Mayor killed in Chilpancingo

Alejandro Arcos during his mayoral campaign in Chilpancingo, Guerrero. — Alejandro Arcos Catalán during his mayoral campaign in Chilpancingo, Guerrero / Photo: El Sur, periódico de Guerrero

10/09/24 (written by lcalderón) – On September 30th, Alejandro Arcos Catalán was sworn in as mayor of Chilpancingo, the state capital of Guerrero. Only 6 days later, Arcos Catalán was killed, his body found beheaded inside a vehicle in Villas del Roble, about 3 km away from downtown Chilpancingo. Official versions indicate he was allegedly attending a meeting with a local criminal group in a neighboring town when he was killed. His death marked the first assassination of an acting mayor in Chilpancingo.

Arcos Catalán was 43 years old and represented the PRI-PAN-PRD coalition, an alliance formed to counterbalance the MORENA dominance in the state. His election symbolized the people’s desire to shift from officialism due to a general discontent with the rising levels of violence in the state and MORENA’s alleged alliances with local organized crime groups. Aware of the critical security situation in his state, Arcos Catalán proposed a strategy called “Blindaje Chilpancingo” (Shielding Chilpancingo, author’s translation), where his focus was to strengthen local police and invest in better investigation and prosecution capacities to counter local criminal groups.

According to El Financiero, Arcos Catalán had publicly requested protection for him and his team after his general secretary, Francisco Gonzalo Tapia was executed just a few days before him.

Organized crime in Guerrero

According to BBC, the contested state of Guerrero has at least seven powerful organized crime groups fighting for territory. From which, two are believed to be behind the increasing levels of violence in Chilpancingo: Los Ardillos and Los Tlacos. According to Milenio, both criminal groups originated as armed factions under the Beltrán Leyva Organization, when the Guerrero operations were led by Edgar Valdez Villareal, a.k.a. “La Barbie.” After Valdez Villareal’s arrest, the Beltrán Leyva Organization fragmented, resulting in at least 48 splinter armed groups.

In response to the escalation of violence resulting from the fragmentation of power, communities in Guerrero started to form autodefensas (self-defense) groups, such as the Policía Comunitaria General Heliodoro Castillo (General Heliodoro Castillo Community Police, author’s translation). It was this police group that designated Los Tlacos to be the armed force to defend their communities from predatory local criminal groups. According to Milenio, it was in 2017 when the group consolidated its power and began its criminal career, being responsible for homicide, kidnap, extortion, drug-trafficking, and wood and mine illegal exploitation in the northern region of Guerrero.

Los Ardillos, on the other hand, originated as an opium-producing enterprise in the mountainous regions of Guerrero, later adopting other criminal endeavors including homicide, kidnap and extortion. Los Ardillos hold a strong presence in central Guerrero as well, dominating cities like Chilapa and Chilpancingo. A couple of years ago, they were also linked to the elevated violence levels experienced in Chilapa, when they were fighting for control of the plaza against Los Rojos.

Mayoral killings in Mexico

Although Arcos Catalán is the first acting mayor killed in Chilpancingo, Guerrero is no strange to political violence. In fact, it is the most violent state for mayors and elected officials in Mexico. According to Data Cívica, from 2018 to 2024 Guerrero accounts for at least 139 murdered elected officials and 85 victims of other types of violence (including assaults, threats, kidnappings, disappearances, and armed attacks), representing an 11.4% of all political victims in Mexico.

As data suggests, electoral years tend to be the most violent against elected officials in Mexico and 2024 is not the exception. So far, Data Cívica has recorded 529 cases of violence against officials, including 257 lethal victims in the country. From these, Guerrero accounts for 63 total victims, 35 lethal ones. In comparison, Guerrero recorded a total of 19 victims, 12 of them deadly, during the previous presidential elections in 2018.

Interestingly, when analyzing the effects of violence during local elections in Guerrero, one can observe that the trend is not necessarily applicable, as Guerrero held local elections in 2021 and recorded 10 victims of violence, including 4 murders. While this does not mean states are necessarily safer during local elections, it is important to highlight that electoral violence peaks during presidential elections.

Government responses

On October 7th during her morning conference, President Claudia Sheinbaum condemned the assassination and mutilation of Alejandro Arcos Catalán. She emphasized that state and federal authorities are investigating the case and collaborating to prosecute the case. Sheinbaum also insisted that while Chilpancingo is not amongst the deadliest municipalities in Mexico, she will strengthen intelligence and investigation strategies to better address violence in Guerrero, working along the Secretaries of the Marine and the Defense.

Furthermore, President Sheinbaum and Secretary for Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, announced their security plan for her presidential term on October 8th. Contrary to his predecessor’s strategies, García Harfuch emphasized the need to combat organized crime groups and reduce intentional homicide numbers in the country through a 4-component security plan that includes:
I. Addressing the causes for crime incidence
II. Strengthening and consolidating the National Guard
III. Creating a Sub-secretary for Intelligence and Police investigation
IV. Coordinating the national security cabinet with state authorities and local attorney general’s offices

In addition, the new security strategy will include local diagnosis to address violence levels in ten priority municipalities: Colima (Colima), Tijuana (Baja California), Acapulco (Guerrero), Celaya (Guanajuato), Cajeme (Sonora), Ciudad Juárez (Chihuahua), Tlajomulco de Zúñiga (Jalisco), León (Guanajuato) y Benito Juárez (Quintana Roo).

If you want to learn more about political violence in Mexico, you can read our publication: “An Analysis of Mayoral Assassinations in Mexico, 2000-17.”