Anger over water shortages, uncollected garbage and “ungovernability” boiled over this week in El Oro, a mountain town and Pueblo Mágico in México state where dozens of residents tied up at least two municipal officials and demanded the removal of Mayor Juana Díaz Peñaloza.
Protests erupted Wednesday after five days without water service and two weeks without trash pickup — leading to overflowing piles of garbage across the colonial mining town close to the border with Michoacán, a three-hour drive from Mexico City.
Demonstrators also accused Díaz, a member of the Morena party elected in 2024, of diverting public funds and withholding workers’ pay.
Witnesses said the chaos began outside the Municipal Palace when residents confronted Public Services Director José Aarón Velázquez and a state government liaison about the lack of garbage collection.
After Velázquez failed to respond, protesters tied him with a rope and forced him to sign his resignation “for incompetence.” Moments later, the state government rep attempting to mediate was bound to a post.
The newspaper El Sol de Toluca didn’t report that any other officials were restrained, but news outlets such as Animal Político and La Jornada reported that five officials were tied up, and other sources cited four.
¿En su municipio tampoco recogen la basura? Mire lo que pasó en El Oro, Estado de México, donde amarraron al director de Servicios Públicos y a otro funcionario más:
Además, las #FakeNews de @OHarfuch
Disponible @BuenasNochesMex https://t.co/1j2lPhlKum pic.twitter.com/JyUSmHARQR— Gustavo Sánchez Benítez (@GustavoSanBe) November 6, 2025
Also, “a group of protesters threw a truckload of garbage in front of the mayor’s private residence as an act of harassment and intimidation,” the municipal government said in a statement posted on Facebook, denouncing the incidents as “an expression of violence that violates human rights, public order and the rule of law.”
In response to the post, one citizen replied, “With all due respect, I think it’s important to point out that the mayor hasn’t addressed the community regarding any of the problems we’ve faced. We haven’t had drinking water for days, the garbage hasn’t been collected for weeks, and the authorities have remained silent in the face of every problem.”
The protests occurred amid a strike by municipal sanitation and water agency employees who say they have gone unpaid for weeks.
Moreover, protesters said that only one of the municipality’s three garbage trucks has been operational, with the other two sidelined by lack of fuel and maintenance, exacerbating the problems.
“We are tired of living among garbage and without water,” said one community member. “There is no response from anyone.”
Ubaldo Velázquez Piedra, the municipal trustee, said the town is in “a state of complete chaos.”
On Tuesday, Velázquez Piedra and six of seven city council members submitted a formal request to the State of México Congress seeking Díaz’s removal, accusing her of creating “conditions of ungovernability” and citing budgetary irregularities and unreported revenue from tourist attractions.
“The mayor is just hiding, refusing to face the music,” wrote one person on Facebook. “The shameless woman should face the consequences she herself is creating.”
State prosecutors said they have opened an investigation into the events and the alleged crimes committed during the protests.
The municipal administration remained silent about the citizens’ demands, but legislative leaders said that local lawmakers cannot directly remove a mayor — although they may forward evidence to the state government for review.
In response to fears of further clashes, the National Guard was deployed to El Oro to protect public buildings and keep order. The town of El Oro de Hidalgo has about 6,000 residents, while the Del Oro municipality has a population of roughly 37,000.
With reports from El Sol de Toluca, La Jornada and Animal Politico
