Michoacán Autodefensa Uprising

Beginning in February 2013, armed civilian self-defense groups (autodefensas) formed across Michoacán’s Tierra Caliente region to fight the Knights Templar Cartel, whose extreme extortion of the population — demanding payments from avocado growers, shopkeepers, and even tortilla sellers — had become unbearable.

Led by figures like Dr. José Manuel Mireles and Hipólito Mora, the movement initially succeeded in expelling the Knights Templar from multiple towns. However, it was complicated by infiltration from rival cartel interests (particularly CJNG) and eventually co-opted by the government through a legalization and institutionalization program. The episode raised fundamental questions about state failure and citizens’ rights to armed self-defense.