Tierra Caliente
Cartel gunmen shot down a Mexican police helicopter
The gunmen are reportedly allied to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of at least 10 criminal groups fighting for control of the Hot Land region in western Mexico.
Five families massacred in two weeks as Mexico's murder rate surges
With the number of homicides across the country at their highest since 2012, this weekend’s victims included two mayors gunned down.
Meet the hitman and the vigilante who say they're trapped inside Mexico’s drug wars
The government claims it has crushed the Knights Templar cartel in its bastion in the state of Michoacán. These two fighters tell a different story.
El Chapo's Top Lawyer Talks About What It's Like Defending an Infamous Drug Lord
José Refugio Rodríguez disclosed details about the Chapo's legal strategy in the face of possible extradition. He also said the kingpin remains determined to make a movie about his life, and discussed Sean Penn’s betrayal of Kate del Castillo
Pope Francis Tells Mexican Priests Not to Resign Themselves to the Drug Wars
The Pope was speaking in the beleaguered state of Michoacán where a military-led offensive nearly a decade ago kicked off Mexico’s bloody drug wars. At least 28 priests have been killed since then.
What It’s Like to Be a Priest in the Trouble Spots the Pope is Visiting in Mexico
The Pope is heading for Chiapas, Michoacán, and Ciudad Juárez. Local priests talk about working in places where indigenous traditions mean chickens are sacrificed in church, poor farmers ask if it's ok to grow drugs, and where cartels rule.
The Vigilante Protagonist of an Oscar-Nominated Drug War Movie Speaks From Jail
The documentary Cartel Land portrays José Manuel Mireles as a flawed hero who stood up to one of Mexico's most barbarous drug cartels, but who also succumbed to the temptation of abusing his new power.
Mexico's Government Is Brushing Off Report of Another State Massacre of Unarmed Civilians
After the missing 43 and the massacre at Tlatlaya, the country is now facing a third likely state-led mass killing in less than a year. A journalist says federal police killed 16 civilians in Apatzingan, Michoacan.
How Chinese Mining Companies Sustain Organized Crime in Mexico
Miguel, a Mexican iron ore miner, told us Chinese and Korean companies are paying millions of dollars a month to the Knights Templar cartel.
Mexico’s Self-Defense Militias Follow Cartels Into Deadly Internal Conflict
Mexican "autodefensa" groups were founded to protect citizens from drug cartel violence. Now they too have descended into bloodshed.
Rural Mexico Has Been Ravaged by a Tropical Storm and Ignored by the Government
The area surrounding Ciudad Altamirano was hit hard by Hurricane Manuel, but in the immediate aftermath the federal government did little to help.