Tarahumara

“We gathered here to ask God to look at us, because we are in need,” said Sister Silvina Salmerón, from the Diocese of Tarahumara, where the murdered priests also served.

Most who work in the Sierra Tarahumara report intimidation, threats and drug-cartel checkpoints even on main roads in the mountains.

Both men were integrated into their communities of Indigenous Tarahumara, who prefer the name Raramuri, performing social work, defending the local culture and advocating for basic services, including education.

The two priests worked at the church in the small town in the Sierra Tarahumara mountain chain, home to the Raramuri indigenous group and the site of increasing cartel violence.

The incident occurred in the Tarahumara mountains of Chihuahua state, about 350 miles south of the Texas border.