“Sol Prendido” for Borderland Beat
In the Laguna region of Coahuila, activist groups have documented a 64-hectare site containing mass graves, incineration pits, and hundreds of thousands of human remains, linked to Los Zetas’ operations involving the disappearance and destruction of bodies
With her grief transformed into courage, Juana Isabel Barraza Cardiel issued a message to those who murdered her daughter in what activist groups and forensic experts consider to be Mexico’s largest extermination site: a 64-hectare tract of land in the Laguna region of Coahuila, where—according to testimonies gathered in the area and forensic evidence—organized crime groups dismembered and incinerated their victims.
“I hope God forgives them; they had no right whatsoever to subject them to everything that happened here. All I know is that if they don’t pay for it now, there is divine justice. Everything must be paid for—and even their own family members could end up bearing the cost. The pain is excruciating; they handed me back only a fragment of my little girl,” the mother expressed, seated beside a small, flower-adorned cross she had placed at the very spot where she found a section of her daughter’s spine—after more than 15 years and four months of searching.
The terrain, scarred by violence and silence, has become a site of mourning—yet also one of hope for families with missing loved ones. Amidst overturned earth and charred remains, Juana Isabel located what was left of her daughter: mere fragments.
Sandra Yadira Puentes Barraza was born on January 26, 1989, in Francisco I. Madero, Coahuila. She spent her childhood and youth in Gómez Palacio, Durango; however, on November 26, 2008—at the age of 19—she was detained by municipal police in Torreón. Nothing was known of her whereabouts until April 2024, when her mother was informed that her remains had been found in the *ejido* (communal land) of Patrocinio, in San Pedro de las Colonias.
She searched for her for more than 15 years and four months—a period marked by uncertainty and depression—and although she now knows where she was murdered, “her absence still hurts just as much as it did on the very first day.”
“She was the only girl among my four children—the eldest. She loved playing the role of ‘María la del Barrio’; she would imitate her. She loved to dance and sing; she was so full of joy. She dreamed of becoming a model.” —Juana Isabel Barraza Cardiel, mother of Sandra Yadira Puentes Barraza, who disappeared in 2008 after being detained by municipal police in Torreón, Coahuila.
When she disappeared, Sandra Yadira had two children, aged three and two, and was working at a massage parlor in Gómez Palacio.
A friend, Lilia Isela—whom she had known since childhood—asked her to accompany her to buy denim jeans at a store in Torreón, located behind the Steak Palenque restaurant on Independencia Boulevard, in the San Isidro neighborhood. Both women were driven there by a taxi driver, Juan Manuel, a friend to them both.
Around 3:30 p.m., three patrol cars arrived; the officers stated it was a “routine check” and took them away.
Detention, Disappearance, and Allegations of Collusion
She was being held captive; according to what the family was able to piece together from phone calls and witness testimonies, municipal police officers had allegedly handed her over to members of Los Zetas—a group they referred to as *Los Polizetas*.
Depression consumed her. Juana Isabel stopped eating, stopped bathing, and stopped sending her other children to school.
“My mother had to come live at my house for a year to help me with my other three children and with Sandra’s children.”
It was not until April 3, 2024, that she received a call from the authorities informing her that her daughter had been located, based on DNA comparison.
She was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office for Missing Persons (Laguna Region), where staff from the State Executive Commission for Victim Assistance (CEAV) were also present, along with Silvia Ortiz and Óscar Sánchez Viesca—members of the group *Víctimas por sus Derechos en Acción* (VIDA)—as well as a Public Prosecutor.
“They informed me that the DNA from my grandson and myself matched some remains found in Patrocinio.” "When I learned she was in Patrocinio, I went mad—screaming and weeping—because I felt the worst: rage, helplessness, and a pain I wouldn't wish on anyone, for members of the collective had already told us what went on in that place." —Juana Isabel Barraza Cardiel, mother of Sandra Yadira Puentes Barraza.
She already knew—from warnings issued by members of the collective—that at that site, victims were dismembered and incinerated. She thought they would hand her a coffin containing her daughter's body, but that was not the case.
She expected a casket holding a complete body, but instead, they handed her a small urn containing part of a vertebra.
“That is how they treated people in Patrocinio; that is why I didn’t want to find her here. To have a family member handed over to you like that is something you never truly get over. Even now, there are times when I still can’t believe it.”
What Juana Isabel found is part of a broader pattern documented in the Patrocinio *ejido*—a 64-hectare tract of land that search collectives and forensic experts have characterized as an extermination camp. Dozens of clandestine graves have been located at this site, along with metal drums used to incinerate bodies and hundreds of thousands of bone fragments—evidence of a system designed for the total disappearance of its victims.
Although this was not the reality Juana Isabel had wished for, she maintains that Sandra Yadira “is better off in heaven,” given all the suffering she endured at the hands of criminals who believed they held dominion over her life.
At the time, she refrained from filing a formal complaint due to threats, but she never stopped searching for her daughter. Today, she returns to Patrocinio so that other families may find their loved ones—just as her companions in the VIDA Group helped return her daughter to her.
“I didn’t want to die without knowing where my daughter was; but now, at the very least, I know where she ended up. From heaven, she watches us as we continue our work, and she must feel happy knowing that we found her—and that she will remain in my heart forever.” — Juana Isabel Barraza Cardiel, mother of Sandra Yadira
Patrocinio: The Scale of an Extermination Site
A small dog belonging to a goatherd guided members of the *Víctimas por sus Derechos en Acción* (VIDA) Group to the discovery of what they now consider one of the largest extermination sites in Mexico. The property is located within the Patrocinio *ejido*, in the municipality of San Pedro de las Colonias, Coahuila.
The discovery took place in April 2015. Due to its vast size—64 hectares—less than half of the terrain has been explored to date. Within this area, hundreds of thousands of human fragments have been located, along with evidence of systematic practices for the disposal of bodies.
Subsequently, at least eight other sites with similar characteristics were identified in the Laguna de Coahuila region; there, too—according to testimonies gathered by the collectives—victims were dismembered and incinerated. Collectively, 91 drums used for these purposes have been documented, along with 220 clandestine graves—70 in Patrocinio and 150 in San Antonio del Alto—and an estimated 1.5 tons of human remains, a figure that could rise as explorations continue.
A mechanism aimed at total obliteration
“We call them extermination fields because everything possible was done there to completely obliterate the skeletal remains of the people they murdered. We have learned—through direct accounts—that they would first dismember the bodies to fit them into drums and burn them; yet, not content with that, when emptying the drums, they would use shovels to further smash whatever charred remains were left behind in order to conceal the evidence,” explained Silvia Ortiz de Sánchez Viesca, founder and spokesperson for Grupo VIDA.
This procedure—documented by the collectives based on testimonies and field findings—has made the identification of victims extremely difficult. The combination of combustion and fragmentation reduces the remains to minute fragments, thereby complicating their analysis.
During the initial explorations, the families received multiple leads pointing to Patrocinio as a site of criminal activity. They visited the location on at least five separate occasions, yet yielded no positive results.
It was not until their sixth visit that they encountered a shepherd traversing the area with his goats, accompanied by a dog. According to accounts from members of the collective, the animal began digging at a specific spot on the terrain, where the first human remains were uncovered.
"We kept going back—but the place is vast. That time, the goatherd passed by with his little dog; that was the key—that is where the truth began. The dog—just an ordinary, everyday dog—must have caught the scent of bones and tissue; he went over and started digging, almost as if pointing it out. That is where we saw the first remains and discovered the site." — Silvia Ortiz de Sánchez Viesca, founder and spokesperson for Grupo VIDA.
From that moment on, systematic searches began, allowing them to gauge the true magnitude of the site.
Scale and Accumulation of Evidence
As excavations progressed, the collectives identified 91 drums arranged in a row—containers in which, according to collected testimonies, bodies were incinerated for hours at a time.
"The question is: how many times were those drums used? That is the crux of the matter—how many victims were involved?" noted Silvia Ortiz.
In coordination with the Regional Center for Human Identification (CRIH), at least 70 graves have been recorded at Patrocinio, in addition to surface remains that have emerged due to soil erosion. Added to these are other findings documented by the Coahuila Attorney General's Office, the total number of which has yet to be determined.
"The site spans 64 hectares, and we have explored less than half of it. An anthropologist who formerly served as director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH)—Albertina Ortega Palma—estimated that it would take us 20 years to finish the work. We are already 11 years in, but those currently working at the CRIH calculate that it could take another five years—meaning a total of 25 years," she explained. A Corridor of Extermination Sites
Following the discovery in Patrocinio, a second site was located in Santa Elena in 2016. Subsequently, other points were identified in San Antonio de Gurza; Volcán (a former municipal landfill); Venado; and Bodega la Rosita in San Pedro; as well as San Antonio del Alto and San Francisco Aguanaval in Matamoros—in addition to Estación Claudio in the municipality of Viesca.
“San Antonio del Alto and San Francisco Aguanaval were the last ones, identified in 2019. Throughout this entire period, we have located 27 sites yielding positive results for skeletal remains; of these—specifically those eight sites, plus the one in Patrocinio—we can classify them as extermination fields due to the sheer number of graves found. In Matamoros, I imagine the ‘cooks’ were different individuals, because there is a significant and noticeable difference: whereas in Patrocinio the scale of the remains is staggering—sheer madness—in San Antonio del Alto, the graves can be counted in a more conventional manner; so far, we have tallied 150 graves there.”
From Fragments to Tons
The sheer magnitude of the discoveries necessitated a change in the method of documentation. Initially, the collectives counted over 400,000 bone fragments; however, given the immense volume and the extreme fragmentation of the remains, they ultimately opted to measure them by weight instead.
“All the evidence is at the CRIH,” stated Silvia Ortiz.
Currently, it is estimated that the total volume of remains recovered in the region amounts to nearly one and a half tons. However, the fragmentation of the remains makes it impossible to determine with precision how many individuals they represent.
“In one grave, three kilos of bones might belong to a single person; yet in others, we have recovered up to 30 kilos and still don’t know how many individuals are involved, because it is impossible to distinguish which specific remains belong to whom.” — Silvia Ortiz, founder of Grupo VIDA.
Confirmed Cases and Confidentiality of Information
Silvia Ortiz noted that the case of Sandra Yadira is not the only one at the site to yield positive results; however, due to legal regulations and out of respect for the families involved, many cases are not made public.
“Juana Isabel agreed to go public because she is a member of the VIDA collective and wanted people to know the current status of things; however, other confirmed cases include that of a notary public and one of the ‘Arlequines’”—she said, referring to a group of five young men who went missing in the region in 2012.
Dressed as harlequins, they went to work in San Pedro de las Colonias as promoters for the company Telcel.
On their way back to Torreón, while riding in a passenger van, they were intercepted by armed men. Nothing was heard from them; one of them was 15 years old. Ten days later, alleged kidnappers contacted their families to demand 10,000 pesos for each of them.
The Emotional Impact of the Searches
The work carried out at these sites has a profound impact on those participating in the searches. Members of the collectives have developed strategies to cope with the emotional toll.
"When someone in the collective starts to falter, we begin spouting total nonsense just to make her laugh and pull her out of her despondency. Once, a German reporter accompanied us and suddenly burst into tears; we asked him why, and he replied: 'Because in my country, it was due to a war, but in Mexico, you are killing one another.'" — Silvia Ortiz, mother of Silvia Stephanie "Fanny" Sánchez Viesca Ortiz, who disappeared in 2004.
The founder of Grupo VIDA, Silvia Ortiz, is searching for Silvia Stephanie "Fanny" Sánchez Viesca Ortiz, who disappeared on November 5, 2004, at the corner of 28th Street, between Matamoros and Morelos Avenues in Torreón.
Stephanie Sánchez had just finished basketball practice and was on her way home. She was a student at the Colegio Español. She was 16 years old.
Testimonies regarding dismemberment while still alive
Óscar Sánchez Viesca—father of "Fanny" and a member of Grupo VIDA—led a tour for the team from *El Sol de La Laguna* during a recovery operation in Patrocinio. The starting point was an area where some of the first clandestine graves were discovered—containing multiple bodies, sometimes piled atop one another and, in some cases, still handcuffed.
"This is where locals pointed out to us that they had counted more than 90 drums—the vessels in which they would 'cook' the people." — Óscar Sánchez Viesca, member of Grupo VIDA
According to his testimony—and based on what the group has documented in the field—Erick Morgan Medina, an anthropologist who previously collaborated with the collective, estimated that the "useful life" of each drum—that is, the number of bodies that could be processed within it before the container itself deteriorated—was between three and four.
They were atrocities. Members of the collective recounted that, according to testimonies gathered during years of searching, some victims were allegedly dismembered with saws while they were still alive. The remains were then placed inside 200-liter drums, which had been perforated to allow oxygen to enter and sustain the fire. The bodies continued to burn for five to six hours.
Residents of the area told the collectives that, during the years of peak violence, it was common to see pickup trucks driving through the zone early in the morning. Out of fear, many families would take shelter inside their homes to avoid witnessing what was taking place.
They also reported that it was frequent to hear screams and detect intense burning smells—circumstances that led some residents to temporarily abandon their homes and suspend agricultural activities.
Since 2015—with the commencement of search operations led by the VIDA Group in coordination with authorities—a portion of the population has returned, and economic activities in the area have been reactivated, primarily the cultivation of wheat, alfalfa, cotton, and sorghum.
Rancho Izaguirre Fits Inside Patrocinio More Than 60 Times
Regarding the size of the property, Óscar Sánchez Viesca noted that the sheer scale of Patrocinio is often underestimated when compared to other recent cases.
He cited, for instance, Rancho Izaguirre—discovered in March 2025 in Teuchitlán, Jalisco—which was identified as a training center and body disposal site linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). At that location, investigators found evidence of incineration, hundreds of articles of clothing, over 200 pairs of shoes, backpacks, caps, and wallets, among other items.
"But more than 60 ranches like that could easily fit in here—in terms of territorial extent." — Óscar Sánchez Viesca
The Patrocinio property spans approximately 64 hectares, whereas the aforementioned ranch covers nearly one hectare. The comparison, he explained, makes it possible to gauge the scale of the site in Coahuila.
To analyze the site, researchers utilized methodologies proposed by anthropology specialists—including researcher Albertina Ortega Palma, former director of the National School of Anthropology and History—who participated in the site's evaluation.
According to records kept by the collectives, remains have been located in the area that appear to belong not only to people native to the La Laguna region but also to individuals from other states—such as Michoacán, Nuevo León, and Veracruz—as well as Central American migrants and minors.
“Many boxes containing remains are currently in the custody of the Regional Center for Human Identification in Saltillo, awaiting scientific advancements that will allow for the extraction of more DNA to compare against family samples,” she explained.
Sánchez Viesca noted that, in her specific case, she does not consider it likely that her daughter’s remains would be found at this site, given the timeframe in which her disappearance occurred.
“We haven’t found my daughter here, because she went missing much earlier—in 2004. What has been found here dates back to 2008 onward... because they—members of organized crime, according to what investigators have been able to uncover—began operating in this area between 2007 and 2012.”
Nahual and Manchas Lend a Nose
During operations in Patrocinio, personnel from the State Search Commission and the Coahuila Attorney General’s Office deployed canine teams to bolster search and recovery efforts.
These teams feature Nahual and Manchas—a Belgian Malinois and a Pointer, respectively—who are trained to detect human remains, traces of combustion, and other forensic indicators associated with disappearances.
According to Commission staff, both dogs were selected as puppies for their natural aptitudes—particularly their responsiveness to play-based stimuli—and were subsequently trained by both national and international instructors.
“They were brought over from Europe. They have microchips, paperwork, and even passports—all the necessary documentation,” explained one of their handlers. When they detect something, they scratch or sit down to mark the spot.
Before the work shifts begin, the dogs are momentarily released to prevent distractions during the tracking process. They specialize in detecting diesel, human remains, and decomposition.
Nahual and Manchas are certified by both an instructor from Jalisco and personnel from the United States. “They take exams, just like we do,” he recounted.
According to authorities, these canine teams have already participated in searches in municipalities such as Torreón and Saltillo. Now, they are conducting operations in San Pedro de las Colonias.
“Every day, pickup trucks packed with people would pass by to take them away to be burned.”
“This collective was founded in January 2019, though I had previously been involved with other groups. In fact, I was the one who discovered Patrocinio. I spent a year working on it alongside the VIDA Group, but I eventually left. Our collective includes members from all over Coahuila; specifically from the La Laguna region, there are 87 families of disappeared persons,” she recounted.
The oldest case is that of her daughter, Irma Claribel Lamas López, who disappeared on August 13, 2008, in Torreón. She was 17 years old. It is believed that she was a victim of human trafficking.
“She was lured away by the niece of a former congressman who still maintains ties to politics—and that is the reason why there hasn't even been an investigation. They shut it down. We last saw her when she left the house, heading with a friend toward the Joyas del Oriente neighborhood. She told me that if she didn't return within two days, I should go look for her, because she was afraid.”
María de la Luz López corroborated the account given by Silva Ortiz, of the VIDA Group, regarding the testimonies gathered during years of searching.
“People told us they would see pickup trucks passing by, packed with people who were being taken to be burned; you could see the flames, and the smell was overpowering. The residents moved away to live elsewhere. The goatherds were never harmed—thank God—even though the trucks passed right by them. That was in 2010.” —María de la Luz López Castruita, representative of the collective *Voz que Clama Justicia por Personas Desaparecidas* (A Voice Crying Out for Justice for Disappeared Persons).
“In 2015, Silvia Ortiz traveled to Mexico City with the relatives of the 43 students from Ayotzinapa, who told her that, in their region, they conducted searches in landfills and on vacant lots. I suggested we do the same, and that is how we began. Here, everything pointed toward Patrocinio; I was the one who first mentioned that location to her. We struggled; we went several times and kept coming up empty-handed, until the goatherds—who had by then returned to live in the area—showed us exactly where to look, because their dogs had dug up and unearthed some remains,” recalled María de la Luz.
“I asked a goat herder if there had been hundreds of deaths there, and he told me no—that there were thousands upon thousands; that every day, pickup trucks packed with people would pass through, and that even in broad daylight they would set about incinerating them—they didn’t even wait for nightfall. They mentioned that very loud, gruesome wailing could be heard; people were screaming.”
Drawing upon secondhand testimonies, members of the collectives reconstructed the probable internal dynamics of the operation at Patrocinio.
María de la Luz López recounted that an acquaintance shared with her the testimony of a young woman who, after joining the criminal group as a *halcón* (lookout), was reportedly later reassigned to incineration duties.
“She was working in the kitchen, thinking she was simply cooking for ‘the bad guys,’ but it turned out that wasn't the case—she, too, was incinerating people,” she recounted.
According to that testimony, victims were stripped of their belongings before being processed. Years later, during their search efforts, the collectives discovered objects—such as footwear—that, as they noted, corroborate those accounts.
The Confession of the Alleged Zetas
Members of the collectives indicated that, based on accounts attributed to detainees linked to the criminal group, they have been able to gain insight into the inner workings of these sites.
According to these testimonies from individuals currently incarcerated in various prisons, the drums were filled to capacity with human remains, which were subsequently compressed to make room for more material before the incineration process began, recounted María de la Luz López.
Accounts regarding these activities—derived from indirect testimonies—suggest that a high level of impunity prevailed.
Voz que Clama Justicia—the organization to which María de la Luz belongs—identified not only the incineration sites but also the Santa Anita Hacienda, also located in the municipality of San Pedro de las Colonias; there, according to collected testimonies, members of the criminal organization allegedly took up residence after dispossessing a family of the property.
Limited Progress in Identification
According to López Castruita, between 2015 and the present day, authorities have successfully identified 158 individuals found in clandestine graves and related sites within the region.
The majority of these individuals were residents of the La Laguna region, although there are also cases involving people from other states—and even from abroad.
María de la Luz believes that very few people have been identified, considering the volume of remains discovered and the involvement of the Regional Center for Human Identification.
"We thought—naively—that it would be faster." — María de la Luz López Castruita, a searching mother.
One obstacle, she added, is the lack of DNA samples available for comparison. For this reason, she makes a plea to the relatives of the disappeared: “Provide your samples so that more remains can be returned. We are accumulating a vast amount—both in the osteotheque and at the Regional Center for Human Identification—but we are still missing quite a few.”
Her message to her daughter is different.
"I tell her that I haven't grown tired of searching for her, and I feel helpless because of all the obstacles that arise every time I feel I’m about to find her. Daughter, I am here, and I love you. I am terrified that I might pass away before I find you; that is the reason I fear death." — María de la Luz López Castruita, mother of Irma Claribel Lamas López, who disappeared in 2008 in Torreón.
To the person who knows what happened to her, María de la Luz López Castruita sends this message: “May your heart soften so that you will speak up and tell me where she is. I will take no action against you; I will only offer my gratitude—even after all these years have passed. I simply want a lead that can guide me to Irma Claribel.”
Discovery of 800-Year-Old Human Remains
During the search for her daughter, López Castruita also took part in a discovery that, due to its characteristics, was deemed to be of historical significance.
It involved the discovery of human remains dating back over 800 years inside a cave located in the *ejido* (communal land) of Nuevo, in San Pedro de las Colonias. The discovery took place on May 15, 2021, and was documented by staff from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), including archaeologist Yuri de la Rosa Gutiérrez. In my daughter’s case, someone mentioned to me that there was a cave full of bones—that I would have to climb a hill and that the path was difficult. In fact, I really struggled to find the place; I went about three times before I finally located it.
According to her testimony, after her interest in exploring the site became known, INAH personnel requested that she not enter without specialized accompaniment. Even so, she arranged the necessary support to descend, with the backing of the Saltillo Fire Department.
"I wanted to see it with my own eyes, because I am searching for my daughter," she explained.
Accessing the cave required the use of specialized equipment—such as a harness and helmet—due to the site's depth, estimated at over 200 meters.
Initially, reports suggested that the remains might belong to recently deceased individuals; however, following analyses conducted by specialists, it was determined that they were vestiges of pre-Hispanic origin.
"They were traces of our ancestors. The cave was 200 meters deep or more, and there appeared to be ancient blankets," she noted.
DNA Samples: A Key Process
Members of Grupo VIDA and the collective *Voz que Clama Justicia por Personas Desaparecidas* (Voice Crying Out for Justice for Missing Persons) detailed the procedures for collecting genetic samples, which are fundamental for identifying remains.
According to their explanation, the process is simple and brief. It consists of obtaining small blood samples via a finger prick—similar to a glucose test.
"It’s just a little prick on the finger—like the kind they do for blood sugar tests—and it only takes a few drops of blood. It’s very quick... it takes about 20 minutes," explained Silvia Ortiz of Grupo VIDA.
In the case of minors, samples can be collected using a buccal swab, a painless procedure. The samples are safeguarded by the Regional Center for Human Identification (CRIH), where they are integrated into databases for subsequent comparison with genetic profiles obtained from recovered remains.
Genetic profiling results may become available within approximately three months; however, positive identification depends on finding a match with samples provided by family members.
The advocacy groups reiterated their call for more people to submit their DNA, noting that the absence of such reference samples hinders the identification process.
The Forensic Complexity of Calcined Remains
Erick Morgan Medina, a physical anthropologist with 27 years of experience, explained that the analysis of human remains in contexts such as that of Patrocinio represents one of the greatest challenges in the field of forensic science.
"I am an expert on bones, and I apply the principles of Physical Anthropology to help resolve legal disputes—in this case, through human identification. I determine whether or not the remains are human, the individual's age, the historical period to which they belong, the post-mortem interval, sex, any distinguishing physical features, and more. I must provide answers to all these questions for the Public Prosecutor's Office."
He joined the agency in 2016 and currently serves at the Laguna I Delegation of the
Coahuila Attorney General's Office, within the Forensic Medical Service (Semefo).
Morgan Medina participated in the investigative work at Patrocinio and other sites allegedly used by Los Zetas to execute their victims. It was he who, upon realizing that there were millions of fragments of calcined bone, determined that it would be more practical to weigh them than to count them.
There are two laboratories in Coahuila dedicated to the analysis of genetic material: that of the State Attorney General's Office and that of the Regional Center for Human Identification. Both are housed in the same building—situated side by side—in Saltillo. Their equipment cost millions of dollars, and maintaining them costs "hundreds of thousands of dollars every month."
In general, the anthropologist explained, out of every 20 DNA profiles accompanied by additional data, only one yields a match—that is, it corresponds to or is compatible with samples provided by the relatives of missing persons in the state.
In the case of Patrocinio, where the remains are carbonized, the identification process can take more than a year, he explained.
Returning to Patrocinio
Juana Isabel Barraza Cardiel continues to return to the site where she located some of her daughter's remains. Her presence at Patrocinio is no longer driven solely by her own individual search, but rather by a decision she shares with other families:
to keep digging in a terrain where absence is measured in fragments.
At the site where she found a portion of Sandra Yadira’s remains, she placed a wooden cross. She says she plans to replace it with a larger, metal one—one that represents not only her daughter but all the people who, according to activist groups, were taken to that location.
"I found her, and I know she feels proud of her mother. Now I am here so that more people can find their loved ones; no one would want them to return in this state, but at least it brings a little bit of peace." — Juana Isabel Barraza Cardiel, mother of Sandra Yadira
According to official data, there are more than 130,000 registered cases of missing persons nationwide. Of these, 2,960 are from Coahuila—1,700 of which come from the Laguna region; the majority of these cases date back to the years 2010 and 2011.
Data:
+ A goatherd’s dog guided the Grupo VIDA to discover—in 2015—what activist groups and forensic experts consider to be one of the largest extermination sites in Mexico, located in the *ejido* (communal land) of Patrocinio, in San Pedro de las Colonias.
+ The site covers 64 hectares. Activist groups and authorities have explored less than half of the area, where they have found hundreds of thousands of human remains.
+ It is estimated that around 1.5 tons of human remains have been located across a total of nine confirmed extermination sites in the Laguna region of Coahuila.
San Antonio del Alto and San Francisco Aguanaval were the last sites to be identified, in 2019.
+ Sandra Yadira Puentes Barraza—a young woman detained by Torreón police officers on November 26, 2008—was found in April 2024 at the Patrocinio site.
+ "In my country, it was because of a war; in Mexico, you kill one another," wept a German reporter who accompanied the Grupo VIDA.
+ To date, 158 individuals have been identified in clandestine and mass graves.
+ Every day, pickup trucks packed with people would pass through the area to dispose of and burn the bodies. A goatherd recounted that there were not just dozens—"there were thousands upon thousands."
+ The Izaguirre Ranch in Teuchitlán, Jalisco, measures one hectare; the Patrocinio property in Coahuila spans 64 hectares.
+ In Patrocinio—as in the other extermination camps in La Laguna—people from Michoacán, Veracruz, and Nuevo León, as well as Central American migrants, have been located.
Source: El Sol de México
Guess what other turd cartel is also there...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.borderlandbeat.com/2023/11/coahuila-police-squadron-that-became.html