Mexico, ravaged by the drug war, faces severe challenges. In Michoacán, the country‘s most dangerous state, some parents are already introducing their children to military-style activities at an elementa- ry school age.
Since 2015, the murder rate of children and adolescents in Mexico has steadily increased, largely due to the systematic recruitment of minors into criminal gangs. A study published by the Network for Children‘s Rights in Mexico in September 2021 revealed that 250,000 children and adolescents are at risk of being recruited by cartels. In the capital of Michoacán, a group of former soldiers and police officers, led by former National Police officer Héctor Flores from the Policia Rural, has come together to teach children strict military exercises and procedures, aiming to keep them off the streets and guide them toward law-abiding lives.
According to the Network for Children‘s Rights in Mexico, between 2000 and 2019, 21,000 youths under 18 were murdered, and 7,000 disappeared. The group estimates that by 2019, around 30,000 youths had been recruited by drug gangs.
Every Sunday, they meet to prepare the children for various tasks. „It‘s better for them to learn with us and be prepared for combat than to learn on the streets,“ says the commander of the group, whose battle cry is: „Aztec warriors with tusks and claws are always victorious.“

Mexico, ravaged by the drug war, faces severe challenges. In Michoacán, the country‘s most dangerous state, some parents are already introducing their children to military-style activities at an elementa- ry school age.
Since 2015, the murder rate of children and adolescents in Mexico has steadily increased, largely due to the systematic recruitment of minors into criminal gangs. A study published by the Network for Children‘s Rights in Mexico in September 2021 revealed that 250,000 children and adolescents are at risk of being recruited by cartels. In the capital of Michoacán, a group of former soldiers and police officers, led by former National Police officer Héctor Flores from the Policia Rural, has come together to teach children strict military exercises and procedures, aiming to keep them off the streets and guide them toward law-abiding lives.
According to the Network for Children‘s Rights in Mexico, between 2000 and 2019, 21,000 youths under 18 were murdered, and 7,000 disappeared. The group estimates that by 2019, around 30,000 youths had been recruited by drug gangs.
Every Sunday, they meet to prepare the children for various tasks. „It‘s better for them to learn with us and be prepared for combat than to learn on the streets,“ says the commander of the group, whose battle cry is: „Aztec warriors with tusks and claws are always victorious.“