The Widows of Mexico's Drug War Are Finding the Courage to Speak Out Tania Miranda - Fusion
go to original March 19, 2015

One of the many victims of Mexico's drug war, a woman says her husband "preferred to give his life in exchange for my family". (Sky News)

Under the scorching sun of the aptly named Tierra Caliente (Hot Earth), in southwestern Mexico, lies the city of Apatzingán, the former stronghold of the brutal Knights Templar cartel. It’s also home to hundreds of women widowed by the drug war.

These are women who’ve lost husbands and sons to kidnappings, fatal robberies, extortion and stray bullets. For years they mourned their losses quietly, because the cartel, with its iron grip on the community, demanded silence on the matter.

Recently the cartel’s grip has weakened as federal police captured the Knights Templar’s top cartel boss, “La Tuta,” and self-styled vigilante groups have retaken control in neighboring areas. Now, for the first time in years, the widows of Apatzingan are speaking out and telling their stories — even if a bit warily.

Read the rest at Fusion

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