Mexico's hidden burial sites multiply and shift across regions under three presidencies

Researchers from the Human Rights Program at Iberoamericana University released a report detailing clandestine graves uncovered in Mexico between 2006 and 2024, drawing on prosecutors' files, news stories and interviews with families and civil-society groups. The analysis shows that graves have not stayed in one area; early reports centered on northern states, later shifting to central and southern regions, and most recently concentrating in western and north-western states like Colima, Sonora and Baja California Sur.

Media sources recorded between 3,516 and 4,071 graves, while prosecutors logged 5,152 entries, revealing inconsistent methodologies and the absence of a national database. States such as Guerrero and Guanajuato exhibit stark gaps between press documentation and official tallies, raising questions about local authority action. Although three-quarters of victims are men, the study notes a rise in femicide-related burials, with most perpetrators identified as private individuals, often intimate partners, and graves frequently located on private property. The findings underscore the crucial role of search collectives in locating sites and the ongoing challenges of exhumation, identification and delivering remains to families.