A Decade Later, Mexico’s Ayotzinapa Victims Continue Their Search for Truth and Justice

By Lizbeth Diaz

MEXICO CITY – A decade ago, Edgar Vargas’ life changed irrevocably when he was shot in the face during one of Mexico’s most infamous episodes of mass violence: the attack and disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa rural teacher-training school.

On the night of September 26, 2014, as Vargas, then 19, attempted to assist his classmates trapped in a bus being shot at by gunmen, a bullet struck his jaw. He managed to crawl to safety but was left with significant physical and emotional scars.

“I knew that everything would be different from that moment on… I could barely look at myself in the mirror,” Vargas, now a teacher, recounted tearfully in an interview. “I couldn’t speak, and my body was filled with tubes and wires inside my mouth; it was incredibly difficult.”

Vargas is part of a group of survivors who have since spread across Mexico, many of whom report being threatened by members of organized crime and government officials. They have been warned to cease speaking about or protesting the incident or risk dire consequences for themselves and their families.

Despite living in fear and dealing with trauma, some survivors remain determined to pursue the truth and justice that has eluded them for ten years.

Each anniversary serves as a painful reminder of the attack against over 100 student teachers traveling to Mexico City to commemorate the 1968 student massacre. The students were shot at near Iguala, in the violence-ridden state of Guerrero, approximately 220 kilometers south of Mexico City. Forty-three students were subsequently kidnapped by members of organized crime who were allegedly working with local police, according to multiple international investigations, including one supported by the Organization of American States.

The motive behind the attack remains unclear. Initial findings from the previous government suggested that corrupt police, collaborating with a local drug gang, believed the students were affiliated with a rival group. According to that report, the gang killed the students and incinerated their bodies.

The current administration, led by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador since 2018, has termed the disappearances a “state crime” that authorities attempted to conceal. To date, no one has been convicted in connection with the case, and officials have only been able to identify the remains of three of the missing students.

Families of the disappeared continue to demand answers, increasingly skeptical of the government’s assurances of uncovering the truth. President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum, set to assume office in October, has pledged to persist with investigations into the case that transpired under former President Enrique Peña Nieto, who faced significant criticism from international investigators and victims’ families for abruptly closing the case.

Peña’s administration supported a claim from his attorney general’s office that the students’ bodies were burned on a pyre—a conclusion later dismissed by international experts, including the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts established by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

Many families are also disillusioned with Obrador, who had vowed to resolve the case but has defended the military, which has been accused of involvement by both foreign investigators and lawyers representing the victims’ families. The military has denied any direct participation and claims to have cooperated with the investigations.

In 2022, a government official stated there was no evidence that the 43 students were still alive and labeled the incident a state crime. However, some survivors continue to hold on to the hope that their friends may still be alive.

Two survivors reported threats urging them to remain silent about the case, revealing that officials had offered them money or permanent teaching positions in public schools if they agreed to stop participating in protests. However, these claims could not be independently verified.

“I refused to accept a position that was stained with blood,” said one of the survivors, who wished to remain anonymous and mentioned having to flee Guerrero.

While some survivors prefer to stay away from media attention, their frustration over the lack of justice persists.

“We see the decay of the Mexican justice system,” said Aquilino Florencio, who witnessed the events that night and is now pursuing a master’s degree in Social Anthropology. “I still miss everyone; I do not feel whole.”