Political violence is on the rise in Mexico, and on Saturday night, it hit the country particularly hard. Carlos Manzo, the 40-year-old mayor of Uruapan, in the western state of Michoacan, was celebrating Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, with his family, constituents, and even some visitors from the United States when two gunmen reportedly emerged from the crowd and shot him.
The town was holding a candle festival, and someone filmed Manzo holding his young son shortly before the murder took place. “We are having a very pleasant day in the company of thousands of families from Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico and other countries, also many fellow countrymen who are visiting us from the United States,” he said. “Blessings to all. We hope you have a pleasant day and a pleasant night, and we are at your service.”
Just to give you an idea of what a shock this was to the peaceful ceremony, here’s the video. Of course, it’s in Spanish, but can see that it was truly a special night of celebration for Manzo and the town.
Los minutos previos al asesinato del alcalde Carlos Manzo:
“Nos estamos pasando un día muy agradable en compañía de miles de familias de Uruapan, michoacanas, de Mexico y de otros países. También mucho paisano que nos visita de EU… Que viva Uruapan, que viva Michoacán”. pic.twitter.com/4ABjvLwTOo
— Joaquín López-Dóriga (@lopezdoriga) November 2, 2025
Moments layer chaos erupted as shots rang out. There are several videos of the moment posted on social media. I don’t think this one shows anything gruesome, but it may be upsetting to some people.
🚨Alert: Narco terrorist assassins killed Carlos Manzo, Mayor of Uruapan, after he begged President Sheinbaum for help fighting Cartels! Carlos was seen as a 2030 presidential candidate! pic.twitter.com/mjFvyFg6js
— US Homeland Security News (@defense_civil25) November 2, 2025
The details are a little sketchy, but it appears that he was hit with three bullets. Paramedics attempted to resuscitate him and rushed him to a local hospital, but he was pronounced dead about 40 minutes later. As I said, political violence is on the rise in Mexico, and it’s hard to say exactly how many candidates and politicians have been murdered over the last year since Claudia Sheinbaum took office as president. I’ve been able to verify at least 20 or so documented cases, and if you go back a couple of more years that number is much, much higher.
So, why is this one different?
Manzo was popular, not just as the mayor of Uruapan but as an outspoken critic against the drug cartels and organized crime that overrun many parts of the country. People say he was also a potential presidential candidate for the next election. Unlike the socialist Sheinbaum, who at worst is under cartel influence herself and at best has serious commitment issues and can’t take a stand on anything, he was tough on crime and committed to cleaning up his region. Some compared him to El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele in that regard.
The state of Michoacán, which sits in west-central Mexico along the Pacific Coast, is often called the “soul of Mexico” and is a major agricultural and mining hub. It’s one of the only places in the world where you can grow avocados year-round, and many of its exports end up in the U.S. It’s also home to historic sites and cultural places that attract tourists from the U.S. and beyond.
But in recent years, Michoacán has seen an increase in violent crime from cartels looking to extort the region’s farmers. As a matter of fact, last month, Bernardo Bravo, president of the Apatzingan Valley Citrus Producers Association, was found murdered next to his car, according to the Michoacan state prosecutor’s office. Bravo had also made several recent public statements about the cartels’ interference with commerce in the region. Most farmers won’t speak out publicly about the situation because they fear for their lives.
Manzo himself has given numerous interviews in recent months, talking about the uptick in violent crime and asking state and federal authorities to intervene. But it appears that he and Sheinbaum didn’t quite agree on the approach and his pleas were largely ignored. Here’s something he said during a speech recently (translated from Spanish — and it’s a little long, but I think it’s the perfect example of what’s wrong with Mexico right now and worth the read):
In the event of a direct attack that puts the lives of innocent people and our fellow Public Security officers at risk, if the person surrenders, then of course they will be turned over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. If the person is injured or there is a way to neutralize and injure them, but not cause death, then of course they will be made available to the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
But if the person is at that moment opening fire on the civilian population, then we are going to shoot him down. And if that’s a crime, then we’ll have to defend ourselves in court or we’ll have to pay with jail time, and some other government will come along that understands the feelings of the citizens. However, perhaps I am wrong in my vision, or in the vision that most Mexicans have, about what needs to be done to stop this social cancer.
But let’s say that [Sheinbaum’s] right and let’s give her the benefit of the doubt… If she believes she can stop the criminals without firing a shot and they will surrender, then she should do it now, she should send Secretary [Omar García] Harfuch to clean up all the hills, the groups that are killing, that are extorting avocado growers, that are killing children. And believe me, if she achieves it as soon as possible, I will submit my resignation, my separation from the position, because with that I would be satisfied to have contributed.
And perhaps the best thing would be for us to understand that my view was incorrect and that there are other ways to solve the problem. As soon as she does so, it’s important to note that it’s the federal government’s responsibility to address these kinds of problems because they involve organized crime, weapons restricted to the military, criminal associations, organized crime, and high-impact crimes that are not the responsibility of a municipality to investigate or combat. As stated in Article 115 of the Constitution, municipal public safety is for crime prevention and community policing.
But they do have the intelligence, they do have the budget, they do have the willingness of the Army, the Navy, and the Security Forces. And so we invite them to act through the Attorney General’s Office as well. So, just to be clear and so that what we said isn’t taken out of context, of course any death is regrettable. Lawsuits are not good, whether won or lost; it’s regrettable. But if we don’t act, or don’t speak out, or don’t confront this problem with what is within our reach, we are going to have more civilian losses.
That strength, bravery, and willingness to speak out and try to do something is exactly what cost him his life. It was something he feared was coming, according to his statements in recent interviews. On Sunday, Sheinbaum responded to the murder with the following statement:
I condemn with absolute firmness the vile assassination of the municipal president of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo. I express my most sincere condolences to his family and loved ones, as well as to the people of Uruapan in the face of this irreparable loss. From the moment this grave event became known, I spoke with the governor of Michoacán and the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, who has maintained constant communication with the state attorney general. Today I convened the Security Cabinet to ensure support for Michoacán and that there be no impunity. The territorial commands of Defense and the National Guard maintained communication with the mayor and he had federal protection. The Security Cabinet will hold a press conference to transparently report on the progress in the investigation of this case. From the start of this administration, we have strengthened the Security Strategy. These such regrettable events drive us to strengthen it even further. We reaffirm our commitment to devote all the efforts of the State to achieve peace and security with zero impunity and justice.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau also released a statement on Sunday:
On this All Souls’ Day, my thoughts are with the family and friends of Carlos Manzo, mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico, who was assassinated at a public Day of the Dead celebration last night. The US stands ready to deepen security cooperation with Mexico to wipe out organized… pic.twitter.com/hf8XObasHf
— Christopher Landau (@DeputySecState) November 2, 2025
Meanwhile, Mexican residents took to the streets to honor Manzo. There are reports that protests are planned for later this month.
The Spanish caption reads: “Residents of Uruapan bid farewell to Mayor Carlos Manzo with applause, cheers, and mariachi music in the streets of the municipality, honoring him for his brave work.”
🇲🇽 | DESPIDEN A CARLOS MANZO: Habitantes de Uruapan despidieron al alcalde Carlos Manzo con aplausos, porras y música de mariachi en las calles del municipio homenajeándolo por su valiente trabajo. pic.twitter.com/BSV0ctTcQz
— La Derecha Diario México (@DerechaDiarioMX) November 2, 2025
Maybe this will be a turning point. Perhaps the fact that his murder has now received international attention from numerous media outlets, prominent social media accounts, and even the U.S. government will lead a revolution of change in Mexico. One can hope.
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