Brothers from Huichol Tribe murdered as drug war rages in Mexico

Tuesday, May 23, 2017  

Authorities on May 20 announced the destruction of 50,000 marijuana plants in the state of Jalisco in Mexico, the homeland of the Huichol people. Photo: Fiscalía de Jalisco

The Huichol Tribe is caught in the cross-fire of a drug cartel war in Mexico, according to news reports.

Two brothers from the tribe were murdered on Saturday by suspected drug dealers. Both Miguel Vazquez and Agustin Vazquez had been resisting encroachment on Huichol territory, La Jornada reported.

Due to their remote location, the tribe's homelands have long been targeted by drug traffickers, including Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, who was the leader of one of the largest cartels in Mexico. He's now awaiting trial in the United States in connection with his drug activities.

Fiscalía de Jalisco investiga doble homicidio ocurrido en el municipio de Bolaños. #BoletínFGE pic.twitter.com/rK3OTpiDDn

— Fiscalía de Jalisco (@FiscaliaJal) May 21, 2017

A different group, known as Jalisco New Generation Cartel, has now risen as the largest in Mexco, Reuters reported. The group is believed to be responsible for the murders of the Vazquez brothers.

According to La Jornada, the cartel's crop of choice is marijuana. During months of planting and cultivation, as many as 50 percent of students at a Huichol school go absent because they are being put to work by the organization, the paper reported.

The Huichol are also known as the Wixáritari or the Wirraritari.

Read More on the Story:
Two Indigenous Brothers Killed in Mexico Amid Rising Violence (Reuters 5/23)
Abre Jalisco investigación por asesinato de huicholes (La Jornada 5/21)