Some Other Pieces of the Puzzle

Abstract

By 2014, people in Mexico were divided in their opinions on self-defense groups and their proliferation. Not all autodefenses are the same, but they share common features such as facing a lack of security in their region, police impunity, and marginalization; they also all appeal to their rights as (indigenous) peoples or the need to survive as a source of legitimacy. They also already occupy a significant place in Mexico’s political life, so it is hard to dismiss or support them outright.