La Mara Salvatrucha
(MS 13)
Hugo Alfredo Barajas
11393409
Chicano/a Latino/a Studies 151
Thesis
• La Mara Salvatrucha was created in the United States due to poverty,
discrimination, lack of education and low paying jobs; however, the spread
of these gangs began because of immigration, consequently spreading gangs
into Central America and evolving them from street gangs into high criminal
international organization gangs.
Questions I had
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How does MS13 affect the Chicano Latino community?
How was the gang created and what factors went in to the creation of the gang?
How has it evolved and formed itself ?
What is the identity it has formed itself ?
What has it adopted from previous LA gangs?
Why should we as a community be concerned about gangs?
What should we do?
Who is to blame the chicano Latino Cummunity or the U.S?
How does MS13 affect the Chicano Latino
community?
• Young children and teens are being influenced by gangs and when they join
MS13 they are making a lifetime long commitment that the only way out is
death.
• “Sangre Afuera, Sangre Adentro” (Ling) Only way in to get into MS13 is to spill blood.
• Jester became a member by age of 8 (Ling)
• Criminals by the time they are adults
• High drop out rates, murders, violence, drugs, prison
• Drugs; crystal, cocaine, crack cocaine, weed and pills (Ling)
• Kill trespassers that go onto their turf
• Impact on people within the community
• Taxing people within the community (Ling)
• Makes it more difficult for our people to reach the American dream
How was the gang created and what factors
went in to the creation of the gang?
• In the 1980’s El Salvador and Guatemala were facing a Civil War within the Guerrillas and the Government. Due to
the fact that many people were dying many people migrated to the North. (Franco 6-7)
• 300,000 Salvadorians went to Los Angeles because of their lack of education and the work (Franco 7)
• Los Angeles were constantly being harassed by the Mexican street gangs in the area
• Salvadorians formed together their own clique (Mara Salvatrucha Stoners) (Ling)
• Recruited veterans from the Salvadorian Civil War. (Stiles 108).
• These veterans knew how to use combat action and they came from El Salvador where violence
and death was a norm at the time.
• Alliances with the Mexican Mafia (Mara Salvatrucha MS13)
How has it evolved and formed itself ?
• Drugs.
• Drugs; crystal, cocaine, crack cocaine, weed and pills (Ling)
• Working with the cartels
Gangs help the cartels by murdering people and transporting drugs, as reward MS13
members may be paid by getting 10% of the shipments (Stiles 111)
• Violence
• . Today the Mara’s can be seen involved in drug extortion, transporting across borders,
murders, kidnappings and prostitution (Stiles).
• International
• 38 states in the United States and 24 in Mexico.
• Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala (stiles)
What is the identity it has formed itself ?
• Ruthless violent people and known as the worlds .most dangerous gang
What has it adopted from previous LA gangs?
• Language
• New generations use Calo, Street Spanish mixed with English
• Style: Innovation of the Pachuco style  now has a more street style
Today’s gangs can be
seen wearing clothing
such as Dickies pants
which are in a sence
almost like dress
pants. To me that is
an innovation of
original zoot suits
Who is to blame the Chicano Latino
Community or the U.S?
• The United states is to blame for the problem our communities face today. If the U.S had
not had a history of racism, discrimination and unequal rights gangs would have never been
created. Gangs are only created to find a way out of the mess people live in.
• The U.S insured the growth of the gang’s by trying to get rid of their problem by deporting
them back to their hometowns. This caused the spread of gangs.
• It is estimated that about half a million immigrants were deported between 1991-2006
and of those, 80% were from Latin America (Stiles 108)
• The impact it had was that in today’s society there are estimates of between 75-85,000
members in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador (Stiles 109).
• 60 % of the murders in Honduras are gang related since 2012 (Boraz and Bruneau 3).
Why should we as a community be concerned
about gangs?
What should we do?
• Our people are being terrorized and I feel like the only way to stop this is by giving
Latino and Chicano families options.
• More jobs. With more jobs comes more opportunities
• More funding for education within communities where minorities attend school.
• More restorative programs to give young kids better education and trust for the
criminal justice system.
• The focus of the criminal justice system should be to help not punish people.