Authorities uncovered skeletal remains of at least 11 people in hidden graves in western Mexico on Thursday.
The graves lay in a rural lot in Ixtlahuacan, a suburb of Guadalajara in Jalisco state, according to the local prosecutor’s office.
In nearby Tlajomulco, workers at a construction site found 12 bags containing human remains, Blanca Trujillo, deputy prosecutor for missing persons, said at a press conference. She added that the total number of victims from both locations remains unknown and that the remains date back a long time, without giving a specific period.
The findings add to dozens of similar discoveries in Jalisco, Mexico’s hardest-hit state for disappearances and home to one of the nation’s most violent drug cartels.
Official data lists more than 130,000 missing people nationwide, most over the past two decades amid drug violence. Jalisco alone accounts for over 15,900 cases, which experts link to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
The cartel faces accusations of using fake job ads to recruit members and torturing or killing those who resist.
One of Mexico’s largest mass graves surfaced in 2017 with more than 250 skulls on the outskirts of Veracruz, apparently a cartel burial site.
Most recently, in October 2025, as many as 48 bags of human remains turned up in a vacant lot in Zapopan, part of the Guadalajara metro area.
Guadalajara, the state capital, will host 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup matches this summer alongside Monterrey and Mexico City. The federal government plans to deploy nearly 100,000 troops for security across the host cities as Mexico co-hosts the tournament with the U.S. and Canada.
In February, Mexican forces killed Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, the cartel’s leader and a top U.S. target, sparking violence. Oseguera received a burial in March in a golden casket amid huge flower arrangements and a heavy military presence.
FIFA has since reaffirmed confidence in Guadalajara as a host.
