Tlatelolco massacre

Quick Facts: Who was Tlatelolco massacre?

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Tlatelolco massacre

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A 1968 military massacre of unarmed student protestors in Mexico City.

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Origins & Early Life

The Tlatelolco massacre (Spanish: Masacre de Tlatelolco) was a military massacre committed by the Mexican Armed Forces against the students of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) and other universities in Mexico. The massacre followed a series of large demonstrations known as the Mexican Movement of 1968 and is considered part of the Mexican Dirty War when the U.S.-backed Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) government violently repressed political and social opposition. The event occurred ten days before the opening ceremony of the 1968 Summer Olympics, which were carried out as scheduled. On October 2, 1968, in the Tlatelolco section of Mexico City, the Mexican Armed Forces opened fire on a group of unarmed civilians who were protesting the upcoming Olympics in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas. The Mexican government and news media claimed the Armed Forces had been provoked by protesters shooting at them, but government documents made public since 2000 suggest that snipers had been employed by the government.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The number of deaths resulting from the event is disputed. According to U.S. national security archives, American analyst Kate Doyle documented the deaths of 44 people, but estimates of the actual death toll range from 300 to 400, with eyewitnesses reporting hundreds dead. Additionally, the head of the Federal Directorate of Security reported that 1,345 people were arrested. Mexican President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz struggled to maintain public order during a time of rising social tensions by suppressing independent labor unions and farmers and heavy-handedly trying to direct the economy. In 1958, under the previous administration of Adolfo López Mateos (when Díaz Ordaz was Minister of the Interior), labor leader Demetrio Vallejo had been arrested, and later on, in May 1962 peasant activist Rubén Jaramillo was murdered.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Arising from reaction to the government's violent repression of a July 1968 fight between rival porros (gangs), the student movement in Mexico City quickly grew to include large segments of the university students who were dissatisfied with the regime of the PRI, especially at the Autonomous National University of Mexico and the National Polytechnic Institute, but also at other universities. After a fight by rival student groups in central Mexico City was broken up violently by a large contingent of police, university students formed a National Strike Council (CNH) to organize protests and present demands to the government. Large-scale protests grew in size over the summer as the opening of the Olympic Games in mid-October grew nearer, and Minister of the Interior Luis Echeverría was expected to keep public order. On October 2, 1968, a large, peaceful march arrived at the Plaza of the Three Cultures for the usual speeches. However, the Díaz Ordaz government and troops marched into the plaza and gunmen in surrounding buildings opened fire on the unarmed civilians in what is now known as the Tlatelolco massacre.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1958: 1958 Milestone — In 1958, under the previous administration of Adolfo López Mateos (when Díaz Ordaz was Minister of the Interior), labor leader Demetrio Vallejo had been arrested, and later on, in May 1962 peasant activist Rubén Jaramillo was murdered.
2. 1968: 1968 Milestone — The massacre followed a series of large demonstrations known as the Mexican Movement of 1968 and is considered part of the Mexican Dirty War when the U.
3. 2000: 2000 Milestone — The Mexican government and news media claimed the Armed Forces had been provoked by protesters shooting at them, but government documents made public since 2000 suggest that snipers had been employed by the government.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Tlatelolco massacre

True or False: “The Mexican government initially claimed that protesters fired the first shots, provoking the military response.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Government documents made public since 2000 suggest that snipers were employed by the government forces during the event.

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• A. K. Fazlul Huq — Historical peer (Died in 1962) (1962): Pakistani statesman and jurist, known as Sher-e-Bangla, a founding father of Pakistan.
• Abdullah II of Jordan — Historical peer (Born in 1962) (1962): King of Jordan, a Hashemite monarch who assumed the throne in 1999.

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