State plagued by cartel-related violence Celaya is located in the north-central state of Guanajuato where more police were shot to death in 2023 - about 60 - than in all of the United States.

CELAYA, Mexico — A dead man lay on his back in the parking lot of a convenience store in late February when journalists rolled in to the north-central Mexico city of Celaya to interview police.

Mexican Army soldiers drive past a crime scene where a municipal police officer was shot dead, in a neighborhood of Celaya, Guanajuato state, Mexico, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024.

Guanajuato’s state and municipal police officers are now protecting 255 local candidates, Mr. Cabeza de Vaca said. Still, the conditions remain in place that have made Guanajuato — and Celaya ...