Schools and businesses shuttered Tuesday in this violence-stricken town south of Mexico’s capital, as residents mourned the deaths of five people gunned down in broad daylight. The attack occurred on the same street where another shooting claimed eight lives just eight months earlier.
Huitzilac, located in the volatile Morelos state, has become a hotspot for clashes between rival criminal organizations and illegal logging operations. The victims were reportedly campaigning for local positions tied to managing the community’s collective resources, including its forests, ahead of the March elections.
On Monday afternoon, four men and one woman, all part of a group canvassing for votes, were ambushed by gunmen in two vehicles. The victims were shot and left lifeless on Huitzilac’s main street.
“I warned them years ago not to participate—there are always problems,” said Blanca Delgadillo, whose son-in-law José Cuevas, a farmer, was among those killed. Delgadillo, 70, said the once-quiet agricultural town has been plagued by escalating violence, leaving its 20,000 residents living in fear.
Mayor César Dávila Díaz, who assumed office on Jan. 1, condemned the attack and acknowledged Huitzilac’s reputation as a hub of violence. However, he denied any links to drug cartels or political motives behind the killings.
“Such events tarnish our municipality and perpetuate this image of instability,” Dávila Díaz said, adding that the motive for the attack remains unclear.
By Tuesday morning, remnants of the violent scene—including bloodstains and five candles—marked the street as reminders of the tragedy. In response, 200 members of the National Guard were deployed to bolster local and state police efforts in the area.
José Romero, a 53-year-old farmer living near the attack site, described the town’s fluctuating security. “When the National Guard isn’t here, these attacks happen,” Romero said. “The presence of security forces makes all the difference.”
Monday’s attack follows a May shooting in Huitzilac that targeted a group of men drinking after a soccer match, occurring just weeks before the presidential election. Violence remains a national challenge under President Claudia Sheinbaum, who inherited a fractured security landscape.
Criminal organizations across Mexico are vying for territory to control smuggling routes and extortion operations. The Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation cartels, among the most powerful groups, continue to clash in states like Michoacán and Chiapas.
On Tuesday, body parts of an unknown number of victims were discovered along a highway in Tabasco state, prompting the governor to deploy 180 soldiers to curb rising violence.
