Mexico is not a movie

A few days ago 5 human heads were found in ice boxes along the road to Guadalajara.

I suppose it’s one of those questions of life imitating art or vice versa. I suppose it would be a bit of both if the head boxes were found to have been arranged in some cosmic type pattern; the murderous combination of style and substance. Alas, the criminals of Mexico have far too little imagination…which is probably for the better.

It’s jarring how “inside the box” Mexican drug cartels are. People keep telling me how creative they are, but I disagree. How creative is it to figure out “drugs need to go from here to there, let’s go. People are in our way, we will shoot them.”

This is the distinction between people like the Zodiac Killer, who was a perfect example of life imitating art, and the Mexican cartels, which operate with a bit more pragmatics.

The other night I fell asleep watching “Traffic.” When I awoke the movie was over and the news was on, and in my groggy state I failed to tell the difference.

Where does the truth begin and the lie end. When does Carlos Herrera become Steven Bauer? Where does the girl who disappeared from my classes become Erika Christensen? Where does the movie end with happy children playing baseball?

In movies, style is what matters most. More than storytelling, more than characters – it’s style.

Many people I talked to said they liked the first 45 minutes of Wall-E, where there is no talking, most. It’s style, with a complete disregard for substance. 45 minutes and all we learn is that Earth is polluted and there’s a robot putting stuff into boxes. The fact that the robot falls in love with another robot is incidental style at it’s most pure. It might be cute, but it doesn’t advance the story the way blunt substance should…and that is what makes it beautiful.

45 minutes of silence.
45 minutes of style.
45 minutes of existential bliss…it is what it is, and we know nothing else to argue with

Once dialogue starts, it feels like something is lost. A moment of beauty has passed. We now have to face the reality of a storyline.

And that’s the thing…

It’s all substance, all storyline, all dialogue, this Mexico thing.

And I find myself waiting for some style. I find myself waiting for some silence.

The Lion has Taken Over the Circus: The Rise of Los Zetas

Murders in Mexico are on the rise in 2009, and the violence has left many people questioning whether or not Mexico might become a failed state.  Much of the violence is perpetrated by the new Mega-Cartel, “Los Zetas.”

In March of 2002, U.S. Customs agents were involved in a shootout south of Phoenix with an enemy they had not seen before. Equipped with automatic weapons, body armor, and state-of-the-art communications, in a word – it looked “military.”

Kyle Barnette says, “I’d be lying if I didn’t say it concerns us.”

This quote refers to one of the first battles believed to have involved Los Zetas, a group which was born when 30 or so members of a special Mexican military unit deserted.  Mentioning their supposed origins is a pre-requisite of any article or conversation regarding Los Zetas.

Formed as a Green Beret style militia, trained by U.S, French, and Israeli Special Forces, this unit was originally called the Gafes. Ironically, special training was for the purpose of combating Drug Cartels. Lack of education kept them from advancing any further in the military. Lack of education kept the heavy decision making out of their hands and instead gave them the heavy lifting.

Drug Cartel Enforcer Unit is a few pay grades higher than Glorified Grunt of the Mexican Military.

Because they are ex-military they are able to use sophisticated weaponry and carry out intricate operations. This made them a favored hire of the Gulf Cartel. Los Zetas have also trained other paramilitary groups. One in particular is Los Negroes, which if the name is any indication is just like Los Zetas, but with black guys.

In 2006, Felipe Calderon was elected as Mexico’s new president, and he promised to clean out Mexico’s drug cartels.

“(Calderon) decided to launch a proper war on the drug barons, deploying more than 36,000 troops and police around the country… The initiative has nabbed some top cartel bosses and drug shipments, but the drug gangs are as defiant as ever”

The arrest of cartel bosses led to vacuums of power. Vacuums of power have allowed Los Zetas to take over many of the operations historically run by cartels.

“The Gulf cartel created the lion, but now the lion has wised up and controls the handler,” said the U.S. law enforcement official, on condition of anonymity. “This has resulted in the lion roaming free and leaving a bloody trail of chaos. The Zetas don’t ask the Gulf cartel permission for anything anymore.”

No longer a group of egalitarian enforcers, they are now an organization of leaders, middle-management and soldiers; suppliers, smugglers and kidnappers. Hired street gangs carry out some of the day to day work.

Like any good company they have aggressively expanded their boundaries. At first limited to the northern states where they could help control shipping routes, they have now moved farther south where production occurs.

The recent fighting in Torreon stems largely from Los Zetas fighting with rival cartels as they move farther south. Torreon is open territory. This sort of thing would never occur in Mazatlan, located on the west coast and securely in the territory of the Chapo Guzman led Sinaloa Cartel.

Their grab for power has also led to the recent upswing in violence in key border cities, such as Juarez.

“The Zetas have clearly become the biggest, most serious threat to the nation’s security,” said Raul Benitez, a Mexico security expert at American University in Washington, D.C.

People in charge of knowing such things remain unsure how many members Los Zetas actually boasts. Estimates are anywhere from 50ish to 2,000ish. Most seem to think the number closer to 200ish and it probably varies depending on the day, season, or operation.

Their ability to control a large area with few members stems from their aforementioned hiring of local gangs. Bullying and purchasing local law enforcement adds to their unofficial ranks.

The rise of Pseudo-Zetas can also explain why their numbers seem larger than they are. Pseudo-Zetas are criminals who are not Zetas, but cash in on the name. In the midst of their illegal activity they may yell out something like “I am a Zeta.” This works because people don’t squeal on Zetas. If they do they will kill you.

Pseudo-Zetas have also been known to frequent establishments that real Zetas “protect.” Pretending to be real Zetas, the Pseudos demand “protection” money and make a nice little profit off the clout of a feared gang. This seems clever until the real Zetas find out and kill them.

Zetas are believed to be active in 31 Mexico states. There are 31 Mexican states in total and the federal district of Mexico City.

If you see a Zeta, I am told not to stare at them as they are very secretive. They might kill you…which at this point seems wholly unimaginative.

No News is Good News: Rumor and News in Torreon

If there is one thing I’ve picked up about Mexico, it’s that people here like to talk.  Anytime my classroom is totally silent, I cringe…it feels weird.  Body Snatcher style.

With so much talking, lots of rumors get spread.  It’s tough separating out the legitimate facts from third-rate hearsay, and everything in between.  Believe me, there’s lot of ‘in between.’

– CNN reported 8 dead and 7 injured last Wednesday in the Torreon/Gomez area.  Residents of the city place the number closer to 30.  I invited you to average out the two numbers on your own to find what is probably closer to the truth. (hint: the average is 19)

– The recent violence stems from a turf war between the newly formed supercartel “Los Zetas” and some other gangs.  I’m not totally sure of the other gangs, but they seemed to be based off the Sinaloa Cartel.  The Sinaloa Cartel is headed by Joaquín (El Chapo) Guzmán.  Rumor has it that “El Chapo” himself is in Torreon/Gomez.  Another rumor says that he is in Nuevo Laredo.  Another rumors say that he has been dead for 3 years.  Currently, “El Chapo” can be seen on the United States Most Wanted List.

– The United States is sending troops to Torreon to help quell the violence.  So far I have read no reports about this, nor have more than a few people seemed aware of this.  I’m chalking it up to rumor.

– The Mexican Government is sending troops to Torreon/Gomez.  This is true, and was true a week ago.  Very possibly one of the main reasons for the increased number of casualties.

– The bridge between Torreon and Gomez has been shut down due to bomb threats.  Or at least the bridge was shut down for a time a few days ago, it is back open now.  The bomb threats came because a large amount of dynamite was stolen from a nearby town/city.  The dynamite has since been recovered.

– Despite all of this news it seems that the past two days have been calmer than the previous few.  I haven’t heard of any new killings in Torreon/Gomez since Wednesday and the fears that the war would spill over into the U.S. haven’t yet come to pass.

– If you are in Torreon I still urge you to stay away from downtown or any major clubs.  Try not to die and stuff.

– There is a curfew in effect tonight I was told.  When I expressed surprise that things were that bad I was told, “well, not really a curfew, just an advisory that you shouldn’t go out tonight.”

Anyways, rumor states that the Zetas have also advised people to stay indoors tonight as they want to avoid innocent casualties.  This is very thoughtful of them.

One of the teachers at my school who watches Mexican news will let me know if there is an actual curfew put into effect.

– Some of my friends have been saying that “oh, in Mexico City this type of stuff happens everyday.  People around here are just freaked out because it’s new.”

Yes, this is a new thing for the residences of Torreon.  However, Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world, with a population near 20 million.  Torreon/Gomez is a combination of cities whoses residency is less tha a million, depending on how many squatters are camping around the city.

Anybody whose anybody here knows each other.  Everybody is somebody’s cousin.  Rumor spreads, fast.  I’m not blaming them for freaking out.  Maybe they know something I don’t…they probably do.

Anyways, stay tuned for more updatess…