Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School was founded in 1926 by the Secretariat of Public Education in Mexico, directed by
Moisés Sáenz. These normal schools were based on the ideals of taking education to smaller towns, an idea proposed by
José Vasconcelos, the Mexican Secretary of Education at the time. Some of the notable former students of Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School include
Lucio Cabañas Barrientos,
Genaro Vázquez Rojas and
Othón Salazar. Cabañas was a leader of the
Party of the Poor, a guerrilla organization with a notable presence in the southeast of Guerrero. Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School's history of educating social leaders has led to its reputation as a hotbed for guerrilla conflict. Every year
normalista students went to Guerrero's capital city
Chilpancingo, to voice their demands to the government in protests and demonstrations. They sought changes in their institution, including in the budget for students' on-campus living.
2014 Kidnapping On the night of September 26, 2014, a group of students from this institution hijacked some buses hoping that they could participate in the demonstrations of October 2 in
Mexico City. Allegedly, elements from the municipal police of
Iguala and members of the criminal organization
Guerreros Unidos attacked the group of students under the command of José Luis Abarca Velázquez, the mayor of Iguala. News of the attack made international headlines with numerous international and human rights organizations urging the Mexican State to conduct an in-depth investigation. On October 9, the guerrilla group ERPI,
Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo Insurgente (People's Insurgent Revolutionary Army), announced the creation of
Brigada de ajusticiamiento 26 de Septiembre and declared this brigade united against the murder of these students. On January 27, 2015, the
Attorney General of Mexico notified about their advances on the investigation on the missing students, clarifying that it was basically an inside job between
Guerreros Unidos and the
PRD mayor in Iguala, José Luis Abarca. The students were kidnapped, murdered, incinerated and the ashes thrown into a river. According to the official version from the National Attorney, Los Rojos (the rival group of Guerreros Unidos), along with the Dean of Ayotzinapa Rural Normal School, had encouraged the students to go on the demonstrations against the mayor of Iguala. Due to the confusion and the uncertainty about whether or not they were students or members of their rival group Los Rojos, or a mix of both, the
Guerreros Unidos cartel decided to just execute these students as they usually would with antagonistic groups and were supported by PRD's authorities in Iguala, given the constant revolts from the students and their frequent protests. The disappearances and deaths of the students and innocents on the buses have played roles in the administrations of Mexican presidents
Enrique Peña Nieto and
Andrés Manuel López Obrador, as civilians and protestors have demanded a clear and thorough investigation. == References ==