Los 43 de Ayotzinapa:
Ayotzinapa: 10 Years After the Disappearance
Ten years have passed since 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College in Guerrero, Mexico – known worldwide as "Los 43" – were detained and forcibly disappeared on September 26, 2014, in one of the country's most infamous human rights cases. The disappearance of these normalista students has become a symbol of Mexico's crisis of forced disappearances and impunity, sparking international outcry and ongoing demands for justice.
Their parents, united in pain and determination, have spent the decade searching for their children and challenging misinformation and indifference from successive Mexican governments. From Enrique Peña Nieto's administration through López Obrador's presidency, families have confronted official narratives, rejected the discredited "historical truth," and demanded accountability for what human rights organizations call a state crime.
This project captures the enduring struggle of the Ayotzinapa families on the tenth anniversary of the disappearances. As Mexico's first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum, was about to take office in 2024, I revisited this case that continues to define Mexico's human rights landscape. The project documents parents' ongoing protests, their tireless activism, and their refusal to accept silence in the face of enforced disappearance.
This work explores how the Ayotzinapa case has become emblematic of Mexico's broader crisis of violence and impunity, where over 100,000 people remain disappeared, capturing both the personal grief of parents who refuse to give up hope and the political significance of a case that has challenged Mexico's institutions and exposed the deep connections between organized crime, local police, and federal authorities.
"Los 43" have become symbols of resistance against state violence and forced disappearance. The work examines the intersection of education, poverty, and violence in rural Mexico, where normalista students – many from indigenous and marginalized communities – face persecution for their activism and social consciousness.
Ten years later, as new evidence continues to emerge and families demand truth and justice, the Ayotzinapa case remains a defining moment in Mexico's struggle for human rights and democratic accountability. The parents' cry of "Vivos se los llevaron, vivos los queremos" (They were taken alive, we want them back alive) continues to resonate across Mexico and internationally.
Mexico, 2023-2024
