Ayotzinapa

On September 26, 2014, in the state of Guerrero, six people were killed and 43 students from the Ayotzinapa rural teachers’ college were kidnapped by municipal police in the city of Iguala. According to the Mexican government, the students were then handed over to an organized crime group linked to the local mayor, José Luis Abarca—a drug cartel known as Guerreros Unidos—to be killed and incinerated.

However, experts from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) have challenged the government’s account, citing possible evidence tampering, torture of detainees, and a clear cover-up reaching the highest levels of government. The killings and disappearances have left 180 direct victims and around 700 indirect victims, based on estimates from CIDH and Amnesty International.

Inside the families’ homes, the presence of the disappeared is palpable. Their portraits are placed alongside religious icons, offerings of remembrance and hope. As they continue searching for the truth, the families hold on to their love for their sons, husbands, fathers, and brothers.