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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Thomas Graham in Mexico City

‘The military has been inserted into the economy’: how the army became ubiquitous in Mexican life

Dozens of rows of military officers stand in line outside
Military take part during the military parade for the 211th anniversary of national independence in Mexico. Photograph: Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/Rex/Shutterstock

A new package holiday promises to whisk tourists in the Yucatán Peninsula from plush hotels to Mayan ruins on a new airline and freshly-laid train tracks – an adventure brought to them entirely by the Mexican army, which now does luxury tourism when not fighting crime.

That an institution with a history of human rights violations must now learn the art of customer service is just the strangest aspect of a deeper trend, as Mexico’s military plays an ever-greater role in the country’s civil administration, with alarming implications for its democracy.

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