Federal authorities have wound up their search for bodies in a mass grave near La Barca, Jalisco. Investigators believe the 67 corpses were dumped in the remote wooded area by the Caballeros Templarios cartel, which operates out of Michoacan.
Interviewed by Guadalajara daily Milenio this week, La Barca Mayor Eduardo Espinoza said he was not able to explain how a clandestine graveyard operated for so long only minutes from his office on the town’s square. With 100 police officers working in two shifts, he said preference is given to patrolling residential areas rather than less populated zones of the large municipality. He said the gruesome find did not reflect the “tranquil” way of life in the town, which he described as “normal.” He admitted that the discovery of the bodies and the international media attention the town has subsequently received has “unsettled” residents but that they remains resilient, noting that the “streets were packed” for the November 20 Revolution Day parade.