A haunting silence envelops the streets of Culiacan, the capital of Mexico’s Sinaloa state. Once a bustling city, it is now gripped by fear and violence, with infighting among rival factions of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel leaving hundreds dead since September.
By nightfall, Paseo del Angel, Culiacan’s entertainment district, stands desolate. Restaurants once teeming with patrons are empty. Shops display “for sale” signs as the city’s residents retreat indoors, terrified by the brutal warfare raging in their midst.
“Life in Culiacan has almost disappeared,” lamented Miguel Taniyama, owner of the renowned Clan Taniyama restaurant.
Violence Erupts Following Cartel Betrayal
Years of relative calm in the region were shattered on September 9, when a bitter feud erupted between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The spark? Allegations of betrayal involving Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s son and his co-founder, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
Zambada, arrested in the U.S. in July after being allegedly abducted in Mexico, accused Guzman’s son of luring him onto a plane bound for the United States. The ensuing power struggle between the “Mayos” and “Chapitos” factions has since claimed over 400 lives, with countless others missing.
Local media reports, citing prosecutors, suggest the death toll has climbed to 519, with bodies frequently left on streets or in cars—gruesome symbols of the violence. Victims are often found with sombreros or pizza boxes stabbed into their bodies, macabre emblems of the cartel’s warring factions.
City in Crisis
Culiacan’s 800,000 residents are trapped in a nightmare. Schools, like the Autonomous University of Sinaloa, have suspended in-person classes, opting for remote learning after five bodies were found on campus. Businesses, too, are shuttering as violence cripples the local economy.
The Sinaloa Cartel, known for its role in smuggling cocaine, has shifted focus in recent years to fentanyl, driving the U.S. opioid crisis. However, the cartel’s internal war has paralyzed Culiacan, with 30,000 people losing jobs, and sports teams like Dorados de Sinaloa fleeing the city for safer ground.
Government Crackdown Yields Limited Results
In an effort to restore order, Mexico’s military has deployed 11,000 troops to Culiacan. Despite these measures, violence persists. October saw one of the bloodiest clashes in years, with the army reporting 19 cartel members killed in a single operation.
The situation is a grim reminder of Mexico’s broader drug war, which has claimed over 450,000 lives since 2006 and left 100,000 people missing.
A Glimmer of Hope Amid Fear
Amid the turmoil, community leaders like Taniyama are fighting to reclaim their city. On November 21, he organized a festival featuring music and Sinaloa’s signature dish, aguachile, in an attempt to coax people out of hiding.
“We’ve been locked up for 70 days and scared out of our wits,” Taniyama told the crowd. “Today we’re starting to live again.”
Yet for families of the missing, the pain endures. Rosa Lidia Felix, 56, has been searching for her son, Jose Tomas, since he vanished on November 1.
“Please, I want my son back,” she sobbed.
The suffering in Culiacan underscores the deep scars left by Mexico’s relentless drug war, a crisis with no clear end in sight.
