Carlos Manzo was a Mexican politician and mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, known for his hard‑line stance against organized crime and for governing as an independent after breaking with major parties. He was assassinated on November 1, 2025, during Day of the Dead celebrations, an event that sparked national and international outrage.

Quick Scoop

  • Full name and origins
    Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez was born on April 9, 1985, in Uruapan, the second-largest city in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. He grew up in a politically aware family; his father, Juan Manzo Ceja, was known locally for organizing peaceful protests against alleged electoral fraud in the early 1990s.
  • Political path
    Manzo studied political science and public administration and first engaged in politics with the youth wing of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) before later joining Morena (the National Regeneration Movement). He initially lost a 2018 bid for Congress as an independent, but won a federal deputy seat in 2021 under Morena, representing Michoacán’s 9th district.
  • From deputy to independent mayor
    In 2024, he resigned his congressional seat to run for mayor of Uruapan. After losing Morena’s internal nomination, he ran as an independent and won in a landslide with about 66% of the vote, becoming Uruapan’s first independent municipal president.
  • Zero‑tolerance stance on crime
    As mayor, Manzo adopted a “zero tolerance” line against organized crime, publicly criticizing federal security strategies and demanding stronger action against cartels operating in Michoacán. This tough approach, including high‑profile statements and measures that openly challenged criminal groups, led many commentators to compare him to El Salvador’s president Nayib Bukele, a comparison he publicly rejected.
  • Assassination and aftermath
    On the evening of November 1, 2025, Manzo was shot and killed at a Day of the Dead festival in Uruapan, an attack authorities linked to organized crime networks. His killing triggered protests, renewed debates over Mexico’s security strategy, and investigations that have included the arrest of suspected cartel members and even members of his own security detail on suspicion of involvement.

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