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Mexico City is no stranger to displays of brutality put on by the nation’s drug cartels. Bodies are often found hanging from bridges, and these displays of violence have become part of the cartels’ modus operandi. Experts who study the cartels say these overt displays of brutality are intended to generate fear in the authorities, their enemies, and the populace. These displays have become more common in Mexico since the early 2000s, largely due to the influence of the Zetas cartel, which was the first to use public banners and signs to send ominous messages.

The violence has reached new levels of horror as recent discoveries include bodies cut into parts and frozen inside freezers in Veracruz, and a horrific video leaked in August showed a young man being forced to kill his friends by a drug cartel in Jalisco. These gruesome videos often find their way onto social media, spreading the cartel’s violent message even further. While the Mexican government has largely overlooked these displays of violence, experts argue that they need to address and punish the cartels’ violent acts, as well as demand more controls on these types of violent content on social media. While these displays of violence are not that original and follow a similar script used by terrorist organizations elsewhere, they have lived with the Mexican population and community for years and have become part of their daily lives. The impact of these displays of violence largely depends on each government, on the levels of corruption and penetration, but also on their ability to address the situation.

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