in collusion with organized crime many avocado producers have been making payments to organized crime groups for practically more than 10 years in order to carry out their commercial activity,” he said The owner of another packing company in Uruapan spoke to The Courier Journal anonymously saying most of the time they are in the middle of the turf war between two cartels “Imagine you're in the middle of two groups “They are going to get money from everywhere and they come with the offer of ‘we will protect you,’ but protect me from what More:With drug cartel violence, is it safe to travel to Mexico? Security experts weigh in ended its ban on imports of Mexican avocados in 1997 Regulators put the ban in place several decades earlier over concerns about pests invading U.S and it has been registering record export numbers ever since In January, the marketing organization “Avocados from Mexico” announced the kick-off for the first shipment of avocados sent to the U.S “Avocados from Mexico will land in the American country in February seeking to exceed the shipments of 2022 with more than 100,000 tons of avocado,” the organization said in a statement Juan Carlos Ruiz, manager of Brandon’s Fresh avocado packing company based in Uruapan told The Courier Journal his team is fully committed to the Super Bowl season we send more than 170 tons to the Super Bowl for this very famous event being one of the largest packing companies in Michoacán,” Ruiz said “We are exporting around 25 to 30 trucks per day to the U.S a pride to participate in this great event.” “Every time there is a Super Bowl in the U.S. the debate around the Mexican avocados resumes,” Saucedo said Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the suspension was part of a conspiracy against his country over politics and economic interest They don’t want Mexican avocados to get into the U.S because it would rule due to its quality,” López Obrador said Saucedo believes there are some honest voices coming from the U.S that are concerned about the security situation in Michoacán but there are others that seek to stop the import of avocados from Mexico in favor of local growers The cartel problem in Michoacán has continued for decades leading to the creation of self-defense groups and to growers and packers giving in to the extortion of criminal groups More:City hall massacre: Local Mexican leaders risk lives to stay in office in cartel territory “There has been no president in Mexico who has made the real determination to face the situation in Michoacán because it would imply a military occupation and the death of many civilians,” Saucedo said. “I believe that there should be some kind of U.S. intervention in Michoacán, but not by blocking avocado exports ― rather, strengthening the participation of the (U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency) in the fight against organized crime groups in Michoacán.” Cristopher Rogel Blanquet is a journalist based in Mexico City. Karol Suárez is a Venezuela-born journalist based out of Mexico City. They are contributors to The Courier Journal. Follow Suárez on Twitter at @KarolSuarez_. Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account Mexico has been no stranger to grim scenes in recent years but on Thursday its cartel wars hit a fresh low as numerous bodies were found hanging from an overpass in the southern state of Michoacan and others were found chopped up on a road nearby Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience 19 bodies were found in the city of Uruapan — seven men and two women dangling from the bridge at 5.30 a.m.; six men and a woman left lying in various states of dismemberment on the street below; and more male bodies found in a separate neighbourhood Photos in Mexican outlets showed human heads The bodies hanging from the bridge were in various states of undress Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox Interested in more newsletters? The Viagras are the local rivals of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel who controls most of Mexico’s methamphetamine trade is battling both the Viagras and another cartel who was once allied with El Chapo but later turned against him authorities have put a $10 million price on the ex-cop’s head is meant to intimidate rivals and send a message to the authorities,” security expert Alejandro Hope told the Associated Press “There is a turf war between the (local) cells of different criminal groups They are fighting for territorial control over the production distribution and consumption of drugs,” Al Jazeera quoted the Michoacan attorney general Adrian Lopez as saying Although the slaughter is being blamed by state officials on Michoacan’s drug trade a multi-million dollar industry that cartels use to line their pockets via extortion of farmers and control of growing areas Eight-in-ten avocados eaten in North America come from Michoacan “The big magnet here is avocados,” Falko Ernst an analyst with the International Crisis Group The outlet previously reported that as many as four trucks carrying avocados are robbed in Michoacan per day The crisis has become so bad in recent years that locals have set up armed self-defence groups to combat the cartels have themselves been linked to the drug gangs initially gained legitimacy as a government-backed self-defence outfit has sworn to tackle the escalating violence yet 2019 could be Mexico’s bloodiest year yet Al Jazeera reports that 14,603 murders were registered between January and June alone El Mencho’s latest act has evoked memories of one of Uruapan’s darkest episodes — the night in 2006 when 20 men stormed into a city bar and rolled five severed heads across the dance floor “He’s public enemy number one,” Paul Craine who led the DEA in Mexico at the time of El Chapo’s arrest told the Mirror of El Mencho earlier this year “And he’s got an army of thousands of bad guys.” Unlike El Chapo — whose prison escapes turned him into a pantomime character — El Mencho is relatively unknown internationally His cartel is said to be worth up to $20 billion according to a 2017 profile in Rolling Stone It’s a fortune El Mencho built up from trafficking routes spanning six continents while getting cartel underlings to do his bidding who would talk about him,” an ex-DEA agent told the magazine the CJNG’s crimes rank alongside anything Mexico has ever seen In 2013 the CJNG reportedly raped a 10-year-old girl They thought she was the daughter of a drug rival “This is a guy who’ll execute your whole family based on not much more than a rumour,” one source told Rolling Stone transmission or republication strictly prohibited This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy You can manage saved articles in your account The Jalisco New Generation Cartel has claimed responsibility for killing 19 people whose bodies were found along a boulevard in Uruapan apparent victims of the conflict between the cartel and the gang known as Los Viagras Michoacán Attorney General Adrián López Solís told a press conference that the bodies of seven men and two women were found hanging from an overpass on Bulevar Industrial around 5:30am the bodies of another six men and one woman were found under a pedestrian overpass on the same boulevard Police later found more bodies in the Ampliación Revolución neighborhood All the victims had been killed by gunshots the Jalisco cartel took responsibility for the killings and threatened their rivals which is a branch of the Nueva Familia Michoacana cartel “We want to make clear that whoever helps La Chatarra Maniaco or Filos will end up like this,” the message read Michoacán officials announced plans to increase the presence of security forces and asked the federal government to deploy more National Guardsmen and improve coordination between state and federal forces The National Guard has been deployed in Michoacán since June Uruapan is the state’s second-largest city and one of the top-50 most violent municipalities in Mexico Source: Mi Morelia (sp), Sin Embargo (sp), Aristegui Noticias (sp) Nineteen dead bodies have been found displayed in a Mexican city in what appears to be a scare tactic by a local cartel Officials found nine bodies hanging from a bridge in Uruapan, in the western Michoacán state, around 5:30 a.m. Thursday local time, Mexico News Daily reported citing Michoacán Attorney General Adrián López Solís While this kind of cartel-linked violence in Mexico has historically been related to the drugs trade some experts have pointed to the trend of criminal gangs increasingly fighting for control of the avocado trade as well The corpses of six men and one woman were found underneath a pedestrian overpass nearby Three more bodies were found further down the road in the residentia Ampliación Revolución neighborhood, The Associated Press (AP) reported which INSIDER has decided not to republish showed some of the victims hanging by their necks from the bridge with their pants pulled down They were displayed next to a banner that showing the initials of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) The banner contained a threat to their rivals "We want to make clear that whoever helps La Chatarra Maniaco or Filos will end up like this," the message said referring to the CJNG's rival gang in Michoacán López blamed the killings on a "turf war" between the local branches of various cartels around the country adding that the latest spate of violence appeared to be linked to the drug trade "There is a turf war between the [local] cells of different criminal groups," he said, according to Al Jazeera "They are fighting for territorial control over the production Experts believe that another factor driving inter-cartel violence is a struggle over avocado production so too has the fight over the fruit's production and distribution Read more: Farmers in Mexico's avocado heartland are relying on vigilantes to protect their 'green gold' Falko Ernst, a Mexico-based analyst for the think tank, told the Guardian that this week's killings were partly to control Uruapan's local drug trade Some local communities in Michoacán have even deployed paramilitary forces to protect themselves from the cartels Security forces detained a suspected leader of the Viagras crime gang after a shootout in the center of Uruapan on Friday that left three police officers with gunshot wounds Members of the National Guard along with state and municipal police arrested Luis Felipe Barragán Ayala and two other suspected gang members armed men in moving vehicles began firing at municipal police in downtown Uruapan just before midday The police responded with their own gunfire and received backup from the federal and state security forces A gunfight lasting several minutes ensued before the security forces were able to arrest the three suspects were wounded and taken to hospital under heavy security along with the three injured officers Also known as “El Vocho” (Mexican slang for a VW beetle) and “El V8,” the suspected Viagras leader is classified by authorities as a “highly dangerous” person and considered one of the main generators of violence in central Michoacán Authorities believe that he was behind the murder of 19 people whose bodies were found along a boulevard in Uruapan last August although a narco-banner left with the victims was signed by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) Barragán’s arrest on Friday triggered an angry response from other suspected members of the Viagras El Universal reported that one group of armed men hijacked a car and truck and set the vehicles on fire on the Siglo XXI highway outside Uruapan Another group of men torched two vehicles on the Uruapan-Pátzcuaro highway near the community of San Andrés Corú soon after while three trucks were set ablaze at almost the same time on the road to the town of Lombardía All three roads were reopened to traffic shortly after 3:00pm following the removal of the charred vehicles Originating from Huetamo, a municipality in the Michoacán’s Tierra Caliente region, the Viagras gang began operating as a self-defense force in 2014 It later morphed into a drug gang and in 2017 was described by Governor Silvano Aureoles as “the most bloodthirsty and dangerous” criminal group operating in the state The gang is engaged in a bloody turf war with the CJNG that has killed scores of members of both organizations and is notorious for setting up narco-blockades to retaliate against the capture of its members and to hinder security force operations against it Source: El Universal (sp) Bnamericas Published: Wednesday, July 26, 2023 Highway Operator Highways - Roads was the one he least expected: Uruapan Charanda Blanco Rum “You taste a lot of stuff that’s really not exceptional,” says Thompson who opened Jaguar Sun with his business partner chef Carey Hynes (formerly of Momofuku and Per Se) last September But “once in a while you come across something that just opens your eyes a little bit wider and that’s what I felt about that rum.” Distilled from sugarcane or its byproducts—including melado piloncillo and molasses—charanda (which in the Purépecha language means “red-colored soil”) is a style of rum that has been made in Mexico for centuries that the spirit was granted protective denominación de origen status stating that charanda must be made in the Mexican state of Michoacán in the region of Uruapan The sugarcane used for both ingredients is grown nearby in the region’s famed red Though Thompson admittedly tries to avoid obsessing over things as he’s “already airing on the side of being a geeky bartender,” he says what’s exciting about this 92-proof rum is finding out what it can’t do “I was concerned I was only going to be able to put it in geeky bartender drinks but increasingly I’ve just been using it as a white rum,” says Thompson he says it reminded him of a rhum agricole thanks to its prominent heat and hogo funk he adds that its underlying big fruit flavor—like “exploding overripe pineapples”—masks the esters and any potential harshness So far, Uruapan Charanda Blanco is featured in two cocktails on the menu at Jaguar Sun: a spirit-forward pineapple Daiquiri (“a drink that we see reordered over and over again which is really cool”) and the Very Strong Baby (recipe below) which combines the spirit with pear eau de vie Another box this funky spirit checks for Thompson is its price—it retails at a very reasonable $26 for a liter “There’s a whole universe of things that are very delicious and also expensive,” he says “I think a lot of the time your job as a bartender is to seek out that value that hasn’t been explored yet and then pass that along to people by making inexpensive delicious drinks that lead a guest to want to come back.” It doesn’t hurt that the bottle is eye-catching “The fact that it’s visually beautiful goes a really long way with guests,” says Thompson. “That’s what I learned with mezcal It can help somebody who doesn’t want to have a conversation with you about ancestral rum styles from some of the smaller states in Mexico open their minds to Thompson’s newfound love of Uruapan Charanda Blanco has also encouraged him to seriously consider rums and other rum-like spirits from outside the same standard Caribbean islands —from clairins in Haiti to Brazilian cachaça “Sugarcane spirits in general are in the midst of a really exciting time,” he says “Even though [charanda] is not a Caribbean rum where a lot of the [rum] conversation is coming from it’s still tapped into this idea of making really great unadulterated spirit and being really transparent about it—I think that’s really important.” Add all the ingredients to an Old-fashioned glass Add the strawberries and Campari to a jar and let sit for 48 hours in the fridge Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here. Anna Archibald is a food, drink and travel writer who regularly contributes to Half Full. Her work can also be found in Wine Enthusiast, Thrillist and various other publications. Print URUAPAN Mexico — The cartel members showed up in this verdant stretch of western Mexico armed with automatic weapons and chainsaws They wouldn’t be planting marijuana or other crops long favored by Mexican cartels Mexico’s multibillion-dollar avocado industry which have been seizing farms and clearing protected woodlands to plant their own groves of what locals call “green gold.” Avocado groves carved into the hillside outside the city of Uruapan where cartels have evolved beyond drug trafficking and now prey on the avocado trade (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) More than a dozen criminal groups are battling for control of the avocado trade in and around the city of Uruapan “The threat is constant and from all sides,” said Jose Maria Ayala Montero charging $250 a hectare in “protection fees.” Rivals from the Jalisco New Generation cartel wanted to control the same stretch of land — and residents were about to get caught in the middle of a vicious fight a convoy of pickup trucks loaded with Jalisco fighters raced into the woods and an hourlong gun battle broke out “Now they are fighting for the keys to life.” Juan Madrigal Miranda lives in a forest outside Uruapan that is contested by two Mexican cartels (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) :: Homicides are at an all-time high in Mexico which has long been home to the world’s most powerful and violent narcotics traffickers In parts of Guerrero state, cartels control access to gold mines and even the price of goods in supermarkets. In one city, Altamirano, the local Coca-Cola bottler closed its distribution center last year after more than a dozen groups tried to extort money from it. The Pepsi bottler left a few months later. In Mexico City, bar owners in upscale neighborhoods must pay taxes to a local gang, while on the nation’s highways, cargo robberies have risen more than 75% since 2016. México Los cárteles de México están peleando por aguacates This new approach to organized crime was pioneered by the notorious Zetas cartel and spread in response to the government’s 2006 declaration of war on drug traffickers. Mexican forces, with strong U.S. support, focused on capturing or killing cartel leaders. But that strategy backfired as the big cartels fractured into smaller and nimbler organizations that sought criminal opportunity wherever they could find it. “For many of those smaller groups, it’s far easier to just prey on local populations,” said Falko Ernst, a Mexico-based analyst with the International Crisis Group, which promotes nonviolent solutions to conflicts. “It’s a myth that it’s only about drugs.” The entrance to Tancitaro, an avocado-growing hub in Mexico that created its own vigilante police force protect the local avocado trade. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) In Michoacan, where there have been dozens of cartel splits over the last dozen years, organized crime’s invasion of the avocado industry is a microcosm of what is happening elsewhere in the country — and a potent illustration of how the government has unintentionally fueled more violence. Many people here now long for the early 1990s, when just one family trafficked drugs through the region and the state was largely at peace. The Valencia family was known as a benevolent force. It built churches, gave money to the sick and averted violence by paying local authorities to ensure easy shipment of marijuana, heroin and cocaine to the United States. But by 2000, trafficking groups from other parts of the country had grown envious of the Valencias, in particular their control of the Lazaro Cardenas seaport on Michoacan’s Pacific coast. The Gulf cartel, based in the eastern state of Tamaulipas, went to battle with the family, sending in its paramilitary force, the Zetas. Formed in the late 1990s by deserters of an elite Mexican army unit, the Zetas embraced a new philosophy when it came to the drug trade. Instead of simply controlling strategic points along drug transport routes, they sought to minimize risk by also commandeering businesses along the routes. In Tamaulipas, that meant taking over the sale of stolen gasoline and the smuggling of migrants. In Michoacan, the Zetas partnered with locals to put the Valencias out of business and then began extorting money from cattle ranchers and lime farmers. The local partners eventually rebelled, denouncing the Zetas as thieving outsiders while also adopting their predatory tactics. Uruapan was in many ways ground zero for the Mexican drug war. Now cartels are evolving beyond drug trafficking. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) In 2006, members of a group that called itself La Familia Michoacana burst into a crowded nightclub in Uruapan and rolled five severed heads onto the dance floor — a message to the Zetas and a turning point for a nation not yet accustomed to such barbarity. The group’s methods helped it win control of the state, but they also provoked President Felipe Calderon to send in several thousand troops, the opening salvo in his national fight against cartels. The government strategy failed to end crime and violence in Michoacan, and in some ways only made things worse. The Viagras, for example, probably wouldn’t exist today if not for the state’s interventions. World & Nation Culiacan has long been a city of open secrets When that force was disbanded, the Viagras lost their paychecks. But they still had their weapons and military-style training another important change was transforming the state: Americans were falling in love with avocados As exports of Michoacan avocados boomed — on their way to $2.4 billion last year — luxury housing developments and car dealerships sprang up in Uruapan and elsewhere as huge swaths of forest were cleared to grow more. And the increasing number of criminal groups all wanted a piece of the action. On a recent chilly morning at a large farm a few hours outside Uruapan, dozens of avocado pickers sipped coffee around a crackling fire, preparing for a grueling day. Scaling trees and clipping avocados pays much better than many jobs in Mexico — $60 a day compared with the $5 minimum wage — but it increasingly comes with serious risks. Mayco Ceja, a slight 28-year-old who spent his childhood in California, said the dozen-man team of pickers that he leads was recently summoned to a farm that turned out to be run by gang members. “They came at us with pistols,” he said. “They forced us to pick for seven hours and didn’t pay us.” Avocado picking is well-paid by Mexican standards, but it is an increasingly dangerous job. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) On other occasions, gangs have barred his team from working in order to create a scarcity in supply, which raises the profits for cartel-controlled groves. Before the Valencia family trafficked drugs, it grew avocados, and it is an open secret here that for decades criminals have used avocado farms to launder money. But never have the lower rungs of the industry been so vulnerable, with multiple gangs extorting cash from small-time growers and state officials recording an average of four truckloads of avocados hijacked each day. One driver, who was heaving 45-pound crates of avocados into a tractor-trailer, said that in the last six months he has been held up twice by armed men who forced him to drive to a safe house and unload there. He was too afraid to give his name. “They’ll come to your house and shoot up your whole family,” he said. “Kids included.” Last year, 1,338 people were killed in Michoacan, more than any year on record. This year has been even deadlier, with 1,309 homicides through October, putting the death toll on track to top 1,500. Security has become so tenuous that in June a group of avocado producers bought ads in several national newspapers warning of an “irreparable impact” to the industry unless officials address the problem. In August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture temporarily suspended its avocado inspection program in a town near Uruapan after threats to some of its employees. Local media reported that one inspector had been carjacked and another group of employees subjected to intimidation after they canceled a farm’s certification. Michoacan exports $2.4 billion in avocados each year. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) Eduardo Moncada, a political scientist at Barnard College who is writing a book in part about extortion in Michoacan, said the avocado trade’s relationship with organized crime varies dramatically across the region, which makes it difficult for authorities and citizens to navigate. “When you don’t know who controls what, it becomes much harder to live your daily life,” he said. Many here had high hopes for President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office a year ago and declared that Mexico was no longer at war with cartels. But besides vowing to fight poverty and shift security duties from the military to a newly created civilian National Guard, he has yet to articulate a new plan to curb violence. “There is an abject absence of law enforcement strategy,” said Vanda Felbab-Brown, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “If you’re going to say what does not work, you have to say what will work.” In the meantime, avocado producers in Michoacan are taking their own drastic measures. After gangsters burned down two major packing plants and kidnapped the 16-year-old son of another prominent packer several years ago, producers in the municipality of Tancitaro, a major avocado hub an hour and a half from Uruapan, rose up. Working with the local avocado trade association, the producers armed their own civilian police force, built guard towers at the entrances to every town and orchestrated a takeover of the municipal government by ensuring that only one mayoral candidate — theirs — was on the ballot. Members of an armed police force patrol in Tancitaro, Mexico. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) The strategy has been criticized as a dangerous experiment in frontier justice. Yet the government has not intervened, and for now, the efforts appear to be working. “It’s safe here now,” said Diana Flores Murillo, the sister of the 16-year-old who was kidnapped. Now the director of finance at her father’s profitable company, she arrives safely to work each day in a shiny red Jeep and new Gucci sneakers. Madrigal, the ecologist, was so angry after war broke out in the woods in May that he went to state authorities to complain about a cartel takeover of the forest. Instead of helping, he said, state police officers broke into his home when he was not there, overturning furniture, stealing gardening tools and leaving him a warning note to stay silent. State police officers did not respond to requests for comment. He fought back by filing a complaint with the state’s human rights commission and taking the story to local journalists. “The worst-case scenario is that they decide I’m making too much noise and they kill me,” he said. In the forest, the felling of trees continues. So does the cartel war. One morning in August, residents in Uruapan awoke to a grisly scene. “Be a patriot,” read a banner draped from a highway overpass and signed by the Jalisco New Generation cartel. “Kill a Viagra!” Dumped nearby were 10 corpses, some of which had been dismembered. Nine more bodies hung from the bridge — seven men and two women strung up for the whole town to see. Cecilia Sanchez of The Times’ Mexico City bureau contributed to this report. Kate Linthicum is a foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times based in Mexico City. Read moreThe massacre, in Uruapan 250 miles from Mexico City, was claimed by the increasingly dominant Jalisco New Generation cartel which posted a large white banner beside the dangling bodies of its victims beneath the group’s capitalised red initials At least 10 other dismembered and bullet-riddled bodies were reportedly found dumped in two nearby locations Michoacán state’s attorney general, Adrián López Solís, blamed the killings on a clash between rival cartels battling for control of the region’s drug trade Troops were being mobilized to investigate the crimes and catch the killers an International Crisis Group researcher who studies Mexico’s cartels said this week’s slaughter was clearly intended to intimidate rival criminal groups Ernst said the bloodbath was partly about the struggle for control of Uruapan’s local drug trade. But a more important motivation was the fight for the region’s billion-dollar avocado industry “The big magnet here is avocados,” he said Ernst said at least three armed groups were currently battling for control of the city of Uruapan – the CJNG the Knights Templar cartel and Los Viagras which is part of a larger organization called the the Nueva Familia Michoacana Stomach-churning displays of criminal might are not unusual in Mexico which last year suffered a record 35,964 murders But the CJNG has become particularly notorious for its willingness to confront Mexican authorities with brazen public shows of brute force and firepower In May video footage emerged showing heavily armed cartel members parading through Zamora in cars marked with their group’s insignia The cartel was blamed for a battle with local police that day that reportedly left at least four officers dead ShowWhy did Mexico launch its war on drugs Felipe Calderón launched Mexico’s war on drugs by sending 6,500 troops into his home state of Michoacán where rival cartels were engaged in tit-for-tat massacres Calderón declared war eight days after taking power – a move widely seen as an attempt to boost his own legitimacy after a bitterly contested election victory around 20,000 troops were involved in operations Mexico’s decade-long war on drugs would never have been possible without the injection of American cash and military cooperation under the Merida Initiative The funds have continued to flow despite indisputable evidence of human rights violations. Under new president Andrés Manuel López Obrador murder rates are up and a new security force is being deployed onto the streets despite campaign promises to end the drug war Improved collaboration between the US and Mexico has resulted in numerous high-profile arrests and drug busts Officials say 25 of the 37 drug traffickers on Calderón’s most-wanted list have been jailed although not all of these actions have been independently corroborated The biggest victory – and most embarrassing blunder – under Peña Nieto’s leadership was the recapture, escape and another recapture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán While the crackdown and capture of kingpins has won praise from the media and US That failed offensive against the cartels resulted in an unprecedented period of bloodletting with murder rates soaring across the country almost ever since who became Mexico’s president last December swept to power promising to rethink his country’s fight against crime He created a new security force called the national guard and vowed to tackle the social roots of crime by offering scholarships to disadvantaged teenagers But eight months into López Obrador’s presidency there is no sign of improvement Official figures show there were at least 17,608 murders in the first half of the year La Voz de Michoacán, a local newspaper, said that this year as armed groups battled for supremacy there Michoacán state had found itself at the eye of the storm with 963 killings since January Even Mexico City – long seen as a island of relative calm from the conflict – has seen a surge in crime this year Prosecutors in the state of Michoacan said late Monday the attack left two other people wounded. The four gunmen were apparently searching for specific targets, but then opened fire indiscriminately on customers. Two of the victims were aged 17 and 18. Read moreThe attack occurred Monday in the city of Uruapan where violence has reached shocking proportions investigators also found the decomposed bodies of 11 people in clandestine graves in Uruapan Prosecutors said they were investigating a missing person case when they received a tip about the clandestine burial pits killing one officer and wounding two others That attack may have been retaliation for the Friday arrest of a Viagras gang leader who has been implicated in 19 murders Turf wars between the Jalisco and Viagras drug cartels Mexico’s “war on drugs” began in late 2006 when the president at the time ordered thousands of troops on to the streets in response to an explosion of horrific violence in his native state of Michoacán Calderón hoped to smash the drug cartels with his heavily militarized onslaught but the approach was counterproductive and exacted a catastrophic human toll As Mexico’s military went on the offensive the body count skyrocketed to new heights and tens of thousands were forced from their homes Simultaneously, Calderón also began pursuing the so-called “kingpin strategy” by which authorities sought to decapitate the cartels by targeting their leaders That policy resulted in some high-profile successes – notably Arturo Beltrán Leyva, who was gunned down by Mexican marines in 2009 – but also did little to bring peace many believe such tactics served only to pulverize the world of organized crime less predictable factions squabbled for their piece of the pie the government’s rhetoric on crime softened as Mexico sought to shed its reputation as the headquarters of some the world’s most murderous mafia groups with authorities targeting prominent cartel leaders such as Sinaloa’s Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán When “El Chapo” was arrested in early 2016 Mexico’s president bragged: “Mission accomplished” By the time Peña Nieto left office in 2018 Mexico had suffered another record year of murders The leftwing populist Andrés Manuel López Obrador took power in December, promising a dramatic change in tactics. López Obrador, or Amlo, as most call him, vowed to attack the social roots of crime, offering vocational training to more than 2.3 million disadvantaged young people at risk of being ensnared by the cartels “It will be virtually impossible to achieve peace without justice and [social] welfare,” Amlo said promising to slash the murder rate from an average of 89 killings per day with his “hugs not bullets” doctrine Amlo also pledged to chair daily 6am security meetings and create a 60,000 strong national guard with the new security force used mostly to hunt Central American migrants Mexico now suffers an average of about 96 murders a day Thank you for your feedback.In August, Jalisco cartel gunmen left nine bodies hanging from an overpass with seven more corpses hacked up and dumped by the road nearby They hung a banner from the overpass threatening the Viagras Uruapan is where many believe Mexico’s 2006-12 drug war began in September 2006, when armed masked men burst into a bar there and tossed five severed heads on to the dance floor