The narrative regarding criminal violence in Mexico tends to highlight the negative, while minimizing success stories: this book is different. It explains the reasons why the region of La Laguna succeeded in reducing the statistics of homicides and missing persons and how it started to attend to the families of victims. There were two key factors: 1)federal, state, and local government pushing aside party differences in order to coordinate efforts, and 2) dialogue and response to the petitions of social actors. The result is the best security model in Mexico.
- Copyright page
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- 1. Research goals (and several caveats)
- 2. Cartel Violence
- 3. The Official Strategy
- 4. Mass Media
- 5. The business community
- 6. The victims and their organizations
- 7. Clandestine cremation sites and extermination zones
- 8. The downfall of Los Zetas
- 9. Lessons and challenges of the "reconquering"
- ANNEXES
- Annex 1. Principal events of violence and social resistance in La Laguna
- Annex 2. Tables of homicide and disappearances in La Laguna
- Annex 3. Sites testing positive for bone shards located by Grupo Vida
- Annex 4. Files Reviewed
- Annex 5. Major findings at clandestine cremation sites and extermination zones
- Annex 6. Rifts in Los Zetas
- Annex 7. Requested files that were not made available
- GLOSSARY OF CARTELS, ORGANIZATIONS, INSTITUTIONS AND AGENCIES