The Aguas Blancas Massacre was a

massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

that took place on 28 June 1995, in Aguas Blancas,

Guerrero Guerrero is one of the 32 states that comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo and its largest city is Acapulcocopied from article, GuerreroAs of 2020, Guerrero the pop ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, in which, according to the official version, 17 farmers were killed and 21 injured. Members of the ''Organización Campesina de la Sierra Sur'' (South Mountain Range Farmer Organization) were en route to

Atoyac de Álvarez Atoyac de Álvarez is a city and seat of the municipality of Atoyac de Álvarez, in the state of Guerrero, south-western Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign sta ...

to attend a protest march demanding the release of Gilberto Romero Vázquez, a peasant activist arrested more than a month before (and who has never appeared since). They were also marching to demand drinking water, schools, hospitals and roads, among other things. According to survivors, they were ambushed by the motorized police and several were shot

point blank Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel paral ...

. Some of the events were captured on film, by the police themselves. Weapons were subsequently placed in the dead farmers' hands and the police said they acted in self-defense. One of the results of this incident was the creation of the

Popular Revolutionary Army The Popular Revolutionary Army or Ejercito Popular Revolucionario is a leftist guerrilla movement in Mexico. Though it operates mainly in the state of Guerrero, it has conducted operations in other southern-Mexico states, including Oaxaca, C ...

, a leftist guerrilla organization.

Planning of the massacre

Allegedly, the ex-secretary general of Guerrero, José Rubén Robles Catalán, and Gustavo Olea Godoy, head of the state police, were waiting in a helicopter some meters away, and took off when the first shot was fired. The state governor Rubén Figueroa Alcocer (esp) had previously had a conversation with María de la Luz Núñez Ramos, saying measures had been taken so that the group would not reach Atoyac and that they would stop them by whatever means necessary. After the massacre he had another conversation with her, saying "They came for war, and war they got. Are we, or are we not the authority?". In spite of his initial defense of the police's actions, Figueroa Alcocer ended up resigning as governor of Guerrero on 12 March 1996.

Notes

1995 murders in Mexico June 1995 events in Mexico Massacres in 1995 Massacres in Mexico Human rights abuses in Mexico Political scandals in Mexico Mass murder in 1995 Filmed executions Guerrero Crimes committed by law enforcement {{massacre-stub

Planning of the massacre

See also

Notes