Her name was Claudia Tacoronte Aguilera, she was 21 years old and had crossed the Atlantic from Granada to study and get to know another country. On Saturday night she was killed in Cuautla, in the Mexican state of Morelos in a crime that the Prosecutor’s Office is investigating as a femicide.
The young woman, originally from the Canary Islands and a fourth-year Early Childhood Education student at the University of Granada (URG), was on exchange at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos (UAEM). On Saturday she went to the Casa de la Cultura where the National Medicinal Plant Festival was being held and there she was murdered.
According to Ideal Granada, the young woman had suffered an attempted robbery with a knife and tried to take refuge in the venue where the celebration was taking place. Witnesses cited by the Granada newspaper say that the man who was chasing her entered after her and attacked her several times with the weapon.
Emergency services went to the scene but were unable to save the student’s life.
The student was on exchange at a university in Morelos
The Board of the Casa de la Cultura de Cuautla, for its part, has confirmed that the death occurred on the night of September 12, allegedly during a robbery with a knife, and has expressed its condolences to the family. In a statement, the institution explained that it immediately notified the authorities, who came to the scene and activated investigation protocols for the probable crime of femicide.
The Casa de la Cultura has assured that it will cooperate with the authorities and provide all necessary information to clarify the facts. In addition, due to what happened, it authorized some participants of the National Medicinal Plant Festival to stay overnight in the Casa de la Cultura facilities and carry out part of their activities there.
The institution has reiterated its commitment to safety and announced that it will continue working to improve the conditions of its facilities.
The investigation now seeks to reconstruct Claudia’s last minutes and clarify the circumstances of the crime. The Morelos prosecutor, Fernando Blumenkron, has indicated that the case is initially being investigated as femicide, following the protocols applicable to violent deaths of women, while it is determined whether there were gender-related reasons. The authorities have also requested citizen collaboration to locate the perpetrator of the crime.
Consternation at the University of Granada
The news has caused deep shock in Granada. The girl was a fourth-year Early Childhood Education student. The University of Granada has expressed its “strongest rejection and absolute condemnation” of the student’s murder and has activated its international emergency protocol.
Although this protocol is mainly designed to respond to situations such as natural disasters or accidents, the university activated it after learning of Claudia’s violent death. The institution contacted the Consulate and the Spanish Embassy in Mexico to learn about the circumstances of what happened.
“It is a moment of deep sadness and much institutional anger”
Pedro Mercado
Rector of the UGR
The UGR rector, Pedro Mercado, also contacted the victim’s family on Sunday to offer help and support at this time. Mercado has expressed the “deep sadness” and “institutional anger” that the university feels over the young woman’s death.
The university community called for a minute of silence this Monday as a sign of rejection and condemnation of the murder. The event was held at the doors of the Faculty of Education Sciences, where Claudia studied.
After the minute of silence, the Vice-Rector for Students and University Life, Juan Luis Benítez, explained that the university’s priority is to support the family and the student’s closest environment. “Our task is to accompany the family, the students, Claudia’s classmates and provide all possible help,” he said.
Benítez also assured that the UGR will accompany the family during the repatriation of the body and will offer psychological support to both the relatives and the students. “The protocol was already activated, but there is no protocol that helps to cope with this,” he lamented.
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The dean of the Faculty of Education Sciences, Katia Caballero Rodríguez, also spoke, describing the moment the university community is going through as “a cold shower.” “We are shocked. It is a very hard blow for everyone, for our university and especially for our faculty. We are going through a very sad moment,” she said.
The dean pointed out that students participating in mobility programs receive information and recommendations about safety in destination countries, although she acknowledged that there are situations beyond any forecast. “Students know the dangers of certain countries, they have recommendations on how to act. These situations are uncontrollable. Nothing like this had ever happened to us,” she said.
The University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria condemns Claudia’s murder
The University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) has also expressed its condemnation of the murder of Claudia Tacoronte Aguilera.
The Canary Islands institution has expressed its sorrow for the young woman’s death and its solidarity with her family, loved ones, and the university community of Granada.
Andalusian political class expresses sorrow over the murder
Claudia’s death has also provoked reactions in the Andalusian political sphere. The secretary general of PSOE-A, María Jesús Montero, was the first to react and expressed on her social networks her “pain and shock” over the murder and extended her condolences to the family, friends, and university community.
Montero recalled that Claudia was in Mexico living an experience that “should have been one of learning, freedom, and future.” “Violence against women knows no borders,” she said, before assuring that it will continue to be fought “until sexist crimes are eradicated.”
After her, the president of the Andalusian Government, Juanma Moreno, said he was “stunned” by the news and sent his “condolences and all our affection” to Claudia’s family. The Andalusian president said the regional government joins “the deep pain of her loved ones” and offered “all necessary support and assistance.”
The leader of Adelante Andalucía also expressed his consternation over the murder. “I think everyone is really shocked by Claudia’s murder in Mexico,” he said, before referring to the young woman as an Andalusian student victim of “what appears to be a femicide.” He also sent his affection to Claudia’s family and friends and a hug to the University of Granada community.
From the central government, the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant, said on Monday that her “heart aches upon learning the news of Claudia’s murder, a student at the University of Granada, during her academic mobility stay in Mexico.”
In a message on her social media profile, Morant sent her “affection” to the young woman’s family, “to her friends, and to the entire Granada university community in these very difficult moments.”
Concern among students remaining in Mexico
Claudia’s murder has also caused concern among the twenty or so UGR students who remain in Mexico and among their families. The university has contacted them to offer help and to let them know it is available for any needs they may have. Until now, the country was one of the most demanded destinations by university students choosing Latin America for their mobility stays.
The impact of what happened has also spread to the rest of the Andalusian public universities. Francisco Oliva, president of the Association of Public Universities of Andalusia and rector of the Pablo de Olavide University, has admitted being “in shock” over the “terrible” murder and has said that measures that may be necessary for Erasmus students remaining in Mexico will be studied.
The investigation continues now in Morelos to clarify how the murder occurred and to locate the responsible party. In Granada, meanwhile, the university community faces the death of a student who had traveled to Mexico to continue her studies and live an academic experience far from home.
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