ABSTRACT
This chapter presents statistical data in terms of the impact of violence and associated displacement, and narratives from ordinary Mexicans, which suggest that the recent situation is significantly discontinuous with earlier patterns of violence, and poses a major threat to the lives and well-being of a large proportion of the population. It outlines the changing political economy of crime in Mexico and the statistical data on violence, and explores the narratives of crisis among ordinary people, and in the media and the arts. The chapter discusses the politics and institutional conditions that have shaped the official discourse, construction, and response to the violence and ensuing displacement. It shows the issue of displacement, showing statistically that there is a significant link between violence and internal migration, and examines the triggers for movement and the scale of displacement. The chapter discusses how and why the crisis has been largely denied by the government and ignored by international actors, and with what consequences.
