Juarez Cemeteries A Grave Reminder Of Deadly Drug War

By BELO Border Bureau Chief Angela Kocherga

JUAREZ — The expansion of several cemeteries to accommodate for more than 1,800 murders serves as a grave reminder that Juarez is one of the deadliest places in the world.

The path to the city cemetery is well-traveled these days as mourners gather daily to bury murdered loved ones.

“He smiled at me. He looked at me,” said Natalia Garcia, remembering the last smile her husband, Beto Compean, gave her before dying.

Relatives claim a well-known gang member killed Beto, who simply worked as a mechanic. After his funeral, his family lingered for a private moment to play some of his favorite songs.

If the family seemed composed after the killing,it’s because death is no stranger in Juarez, especially,in poorer neighborhoods where victim and villain often live side-by-side.

In another part of the cemetery, teenage girlssaid they haveburied half a dozen friends this year. Some, they said,were young men recruited by the drug cartels to fight a turf battle.

“A lot of young men are involved in the violence,” said Ana Maria Barrios, who laments the social conditions that lead tothem getting caught up in the violence.Many, she said,leave behind wives and children of their own.

City officials said the morgue quickly fills up on a weekly basis. They said city employees take the bodies of people who have not been identified or are unclaimed to a spot in the cemetery where they are buried in unmarked graves.

“[The expansion] is all the way over there,” said Jesus Ibarra, the cemetery caretaker, pointing out new plots that extend to the edge of the property.

Judging by the freshly dug graves, manyexpect the bloodshed in Juarez to continue.