Inhabitants of the Avocado Region Take Up Arms to Protect Their Municipalities

ARIO DE ROSALES, MEXICO - JULY 04: An armed member of Pueblos Unidos poses in front of the Welcome to the municipality of Ario de Rosales sign on July 4, 2021 in Ario de Rosales, Mexico. Pueblos Unidos is an armed organization created in August of 2020 as a response to the violence, threatens, and extortion against producers of the 'avocado area' in the Mexican state of Michoacan. The civil organization groups together around 5,000 members who are farmers and day laborers that dedicate one day per week to be part of the brigades which take care of many barricades set up to prevent the access of drug cartel members in four different municipalities (Ario de Rosales, Salvador Escalante, Nuevo Urecho and Taretan). Although inhabitants of the area have demand security to the government, the situation is complicated as extortion grows and insecurity prevails. (Photo by Cristopher Rogel Blanquet/Getty Images)