On 22 of May 2018, a heavily armed commando entered the P’urhépecha community in Nurío with the aim of intimidating, murdering and destroying their communal organization, shooting at women, children and elderly people with high calibre firearms. When faced with this clear threat to their peace and security, the community responded by joining together to defend their territory, which resulted in the death of Jesús Álvarez Chávez, who was from Nurío and who was part of the group who defended their territory from the attack.

Nurío has a long history of struggle and resistance and has gained a reputation for being a community that protects its natural resources and achieves self-determination regarding their community organization and security. The community has had to face systematic violence, mainly due to extractivism in the area, and has been forced to respond to the direct attacks against them.