A family embraces the father, wishing him good luck in his job interview. For months, they have scraped together what they can to make it to the next day. This job interview is seen as a sign from God, whispering that their life is about to change. The daughter ties her father’s shoes with a double knot, a kind favor for the man, for the provider. He opens the door and leaves. He never comes back. 

Days. Months. Years pass. The daughter is left wondering where her father went and why he didn’t come back. Her questions are answered when Mexico is engulfed in a public uproar as people gather to mourn a newfound discovery. She follows their cries to a mass grave laid bare before her. The smell of ash lingers in the air. In the middle of the chaos, she finds her father’s shoes, double-knotted and stained with blood. 

It would be a privilege to say that this story is fiction and that no daughter lives without her father. Yet, these sorrows are a brutal reality to thousands of people in Mexico who awoke to find that their missing loved ones had died at the hands of their country’s corruption. 

On March 5, 2025, in the state of Jalisco, hundreds of personal items, shoes, and charred bones were found by the Guerreros Buscadores de Jalisco, a volunteer search organization. They uncovered the mass killing site and suspected it was an act by the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación. Despite the sorrow felt by hundreds of families, this tragedy did not come as a shock. As crowds gathered to protest against the cartel violence that had taken the lives of innocent people, they resentfully acknowledged how this violence was so frequent that it became expected. However, as vigils were set and candles were placed next to the shoes of lost ones, hopes for justice and change remained.

To understand how Mexico arrived at such a breaking point, it’s necessary to trace the long shadow of its political history, particularly the lack of legal enforcement from the state against organized crime. Mexican cartels prospered during the seven decades between the 1920s to the 2000s, when Mexico was ruled by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). The PRI’s rule in Mexico facilitated an environment of corruption and agreements with cartels, allowing them to operate and expand their influence as long as they did not significantly disrupt the PRI’s political control. Towards the end of the party’s rule, the political corruption was starkly evident as the drug trade saw a massive increase. Deeply intertwined with the government due to their influence and violent measures, cartels were able to create a widespread network of corrupt officials that granted them distribution rights, market access, and legal protection. 

As a result, this lackadaisical governmental effort has allowed cartels to freely prosper on Mexican soil. Today, many big criminal organizations are globally known, including the Sinaloa Cartel and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Yet beyond the media-influenced perception of cartels, they are not simply profiting off selling drugs. Cartels also kidnap, torture, and kill innocent people who were targeted or in the wrong place at the right time. As of 2022, around ninety thousand people have disappeared since 2006 at the hands of cartels.

Every day, Mexico lives in fear under the silent yet iron-fisted rule of these criminal organizations. Cartels have dominated every level of the country’s power structure for so long that resignation has grown nationwide. Still, like the families of the victims found in the mass grave, some people continue to push forward and fight for a better future for their homeland.

Unfortunately, past efforts by the government have been ineffective in combating the cartels’ chokehold on the country. For instance, former President Felipe Calderon (2006-2012) initiated Operation Michoacán in 2006, which deployed thousands of troops to combat cartels. However, this militarization backfired by escalating violence without significantly reducing cartel power. Calderon’s kingpin strategy focused on capturing or killing cartel leaders, leading to fragmentation and increased violence as groups fought for control. Despite the strategy’s failure, Calderon’s successor, Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018), continued using the kingpin strategy. This failure to address the root causes of cartel violence—such as poverty, weak law enforcement, and government collusion—caused critics to emphasize the issue of corruption. 

This precedent of inefficiency and stagnation has only recently begun to change. In late 2024, Mexico elected its first female president—Presidenta Constitucional de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, Claudia Sheinbaum. Upon entering office, Sheinbaum promised to directly combat cartel violence, a stark contrast to former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s strategy of appeasement. Rather than catering to their demands, Sheinbaum focused on an intelligence strategy to short-circuit the cartels’ finances. Additionally, during her time as mayor of Mexico City, she cut the rate of homicides in half by using civilian policing, strengthening the police’s investigative power, and incentivizing collaboration with prosecutors. However, it remains to be seen if President Sheinbaum will fully break the cycle of corruption and violence in Mexican politics.

Unfortunately, Mexico’s rich culture and history have long been defiled by crime—by the stain that unchecked power creates in a land of thriving tradition and purpose. As necessary as it is to acknowledge the tragedy of corruption in Mexico, it is unjust to reduce a whole country to its flaws. Mexico’s rich culture has strongly influenced the world, where its traditions and history transcend borders and touch the lives of millions.  

Mexican contributions have transformed global culture by using food, art, and music to connect communities. For example, Mexican agriculture and cuisine introduced corn, beans, and chili peppers to the world. These staple elements have surpassed traditional Mexican foods such as tamales and enchiladas to enhance the dishes of other countries. Further, Mexican art and architecture have transformed the beauty of colors, values, and structures. For instance, Mexican artists such as Frida Kahlo have been globally recognized for their novelty in art as they encompass the importance of culture and the significance of sharing it with others. Additionally, ancient structures such as the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan allow the world to see Mexico’s rich history and how it has transformed into its modern style. Finally, cultural music and dance, such as mariachi and folk dances, showcase the Mexican narrative—of the joy in life and ambition to create and defy limitations.

It is clear that Mexico is more than a country tainted by crime—it is a country worth fighting for. Yet, for its culture to be fully appreciated, we must ask: How can Mexico break free from this cycle? 

First, it is critical to implement President Sheinbaum’s intelligence strategies. These strategies must go beyond surface-level enforcement—they need to uncover and dismantle the operation behind cartel violence, particularly the financial networks and power structures that allow these groups to thrive. However, given the widespread corruption embedded in Mexico’s government, internal reform alone is not enough. International cooperation is essential to bring additional manpower, resources, and expertise. Although the United States has assisted Mexico with security and counternarcotics efforts in the past, cartel influence continues to outpace governmental control. Increasing cooperation with the United States and Central American countries—particularly in areas like trade policy, tariffs, and supply chain oversight—could be instrumental in cutting off the resources cartels depend on and weakening their grip on society. 

Second, Mexico must begin to acknowledge and support the victims of cartel violence. For too long, communities have been forced to live in survival mode, with little recognition of their suffering. The government must take steps to shift the national narrative—from enduring violence as a way of life to building a future rooted in peace, justice, and recovery. This means actively investing in communities’ economy and culture, supporting trauma-informed programs that spread mental health awareness and resources, and showing the world that Mexico will not stand by as its people are silenced. Instead, it will rise to protect them. 

Mexico is a beautiful country—rich in culture, history, and resilience. But beauty alone cannot shield it from the devastating grip of cartel violence. To survive, Mexico must act boldly. It must commit to destroying these criminal organizations. This is not only a fight for safety—it is a fight for Mexico’s future. A future where its people live without fear, where its culture thrives freely, and where the nation reclaims its strength on the world stage.