%0 Journal Article
%T Stories of Drug Trafficking in Rural Mexico: Territories, Drugs and Cartels in Michoac¨¢n
%A Salvador Maldonado Aranda
%J European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies
%D 2013
%I Utrecht University Library Open Access Journals
%X : In the international media, drug-related violence, corruption and militarization have received much attention. While this is understandable in view of the prominence of border area operations of drug cartels, drug trafficking is a pervasive phenomenon in other parts of Mexico as well, not in the least in significant parts of Western Mexico (especially in Guerrero, Colima and Michoac¨¢n). The latter state has a long history of drug production and trafficking (poppies and marihuana), and of military campaigns against it, especially in the area known as the 'Tierra Caliente', Michoac¨¢n. In recent decades, however, the situation has acquired a new dimension. This paper will examine the socio-economic and political characteristics of the area and analyse the emergence of drug trafficking as part of profound processes of agrarian transformation, especially since the 1980s. What are these transformations and how can the drug economy of the area be understood? In recent years the Tierra Caliente has become the scene of particularly atrocious confrontations between rivalling drug cartels; hence it was also the first target of military intervention after Felipe Calder¨®n assumed power. How is this explained and what are the main consequences for violence, human rights and the drug and peasant economy? Resumen: Historias del narcotr¨¢fico en el M¨¦xico rural: Territorios, drogas y c¨¢rteles en Michoac¨¢n En los medios masivos internacionales el tema de las drogas y la violencia relacionada con la corrupci¨®n y la militarizaci¨®n ha recibido mucha atenci¨®n. Si bien esto es comprensible en vista de la importancia de las operaciones de los c¨¢rteles de la droga en la zona fronteriza, el tr¨¢fico de drogas es un fen¨®meno generalizado en otras partes de M¨¦xico y de manera importante en el occidente de M¨¦xico (especialmente en Guerrero, Colima y Michoac¨¢n). Este ¨²ltimo estado tiene una larga historia de producci¨®n y tr¨¢fico de drogas (marihuana y amapola), y de campa as militares en su contra, especialmente en el ¨¢rea conocida como la 'Tierra Caliente', Michoac¨¢n. En las ¨²ltimas d¨¦cadas, sin embargo, la situaci¨®n ha adquirido una nueva dimensi¨®n. En este documento se examinan las caracter¨ªsticas socio-econ¨®micas y pol¨ªticas de la zona y analiza el surgimiento del narcotr¨¢fico como parte de profundos procesos de transformaci¨®n agraria, sobre todo desde la d¨¦cada de 1980.  Cu¨¢les son estas transformaciones y c¨®mo puede comprenderse la econom¨ªa de la droga en esta zona? En los ¨²ltimos a os la Tierra Caliente se convirti¨® en el escenario de enfrentamientos particularmente a
%K drug trafficking
%K state
%K region
%K drugs
%K violence
%K narcotr¨¢fico
%K Estado
%K regi¨®n
%K droga
%K violencia
%U http://www.erlacs.org/index.php/erlacs/article/view/8393