pax mexicana

October 5, 2012 7:25 AM

I'd like to read more about Mexico's narco-war (both the inner workings of the cartels and violence against civilians/journalists/law enforcement). Both articles and books are welcome--nonfiction and journalism preferred, but academic texts OK. English preferred, but Spanish is OK too.
posted by elizeh to Society & Culture (12 answers total)

The New Yorker had a recent heartbreaking article: The Kingpins: The fight for Guadalajara.
by William Finnegan July 2, 2012. I could barely finish it.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 7:33 AM on October 5, 2012

Alma Guillermoprieto's writings in the New York Review of Books are amazing. Unfortunately, many of them are behind a pay wall, but here's a recent example that is available to all.
posted by AwkwardPause at 7:42 AM on October 5, 2012

Down by the river.
posted by tilde at 7:51 AM on October 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

God's Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre is personal account of traveling through that section of Mexico. It's interesting because it gives a perspective of the impact of frequent drug cartel violence - how little human life is valued. It's not specifically about narcotráfico, but drug traffickers feature prominently
posted by 26.2 at 7:55 AM on October 5, 2012

Longform has a pretty good and current overview on Slate
posted by bl1nk at 7:57 AM on October 5, 2012

Murder City, by Charles Bowden (also the author of Down by the River, mentioned above).
posted by MuffinMan at 8:00 AM on October 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

Sylvia Longmire, a former USAF officer, tracks the developments in Mexico, on her blog Mexico's Drug War.
posted by daksya at 8:12 AM on October 5, 2012

This blog (warning: there are some VERY graphic images) was mentioned in a recent thread on the blue titled Mormons vs. Mexican Drug Gangs.
posted by scratch at 9:30 AM on October 5, 2012

A couple of things from the London Review of Books: Jonathan Littell reporting from Ciudad Juárez, and a review (this one partly behind a paywall, I'm afraid) by Ben Ehrenreich of a book by Malcolm Beith. There are some entries you may want to look at on their blog, too.
posted by lapsangsouchong at 10:53 AM on October 5, 2012

El Narco by Ioan Grillo.
posted by ocherdraco at 11:44 AM on October 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

While I can't help you directly with your question, you may be interested in how Mexico became a narco nation at all. How America Lost the War on Drugs

Why Mexico is not a failed state and may "benefit" from the drugs.

And, while set in Florida and Miami, I can strongly recommend the documentaries "Cocaine Cowboys" I and II.
posted by yoyo_nyc at 5:59 PM on October 5, 2012

Read frontera-list, which is curated by Molly Molloy, who edited El Sicario with Charles Bowden.
posted by lukemeister at 10:00 AM on October 6, 2012