The village of thatched roof and clapboard huts had only about 600 people and 300 refugees from previous clashes living there. Tuesday afternoon it resembled a ghost town, with only dogs, horses and roosters left after terrorized residents fled. Muddy patches of blood and bloodied footsteps dotted the mountainside. The reason for the attack was not immediately known, but it occurred amid a backdrop of longstanding political conflict in the region. Zedillo ordered the attorney general to investigate and quickly prosecute whoever was responsible.
Nothing can justify the atrocity they have committed.
He said he went outside to find about 70 men firing AK-47s. Along with many of the other 900 people in this highlands village, he fled down a steep mountainside toward the river, where shallow caves offered some protection. But the gunmen followed, and most of the victims were killed along the river banks, Vazquez said. He said his mother, father and four sisters were killed. Three other siblings were wounded.