Under the Blood
There is a famous phrase saying that “if you want to be good student, you have to suffer”. This phrase refers to how people have studied hard, but in1968 the Mexican government took it as kill the students. The Mexican student movement happened in 1968 while Gustavo Diaz Ordaz was president. University students wanted to change the policy and end the repression from the government in order to get a better education. Those changes were not proper to the government’s eyes. In contrast, students had public meetings and they tried to convince the government that their proposal would be beneficial to university education. However, the Mexican government ordered a massacre of students who had a meeting in Tlaltelolco Plaza, Mexico City, ten days before the 1968 Summer Olympics. Thousands of students were in meetings and they were hitting by special police group. The Tlaltelolco Massacre had consequences in education, the economy and social safety that affected many families.

The education level of universities was affected by the event because the curriculum changed, and many students had to abandon their studies. The massacre caused transitional changes in the professional education because the level of education became low. Even fifteen years later, when I was a university student the methodology of study was lacking in knowledge because the ideology was under the influence of rebel groups. Consequently, today Mexican universities protect the rights of education. Many professors said that the students thought that school’s policies were concentrating in political issues. As a result, many students suspended their studies. They preferred to seek justice than focus on finishing their studies.
Another effect to massacre was the Mexican economy changed the Mexican lifestyle people and whole country suffered the consequences which led to economic crisis of 1970’s. Due to Massacre, the Mexican government lost credibility from other countries, so the economy became weak and the prices rose. Every family felt that crisis and my family’s economy was not the exception. For example, my father’s wage was the same while the expenses increased constantly. In addition, my mother got a job, but their incomes were insufficient to run the household. Subsequently, one of my older brothers had to find a part time job for several months. At the time many students decided desert the schools. They had looked jobs and that caused unemployment. Consequently, families cut their incomes and the economy suffered a financial collapse. In fact, The Tlaltelolco Massacre was one of the causes of the peso devaluation in 1970’s.

In addition, the student massacre brought insecurity to most Mexicans because the government persecuted young people after of the event. Even though they were not students, they suffer that effect. Some of them were persecuted inside their homes also. Consequently, many students became delinquent. For example, they stole and they were arrested. Others were arrested and they never went back to their houses. For instance, one of my uncles was arrested for a few days and my whole family was worried those days for him. In fact, my grandfather got diabetes and my mother said that he was sick due to my uncle’s arrest. Thus, that kind of situation influenced people to blame to government.

The Tlaltelolco Massacre was an event that left a mark on Mexican history and it was recognized as a transitional event of student history. Besides, as a university student that massacre of course it was not necessary because I think there were other ways to find solutions to the conflict. Moreover, the Mexican society suffered education, economic and social safety consequences. That event was the beginning of autonomous universities and civil fights of young people. Nowadays, many people who were university students, at that time, recall that massacre in Mexico. They are still disappointed with investigation’s results because they think the results was distrust.