On March 31, 26 men returning from work to the town of Santiago Xochiltepec, were ambushed and killed. This is only the most recent act of violence in a land feud with the neighboring town of Las Huertas that began in 1935. Xochiltepec is a Zapotec town, while Las Huertas is primarily mestizo. In March, the government awarded the residents of Xochiltepec a land claim based on ancient titles, but residents still complained that inhabitants of Las Huertas were taking their trees.
