Tlatelolco Massacre
The Massacre of Tlatelolco 1968
“Women with their torsos torn apart by machine gun fire; children with their heads destroyed by the impact of high velocity weaponry, innocent bystanders gunned down; onlookers and journalist felled in the course of their everyday life; students, police officers and soldiers dead and wounded…Perhaps the most surprising aspect was the huge number of blood-stained shoes that were scattered around the area, silent witnesses to the disappearance of their owners” (Poniatowska, 1971:201). Like many other countries around the world students have experienced movements demanding political and social change. Mexican students started the movement on July 22, 1968 and it only lasted a couple of months until the tragedy …show more content…
that took place in Tlatelolco. On October 2, 1968 a huge crowd gathered around at a place called Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Mexico City. They were surprisingly greeted by the troops with thousands of gunshots that came from surrounding areas. It was not the first time students had protested and demanded change, but their movement ended that tragic night. Although the government ended the student movement through violent extremes, students hold a legacy that is still felt in todays society. The student movement caused many changes in society and it came with some benefits that are still seen today.
Considering these harsh and extreme facts, the movement itself had its positive outcomes in which it united people and brought political discussions to the government. The public mainly attacked the PRI party system that had ruled Mexico for more than forty years. By this one can see how students were in desperate need of change and they were going to get it one way or another. During this time all the government was focused on was to look good for the tourist joining in for the 1968 Olympics. To the students this only symbolized the unfair priority the government had by providing money to build arenas and hotels for the foreign athletes instead of focusing on the Mexicans that had no housing, low food, no health insurance and no hope to better themselves. Mexico had all their priorities twisted and instead of protecting their people they were exposing them to danger. One can see that their reputation as a good country was of more importance then taking care of their own people. This was concerning especially when students and their family were barely making it to pay for school and still having to provide for their own at home. Besides wanting support from the government the students also asked for world peace and equality. This comes to make one think if this has already been met by the government today. To a certain point one is able to think it has, but one still faces obstacles everyday that impede us to keep going. The main thing Mexico is lacking is the main support from the government that is able to proceed with the changes the people are pleading for.
As one observer had argued, “The young people came to say that they opposed the vices of the government system in Mexico; that they wanted to take part in the creation of a better country; and that they lacked the democratic means to make themselves heard” (Motte, 1975:8). By this one can see how the people had little hope to make changes and get help from the government. The students wanted to take the role of the government to better themselves and others but had no chance in defeating the government. Instead the government was defeating their own people by eliminating and covering up anything that they felt was burdening their role in government. The students just wanted support from the government and instead they were received with a deadly massacre. Students expected the government to give into their demand but instead took matter into their own hands using violence. Has government really changed and took action towards people’s demands?
Even though it was hard to remember the day at Tlatelolco, changes started to be seen by the people.
Mexico’s political transition encouraged the government to take a look at the past and get answers to what really happened. They wanted to uncover what the government had covered quickly after the Massacre of Tlatelolco. Their hopes grew when Vicente Fox was elected President in 2000 and broke the seventy years of the rule of one party. Fox ordered the creation of a “special prosecutor for crimes of the past” to investigate the Tlatelolco massacre (Joe Richman). It did little to no help by ordering this because little was uncovered about the number of deaths or those who were killed. Being many years that had past they were still getting little information about that day. The Government was still trying to make it seem like change was happening but question weren’t being answered still. The number of deaths reported were less than what had been seen that day. No parents or friends came forward to add names to the list of deaths because they were scared of the government or simply because it didn’t matter since their relatives were already dead. New information came in after, they revealed that the Presidential Guard or military had posted snipers in the buildings surrounding the Plaza of Tlatelolco the day of the massacre. They made it seem like the students were shooting at the troops so that they would fire back to the students. By this one can see how the government has always used other people to cover up for their bad behavior. The government was never wrong even though proof showed they were the main people responsible for what happened. Years went passing by and little to no change was still
present.
The Summer of 2004 brought more hope to Mexico. After so many years of investigation, the former President, Luis Echeverria and other members of the cabinet were charged with the crimes against the people in the massacre of 1971. During this time the people hoped he would be charged for ordering the troops to fire at the students in La Plaza de las Tres Culturas but the court didn’t find him guilty. Although Diaz Ordaz had gone unpunished for the night of Tlatelolco the Mexican Society has not forgotten the crimes committed by its government. One of the reasons the Mexican society didn’t believe in the president was for the reason that he stated, “We have no wish, he said ‘to see ourselves in a position that will mean taking measures that we do not want to take, but that we will take if necessary; whatever it is out duty to do we will do, whatever lengths we are obligated to go to, we will (Ramirez, 1969:284). This showed many that the president didn’t care about the people and that all he wanted was for his reputation to be clean. By this statement one can see his careless words and how he didn’t detain himself from sounding careless. The main thing the students were searching for was for the government to provide equal rights and for the use of violence against students.
Compared to the student’s movements in the United States and Europe, the Mexican student movements were more concentrated on national issues such as freedom of the press and association. Analyzing this, Octavio Paz wrote, “the youth movement was a result of the emergence of a new middle class. It was not hard to notice in the language of Mexican students the echoes of proclamations and declarations by students from Berkley and Paris that same year; however, there were certain differences. The Mexicans we less Libertarian, and their declaration there was none of the virulent criticism that French youth directed at the communist regimes” (Paz, 1985:123). This meant that while other countries that were libertarian were protesting, Mexican students wanted to obtain what libertarians had, which was to maximize autonomy and freedom of choice, focus on political freedom, voluntary association, and individual judgment. Instead Mexican students were just getting the obvious violation of human rights. Every other country was getting support from media but Mexico had little to no coverage for the reason being that Mexico didn’t want to show the inhuman treatment of arrested protesters by the granaderos. They focused more on covering the upcoming Olympic Games and getting people to attend the events. No matter how hard the students tried to get some answers they were just shut down by the government.
Till this day one can say that things haven’t changed, student protestors are still seen around the country demanding equality and student rights. Over thirty-five years after the event the Tlatelolco massacre remains important to the Tlatelolco literature and it hasn’t lost its memorable sadness. The massacre at Tlatelolco was a turning point in Mexican History. Although the students were defeated they still hit the government were it hurt them. The government showed its weakness in their political system by the way the responded to the student’s protests. They wanted to hold their power and show that the people couldn’t defeat them in any matter. The student movements were a large step to democracy in Mexico. The rising levels of education and wealth shifted after the tragic movement, for this reason the country has more wealthy societies that support the democracy. The education that the population is receiving now is capable of making people understand democracy better. Today people believe that educated people have the capacity and the right to make choices. The student’s movement eventually brought wealth to the people making them more educated and receiving higher income. Although the people have received wealth and education they still haven’t received fair treatment by the government. It is yet to be seen today.
As one can see violence towards student movements didn’t end in 1968, today we still have encountered similar events. On September 26, 2014, 43 students disappeared from the Raul Isidro Burgos Rural Teachers College in Ayotzinapa. There has been continued controversy over what really happened that night that six students of the school of Ayotzinapa were killed by police force and forty-three other students forcibly disappeared. Current president Enrique Pena Nieto said, “We are deeply concerned that these are not isolated incidents, but symptomatic of a human crisis that must be addressed. Over the years, Amnesty International as well as respected Mexican human rights organizations have documented a massive increase in reports of torture and other ill treatment, as well as enforced disappearances by municipal, state and federal police military” (Pena Nieto). There has been evidence of torture and ill treatment displayed by the few victims remains that have been found from the forty-three that disappeared. This shows how the government still to this day tries to cover up to make it seem they had nothing to do with the disappearance.
In conclusion, even thought the night at Tlatelolco was a tragic day to remember and the cause to end the student movement, students were still successful and lead the country to political changes. Changes have slowly been noticed but people still are demanding answers. People are still against the government because they do little to nothing to help people out, even though they make it seem like they are trying to make changes. In my belief I feel like the government is always going to be corrupt just like in any other country. The government is always going to cover the bad things and make the good things stand out. The government will never let the people surpass them in any way because that will make them look unorganized. People will always be left with no answers.
“Women with their torsos torn apart by machine gun fire; children with their heads destroyed by the impact of high velocity weaponry, innocent bystanders gunned down; onlookers and journalist felled in the course of their everyday life; students, police officers and soldiers dead and wounded…Perhaps the most surprising aspect was the huge number of blood-stained shoes that were scattered around the area, silent witnesses to the disappearance of their owners” (Poniatowska, 1971:201). Like many other countries around the world students have experienced movements demanding political and social change. Mexican students started the movement on July 22, 1968 and it only lasted a couple of months until the tragedy …show more content…
that took place in Tlatelolco. On October 2, 1968 a huge crowd gathered around at a place called Plaza de las Tres Culturas in Mexico City. They were surprisingly greeted by the troops with thousands of gunshots that came from surrounding areas. It was not the first time students had protested and demanded change, but their movement ended that tragic night. Although the government ended the student movement through violent extremes, students hold a legacy that is still felt in todays society. The student movement caused many changes in society and it came with some benefits that are still seen today.
Considering these harsh and extreme facts, the movement itself had its positive outcomes in which it united people and brought political discussions to the government. The public mainly attacked the PRI party system that had ruled Mexico for more than forty years. By this one can see how students were in desperate need of change and they were going to get it one way or another. During this time all the government was focused on was to look good for the tourist joining in for the 1968 Olympics. To the students this only symbolized the unfair priority the government had by providing money to build arenas and hotels for the foreign athletes instead of focusing on the Mexicans that had no housing, low food, no health insurance and no hope to better themselves. Mexico had all their priorities twisted and instead of protecting their people they were exposing them to danger. One can see that their reputation as a good country was of more importance then taking care of their own people. This was concerning especially when students and their family were barely making it to pay for school and still having to provide for their own at home. Besides wanting support from the government the students also asked for world peace and equality. This comes to make one think if this has already been met by the government today. To a certain point one is able to think it has, but one still faces obstacles everyday that impede us to keep going. The main thing Mexico is lacking is the main support from the government that is able to proceed with the changes the people are pleading for.
As one observer had argued, “The young people came to say that they opposed the vices of the government system in Mexico; that they wanted to take part in the creation of a better country; and that they lacked the democratic means to make themselves heard” (Motte, 1975:8). By this one can see how the people had little hope to make changes and get help from the government. The students wanted to take the role of the government to better themselves and others but had no chance in defeating the government. Instead the government was defeating their own people by eliminating and covering up anything that they felt was burdening their role in government. The students just wanted support from the government and instead they were received with a deadly massacre. Students expected the government to give into their demand but instead took matter into their own hands using violence. Has government really changed and took action towards people’s demands?
Even though it was hard to remember the day at Tlatelolco, changes started to be seen by the people.
Mexico’s political transition encouraged the government to take a look at the past and get answers to what really happened. They wanted to uncover what the government had covered quickly after the Massacre of Tlatelolco. Their hopes grew when Vicente Fox was elected President in 2000 and broke the seventy years of the rule of one party. Fox ordered the creation of a “special prosecutor for crimes of the past” to investigate the Tlatelolco massacre (Joe Richman). It did little to no help by ordering this because little was uncovered about the number of deaths or those who were killed. Being many years that had past they were still getting little information about that day. The Government was still trying to make it seem like change was happening but question weren’t being answered still. The number of deaths reported were less than what had been seen that day. No parents or friends came forward to add names to the list of deaths because they were scared of the government or simply because it didn’t matter since their relatives were already dead. New information came in after, they revealed that the Presidential Guard or military had posted snipers in the buildings surrounding the Plaza of Tlatelolco the day of the massacre. They made it seem like the students were shooting at the troops so that they would fire back to the students. By this one can see how the government has always used other people to cover up for their bad behavior. The government was never wrong even though proof showed they were the main people responsible for what happened. Years went passing by and little to no change was still
present.
The Summer of 2004 brought more hope to Mexico. After so many years of investigation, the former President, Luis Echeverria and other members of the cabinet were charged with the crimes against the people in the massacre of 1971. During this time the people hoped he would be charged for ordering the troops to fire at the students in La Plaza de las Tres Culturas but the court didn’t find him guilty. Although Diaz Ordaz had gone unpunished for the night of Tlatelolco the Mexican Society has not forgotten the crimes committed by its government. One of the reasons the Mexican society didn’t believe in the president was for the reason that he stated, “We have no wish, he said ‘to see ourselves in a position that will mean taking measures that we do not want to take, but that we will take if necessary; whatever it is out duty to do we will do, whatever lengths we are obligated to go to, we will (Ramirez, 1969:284). This showed many that the president didn’t care about the people and that all he wanted was for his reputation to be clean. By this statement one can see his careless words and how he didn’t detain himself from sounding careless. The main thing the students were searching for was for the government to provide equal rights and for the use of violence against students.
Compared to the student’s movements in the United States and Europe, the Mexican student movements were more concentrated on national issues such as freedom of the press and association. Analyzing this, Octavio Paz wrote, “the youth movement was a result of the emergence of a new middle class. It was not hard to notice in the language of Mexican students the echoes of proclamations and declarations by students from Berkley and Paris that same year; however, there were certain differences. The Mexicans we less Libertarian, and their declaration there was none of the virulent criticism that French youth directed at the communist regimes” (Paz, 1985:123). This meant that while other countries that were libertarian were protesting, Mexican students wanted to obtain what libertarians had, which was to maximize autonomy and freedom of choice, focus on political freedom, voluntary association, and individual judgment. Instead Mexican students were just getting the obvious violation of human rights. Every other country was getting support from media but Mexico had little to no coverage for the reason being that Mexico didn’t want to show the inhuman treatment of arrested protesters by the granaderos. They focused more on covering the upcoming Olympic Games and getting people to attend the events. No matter how hard the students tried to get some answers they were just shut down by the government.
Till this day one can say that things haven’t changed, student protestors are still seen around the country demanding equality and student rights. Over thirty-five years after the event the Tlatelolco massacre remains important to the Tlatelolco literature and it hasn’t lost its memorable sadness. The massacre at Tlatelolco was a turning point in Mexican History. Although the students were defeated they still hit the government were it hurt them. The government showed its weakness in their political system by the way the responded to the student’s protests. They wanted to hold their power and show that the people couldn’t defeat them in any matter. The student movements were a large step to democracy in Mexico. The rising levels of education and wealth shifted after the tragic movement, for this reason the country has more wealthy societies that support the democracy. The education that the population is receiving now is capable of making people understand democracy better. Today people believe that educated people have the capacity and the right to make choices. The student’s movement eventually brought wealth to the people making them more educated and receiving higher income. Although the people have received wealth and education they still haven’t received fair treatment by the government. It is yet to be seen today.
As one can see violence towards student movements didn’t end in 1968, today we still have encountered similar events. On September 26, 2014, 43 students disappeared from the Raul Isidro Burgos Rural Teachers College in Ayotzinapa. There has been continued controversy over what really happened that night that six students of the school of Ayotzinapa were killed by police force and forty-three other students forcibly disappeared. Current president Enrique Pena Nieto said, “We are deeply concerned that these are not isolated incidents, but symptomatic of a human crisis that must be addressed. Over the years, Amnesty International as well as respected Mexican human rights organizations have documented a massive increase in reports of torture and other ill treatment, as well as enforced disappearances by municipal, state and federal police military” (Pena Nieto). There has been evidence of torture and ill treatment displayed by the few victims remains that have been found from the forty-three that disappeared. This shows how the government still to this day tries to cover up to make it seem they had nothing to do with the disappearance.
In conclusion, even thought the night at Tlatelolco was a tragic day to remember and the cause to end the student movement, students were still successful and lead the country to political changes. Changes have slowly been noticed but people still are demanding answers. People are still against the government because they do little to nothing to help people out, even though they make it seem like they are trying to make changes. In my belief I feel like the government is always going to be corrupt just like in any other country. The government is always going to cover the bad things and make the good things stand out. The government will never let the people surpass them in any way because that will make them look unorganized. People will always be left with no answers.