Gangland

Mexican Mafia

The Mexican Mafia, also referred to as La eMe, (Spanish for the letter "M"), was formed in 1957 by Chicano street gang members incarcerated at the Deuel Vocational Institution in Tracy, California.

Approximately thirteen Mexican-Americans from East Los Angeles, including gang members from the Maravilla street gang, formed the original core of the gang called Mexikanemi, Aztec for "He who walks with God in his heart."

Initially, they banded together over religion and to worship an ancient pre-Hispanic cultural heritage. But their main focus was to protect themselves against African-American convicts, other inmates and the prison staff.

Deuel was called "Gladiator School" by the inmates. Prisoners there honed their fighting skills, and learned the business of drug dealing. They also learned how to maim or murder with handmade weapons.

As the organization grew, it rapidly evolved into a criminal organization involved in extortion, narcotics trafficking and murder, both inside and outside the prison system walls. Today, the Mexican Mafia has spread from California to at least seven other states including; Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.

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