A contingent of mothers searching for their missing loved ones briefly interrupted the traditional opening parade of the five-day Mazatlán Carnival on Sunday night in the Pacific coast port.  

Taking advantage of the visibility enjoyed by what is considered one of the best carnivals in Mexico, more than 100 women marched in silence, displaying banners and signs with the names of their missing loved ones to the thousands of people who had gathered along the boardwalk to see the parade floats.

A group of search collectives had issued a threat on social media that they would interrupt the festivities to protest the lack of attention they’ve received from authorities. 

Instead, they were allowed to march in front of the parade and their peaceful demonstration was met with applause and shouts of support from the spectators. Their posters included photos of the missing and phrases demanding government action. One sign said: “I don’t want to bother anyone, I simply want to raise awareness.”

Nadia Margarita Berrelleza Flores, one of the mothers, said her group decided to use the massive event to bring attention to the problem of disappearances in the country. 

Nearly seven months after her sister’s disappearance, Nadia said there has been no significant progress from the authorities.

“We wanted to publicly show the anguish experienced by the families of the missing youth,” she said, adding that the decision to protest arose spontaneously. 

Mazatlán carnival expected to generate 1.2 billion pesos in economic impact

This year’s carnival is taking place amidst a massive federal security operation. 

The state of Sinaloa, where Mazatlán is located, has been hit by a wave of violence since a civil war between factions of the Sinaloa Cartel began in September 2024. A tally by the local newspaper Noroeste calculates that more than 2,800 people have been murdered in the state since.

Local hoteliers say fewer tourists have arrived for this year’s carnival due to security concerns.

Last month, 10 miners were kidnapped from a mine site about 50 kilometers northeast of Mazatlán. The remains of five of the victims were discovered in a mass grave in a village near the La Concordia mine project. Several search collectives have been camped near the mass graves awaiting information from the authorities, who continue to process the bodies found there.

Last week, six tourists from México state went missing in Mazatlán, while in a separate incident, the bodies of another five tourists from the same state were found in the back of a pick-up truck near the state capital of Culiacán on Feb. 11.

With reports from Infobae, Línea Directa, Despierta Oaxaca, El Siglo de Durango and Latinus