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Human Sacrifice South of the Border?

[Mark Safranski / “zen“]

John P. Sullivan and Dr. Robert Bunker at Small Wars Journal analyze a narco prison riot in Mexico that had to be put down by Mexican troops that reportedly involved prisoners sacrificed in a Santa Muerte ritual.

Mexican Cartel Strategic Note No. 23: Prison Riot and Massacre in Acapulco, Guerrero; Attack Allegedly During Santa Muerte Ritual

Analysis:
This prison riot and resulting massacre is one of the most serious disturbances in a Mexican prison since the February 2016 riot at Monterrey’s Topo Chico prison.  That incident, which involved a battle between Los Zetas and the Gulf Cartel, left at least 52 dead and 12 injured.[4] Mexico’s prisons are volatile, plagued by corruption, and under minimal control by state authorities.[5] This lack of control leads to inmate self-governance (autogobierno).  According to one account, 60% of Mexican correctional facilities function under self-governance.[6] 

In this incident taking place at the Acapulco jail or Cereso (Centro de Readaptación Social),[7] rival gangs battling for control led to a massacre with several persons (up to five, depending upon reports) beheaded.[8] The guards reportedly did not intervene and may have participated in or facilitated the violence.[9] The massacre reportedly occurred during inmate rituals in veneration of Santa Muerte.[10] Prison officials have not confirmed those reports.[11] 

Guerrero’s governor supports the ritual aspect, noting that the majority of the dead were found in front of Santa Muerte coins which is indicative of ritual participation:

“Es difícil encontrar en los medios mexicanos más referencias concretas al aspecto ritual de la masacre. En Bajo Palabra leemos que el gobernador del estado de Guerrero, Héctor Astudillo Flores, ha descartado la riña como motivo, aunque fuera la primera línea de investigación, y ha afirmado que la mayoría de muertos fueron encontrados frente a una imagen de la Santa Muerte con monedas encima, por lo que consideran que se trataría de un ritual.”[12] 

….The actual role the veneration or worship of Santa Muerte played in this riot is unknown. The limited news imagery of the decapitated and slaughtered prisoners does not provide enough forensic evidence to suggest that any form of elaborate ritual took place.  If such a hasty sacrificial ritual had been conducted, it may have been undertaken simply for narcoterrorist purposes in order to terrify the opposing drug gang with the future threat of ‘human sacrifice’ being directed at their membership.  This explanation would be devoid of any form of an underlying spiritual basis and can simply be viewed as an extreme component of narco psychological operations (PSYOPS) being waged by one drug gang against another.  On the other hand, this incident may be eventually confirmed as an act of mass human sacrifice derived from the new information now emerging:

Read the rest here.

The juxtaposition of extreme violence and religious context is a potent combination in terms of imaginative symbolism because it harkens back to the human sacrifices of Bronze Age paganism. This action may have been secular violence meant to terrify cartel rivals but the repeated association with religious cult ritual – in this case, the Mexican folk worship of “Saint Death” – blurs the lines between criminal irregular violence and religion. This tactic is also a calling card of ISIS as well as the narc0-cartels.

For more on irregular violence and cult practices, see this post as well as for a longer treatment,  Blood Sacrifices: Violent Non-State Actors and Dark Magico-Religious Activities edited by Robert Bunker (and featuring chapters by Charles Cameron and myself).

2 Responses to “Human Sacrifice South of the Border?”

  1. Charles Cameron Says:

    Jim Gant sent us a review of Ann Scott Tyson’s biography of him, American Spartan: The Promise, the Mission, and the Betrayal of Special Forces Major Jim Gant, from the Marine Corps Gazette, and I thought this para from the review tied in with Zen’s post here — and with the magical-sacramental view I espouse in my chapter, The Dark Sacred, in Dr Bunker’s book, Blood Dacrifices, which Zen refers & links to above.

    Blood sacrifice is a theme Ann emphasizes, repeatedly describing Gant bloodletting goats with his own hands. The major’s uncanny ability to slip into a magico-religious psychosphere — embodying shaman-like, its primordial modes of symbolism — makes him an extraordinarily effective leader of tribal warriors. Ritual and symbol are the gorilla glue of tribal identity, be it special forces or Afghan. As motivated by symbols as by tactical or strategic goals, tribal thinking is often magical thinking and deeply influenced by non-rational factors. Ann’s emphasis on Jim’s occasionally eerie use of symbolic blood sacrifice is not atmospherics. Sacrifice is soul marrow to tribal warriors, especially special forces.

    Jim’s book is availabler as a special deal, $1.99, from now till the end of the month:

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  2. Jim Gant Says:

    Charles…

    Thank you! Hope you are feeling OK – physically, emotionally and spiritually.

    Strength and Honor,

    Jim


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