Gordon Lewis Strom Díaz taught painting, yoga and conservation in Teocelo, Veracruz, the town in which he lived for several years before he was killed. Originally from California, he lived with his wife ,with whom he founded an association named “Amigos de Teocelo.” The organisation’s aims are to protect the environment and promote the care of local species such as the ocelot and the armadillo. It also promotes recycling, community service and the prevention of violence and drug use among local youth.

Gordon was found dead on the 3rd of May, 2017 in his home, a few minutes away from the municipal seat of Teocelo. Unofficial sources indicate that his body bore signs of torture, that his hands and feet were bound and that he suffered major blood loss. In November of the same year, a man said to be the most likely suspect was arrested and remanded into pre-trial detention.

After his death, an altar was set up outside number 81, Pino Suárez Street, where Gordon painted his last mural. In one of many tributes by friends, academics, environmentalists and residents of Teocelo, Gordon Strom was remembered as “one of the most generous, kind, good men that was brutally torn out of this world. Gordon Strom was a force for change, a bright light in the midst of darkness, a fierce friend, a loyal and loving husband, a faithful son.”

Based on report by Jornada Veracruz