Despite the progress, the path of pacification in the region has presented difficulties, as evidenced by the confrontation that occurred on February 19 in the municipality of San Miguel Totolapan, in the region known as Tierra Caliente, north of Guerrero. In that occasion, according to the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, at least 12 people died. The Mexican priest pointed out that this act of violence showed “social decomposition and little respect for human dignity and life.”
Father Velázquez Florencio highlighted that the seriousness of this confrontation led “two other groups to also enter into conversations; Let them have the initiative and peace be made.”
A region that covers parts of the states of Guerrero, Michoacán, the State of Mexico and even Colima, Jalisco and Morelos is known as Tierra Caliente. The name comes from its high temperatures, which can reach 50 degrees Celsius, and the dryness of the environment. For decades, various organized crime groups have been fighting for territories in this area.