Tlatelolco massacre

1968 wasn't just a year of turmoil in the United States. On October 2, Mexican government officials opened fire on a crowd of college students in a section of Mexico City called Tlatelolco. The exact number of deaths is disputed, but most sources cite it around 200 to 300. The number of arrests might have exceeded 1,000. This event is known as the Tlatelolco massacre.

That year, Gustavo Diaz Ordaz was Mexico's president. He was notorious for suppressing independent labor unions and peasant farmers, and the economy suffered while he was in office. Hence, dismay pervaded the country's working class.

Mexico City was also set to host the Olympic Games, and the government poured in $150 million in its preparation, a huge amount compared to the amount they invested in the economy. Angered, college students organized and initially demanded greater employment and respect for university independence, but the dissatisfactions of the working class soon found way in the demonstrations.

On July 23, the riot police attacked students and teachers at Vocational School #5 in Mexico City, marking the first time the government seriously infringed on student autonomy. Actually, according to one person, "the granaderos [riot police] said that the authorities gave the men in the riot squad thirty pesos for every student they clubbed and hauled off to jail." This incident galvanized students from outside the city and other parts of society. Small groups of college students began to distribute leaflets and collected money and sympathy from older people. On August 1, 50,000 students marched peacefully in Mexico City, which was not interrupted by any major distractions.

Next, a silent march was planned to take place on September 13, one where students invited other students, teachers, workers, peasants, and the general public to attend. The organizers told fellow students and teachers to return to class only if their institutional demands were met. The government quickly stated that the march had nothing to do with the Olympics or the holidays surrounding Independence Day in Mexico. The demands were:

1. Repeal of Articles 145 and 145b of the Penal Code (which sanctioned imprisonment of anyone attending meetings of three or more people, deemed to threaten public order).
2. The abolition of granaderos (the tactical police corps).
3. Freedom for political prisoners.
4. The dismissal of the chief of police and his deputy.
5. The identification of officials responsible for the bloodshed from previous government repressions (July and August meetings).

Diaz Ordaz soon ordered the army to pay a visit to the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the country's largest university, where they randomly beat and arrested students.

On October 2, approximately 10,000 people -- students and spectators alike -- gathered at a plaza in Tlatelolco, listening to speeches and chanting "We don't want Olympic games, we want revolution!". Then, around 6:30 pm, 5,000 soldiers and 200 tanks and trucks encircled the crowd.

The shootings proceeded throughout the night. Demonstrators and passerby, adults and children, were indiscriminately killed, their bodies hitting the ground. Soldiers rummaged through the apartment complex adjacent to the plaza. Snipers enjoyed safety as they picked off their defenseless enemies.

The next morning, the state-run media reported that the "criminal" actions of the students led to 20 to 28 being killed, with hundreds injured and hundreds arrested. Of course, the truth ultimately came forth.