Alejandro Arcos Catalán (12 February 19816 October 2024) was a Mexican politician. Elected

municipal president A ''presidente municipal'' ( English: "municipal president") is the chief of government of municipios in Mexico. This title was also used in the Philippines during the Spanish and American colonial periods; it is comparable to a mayor of the tow ...

Chilpancingo de los Bravo Chilpancingo de los Bravo (commonly shortened to Chilpancingo; ; Nahuatl: Chilpantzinco ()) is the capital and second-largest city of the Mexican state of Guerrero. In 2010 it had a population of 187,251 people. The municipality has an area of ...

, capital of the state of

Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...

, in the June 2024 election, he was assassinated after six days in office.

Early life

Alejandro Arcos Catalán was born in Chilpancingo de los Bravo on 12 February 1981. Arcos earned a Licentiate in political science and public administration from the Universidad Sentimientos de la Nación.

Political career

Arcos represented the 1st district in the LX Legislature of the

Congress of Guerrero The Honorable Congress of the State of Guerrero () is the legislative branch of the government of the State of Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative di ...

as a member of the

Party of the Democratic Revolution The Party of the Democratic Revolution (, , PRD) is a state-level social democracy, social democratic political party in Mexico (previously national, until 2024). The PRD originated from the Democratic Current, a political faction formed in 198 ...

(PRD). Arcos also unsuccessfully ran for municipal president of Chilpancingo de los Bravo in 2021. In March 2024, Arcos was announced as the PRI-PAN-PRD coalition's candidate for the municipal presidency of

Chilpancingo Chilpancingo de los Bravo (commonly shortened to Chilpancingo; ; Nahuatl: Chilpantzinco ()) is the capital and second-largest city of the Mexican state of Guerrero. In 2010 it had a population of 187,251 people. The municipality has an area of ...

. Chilpancingo is known for an ongoing war "between two drug gangs, the Ardillos and the Tlacos". During the 2024 election campaign, Arcos was the only candidate who was allowed to stump in areas controlled by the Ardillos. In exchange for the backing of the Ardillos, Arcos agreed to give them a slice of Chilpancingo's

public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and procured by a government body for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

budget. In the June 2024 election, he won the election for municipal president of

, capital of the state of

, by 1,700 votes and took office on 1 October 2024. His focus during his brief time in office included initiatives to increase local security through technology and collaboration with the

Mexican Army The Mexican Army () is the combined Army, land and Air Force, air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National Defense o ...

. He emphasized transparency and future-oriented policies. He tried to create peace between the Ardillos and the Tlacos. After he made overtures to the Tlacos, Arcos' deputy and Chilpancingo's incoming security chief were murdered.

Death

On 6 October 2024, Arcos helped bring water and other supplies to communities affected by

Hurricane John Hurricane John was a powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that caused deadly flooding and record rainfall across southern Mexico for several days in September 2024. The eleventh named storm, fourth hurricane, and second major hurricane of ...

. He left his staff behind to attend a private meeting shortly before his assassination. His murder was noted for its cruelty — his severed head was placed on the roof of a truck while his body was left in the vehicle — just days after the inauguration of

Claudia Sheinbaum Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (born 24 June 1962) is a Mexican politician, energy and climate change scientist, and academic who has served as the 66th president of Mexico since 2024. She is the List of elected and appointed female heads of state and ...

President of Mexico The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

and amid an escalation of cartel violence in

Culiacán Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is a city in northwestern Mexico, the capital and largest city of both Culiacán Municipality and the state of Sinaloa. The city was founded on 29 September 1531 by the Spanish conquistadors Lázaro de ...

. The assassination of the serving leader in a Mexican state's capital was unprecedented. The local government in Chilpancingo declared three days of mourning after his death, and his position as municipal president was filled by Gustavo Alarcón Herrera. There was a memorial Mass at Chilpancingo Cathedral. Authorities initially blamed criminal gangs for his murder. On 12 November, a retired military officer turned prosecutor was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the killing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arcos, Alejandro 1981 births 2024 deaths 2024 murders in Mexico 21st-century Mexican politicians Assassinated Mexican politicians Members of the Congress of Guerrero Municipal presidents in Guerrero North American politicians assassinated in the 2020s Party of the Democratic Revolution politicians People from Chilpancingo People murdered in Mexico Politicians from Guerrero Politicians assassinated in 2024

Early life

Political career

Death

See also

References