Knights Templar News
The Life and Death of a Mexican Hitman
It’s 7 pm on a Sunday, and night is falling in this Michoacán town. The heat of the day is past, and there’s a pleasant breeze. The first visitors to the park have left for dinner, but many hang...
Knights Templar Profile
Knights Templar
The Knights Templar (Cabelleros Templarios) emerged in March 2011 as a splinter group of the once-mighty Familia Michoacana. Like their predecessors, the Knights Templar cast themselves as a "self-defense" movement engaged in a struggle with Mexico's larger criminal cartels on behalf of the Michaocan population, and frequently employ religious imagery in their...
More Knights Templar News
Brief /
Helicopter Shoot-Down Could Signal Resurgence of Mexico Cartel
The recent downing of a government helicopter in Michoacán, Mexico could signal the re-emergence of what was once one of the country's most powerful criminal...
Brief /
Municipal Murders Highlight Local Corruption in Mexico
A mayor and four municipal police officers were arrested for the grisly murder of 10 people in Mexico's turbulent state of Michoacán, an event that could prompt...
Analysis /
‘New’ Vigilante Groups Keep a Violent Tradition Alive in Michoacán
The appearance of new and recycled armed groups whose motives are as questionable as their video-making credentials is the latest manifestation of Michoacán's...
Brief /
‘Nueva Familia’ Announces Arrival amid Michoacán Turmoil
"Narco-banners" hung around Michoacán have announced the arrival of a new criminal organization in a sign the underworld in the troubled central Mexican state is...
Brief /
Narco Negotiations Blamed for Mexico Birthday Party Massacre
Authorities in Guerrero, Mexico have claimed a fatal shootout at a child's birthday party was the result of a breakdown in negotiations during a narco-summit, which...
Analysis /
Militias in Mexico: Citizens’ Security or Further Conflict Escalation?
This article explores the security and political effects of militia forces that emerged in Mexico in recent years in reaction to violent organized crime, most...
Brief /
Mexico Recycles Security Strategy in Embattled Michoacan
Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto's mass deployment of federal forces to Michoacan is reminiscent of his predecessor Felipe Calderon's militarized security...
Analysis /
The Governor’s Son, the Knights Templar and the Impotence of Mexican Justice
The weak sentence handed out to Rodrigo Vallejo, son of the former governor of the state of Michoacan who held office during the height of the reign of the Knights...
Analysis /
Were Police Involved in Disappearance of Mexico Vigilantes?
Twelve members of a self-defense group in Mexico's Michoacan state went missing after going out on patrol in November 2014. Their families now say that police were...