Uruapan Mayor Protected by 60 Guards After Predecessor's Killing

Mayor Grecia Quiroz moves through Uruapan inside a convoy of three armored cars and two military trucks, accompanied by 60 federally appointed bodyguards who protect her around the clock. Her predecessor, Carlos Alberto Manzo, was shot dead in the city's main plaza during Day of the Dead celebrations nearly a year ago. Quiroz, who took office after his death, said she worries about what would happen to her children if she were killed.

Manzo was among at least 13 mayors slain across Mexico in the two years since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office, according to an Associated Press tally based on official reports. Civil society groups counted 23 sitting mayors killed during the previous administration's six years. The killings pose a challenge for Sheinbaum as the Trump administration presses her government to crack down on cartels and root out corruption in local governments.

Cartels frequently target local leaders, either corrupting them or killing those who obstruct their operations, said Miguel Meza, a researcher at the investigative organization Narcopoliticos. In Uruapan, a city of about 400 km west of Mexico City, Manzo's death has divided the grassroots Sombrero Movement he led and fueled a political fight over who was responsible. Federal and state authorities have blamed the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, while Quiroz has accused state officials in Sheinbaum's party who were long at odds with Manzo's political movement.

Manzo openly challenged Mexico's ruling party, Morena, until the week of his death. He directed patrols, searches, and arrests, and publicly instructed police to use lethal force on criminals who resisted arrest or attacked civilians. In one video, he said, "We're fighting to clean up this filth that's killing us all." He was also known for wearing a white sombrero.

State prosecutors say a conspiracy to kill Manzo reached into his inner circle. Authorities have detained 34 people, including seven of the mayor's bodyguards who were with him when he was attacked, members of his government accused of leaking his movements, and his godson, who is accused of helping plan the assassination. On Thursday, prosecutors announced the detention of the city's secretary of welfare on obstruction of justice accusations, saying she was related to two alleged CJNG members arrested in the case.

Quiroz has declined to turn over Manzo's cellphone to prosecutors. Juan Manzo, the mayor's brother and a member of Morena in the state government, has accused her of shielding people tied to the killing. "I can't directly accuse her," Juan Manzo said. "But the reality is that she has covered for many of those responsible for the murder of her children's father. She has not been transparent during the investigation." Quiroz has denied the accusations and said her family was "betrayed" by those closest to them.

Violence has increased in Uruapan in recent weeks. Over the weekend, a masked man on a motorcycle shot two women at a taco stand, killing one. The same day, local media reported that police found two men, one dead, in an avocado field with burns and signs of torture. State authorities said they documented 17 killings, eight gunshot injuries, four attacks on businesses and homes, and a series of robberies in October. On Tuesday, state authorities sent 200 law enforcement officers to the city.

David Vázquez, a store owner, said extortions by local mafias have mounted since Manzo was killed, forcing his family to temporarily close the business. He resents watching the convoy of state bodyguards escorting Quiroz, saying, "they only protect her and her family." Others said they had not been affected by the violence. Quiroz requested help from Sheinbaum's government, writing on X that "Uruapan deserves to live in peace." Manzo's grave, open to the public, is covered with flowers, food offerings, and white sombreros. The headstone reads, "Not a single step backward."

image_prompt":