Seven young people were gunned down in the early hours of Monday at a Catholic Church festivity in the small village of San Bartolo de Berrios, located in Mexico’s central state of Guanajuato — a region plagued by cartel violence.
The victims, including two minors, were part of a group that had stayed behind in the village square following a church-organized event when gunmen suddenly arrived and opened fire. Eyewitnesses said the attackers fired dozens of rounds at random before fleeing the scene.
Local authorities have yet to announce any arrests or confirm a motive, but threatening messages left nearby suggest the attack was carried out by the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel. The group is one of two dominant criminal organizations fighting for control in Guanajuato, the other being the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
“This act of brutality must not be ignored,” said the Episcopal Conference of Mexico, condemning the attack. The national body representing Catholic bishops expressed concern over the growing wave of violence affecting entire communities.
Archbishop Jaime Calderón of León, whose jurisdiction includes the affected village, said in a statement that the massacre appeared linked to the ongoing turf war between rival cartels seeking control over territory, extortion routes, and black-market fuel operations — known locally as huachicoleo.
Guanajuato recorded the highest number of homicides in Mexico in 2024, with 2,597 killings. The state’s strategic pipelines have made it a lucrative battleground for criminal organizations.
While violence at bars and cockfighting arenas is not uncommon in cartel-hit areas, an assault on a religious event has shocked the nation. “This was a bloodbath,” said one resident, describing the aftermath in the square where the bodies of the victims were found sprawled on the pavement.
Officials say the attackers used the shooting and subsequent messages to instill fear and demonstrate their presence in the village — a tactic cartels often use to suppress community resistance.
No suspects have yet been detained, and authorities continue to investigate the incident.
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