It's not easy to reach Cherán, a small town in the mountainous highlands of Michoacán, a state in south-central Mexico. And once you arrive, there's no guarantee you'll get in. The area is heavily fortified with armed guards manning checkpoints. Why all the security? Avocados.
No, the armed personnel aren't guarding a particularly valuable crop of the ancient fruit. In fact, it's the opposite. This small town, located in the heart of Mexico's multibillion-dollar avocado corridor, has completely banned avocado farming. Although it's a lucrative industry (four out of the five avocados that Americans eat come from Michoacán), avocado farming demands copious amounts of water. It also means cutting down groves of native trees. So Cherán's leaders are militant about making sure no one starts growing avocados on the sly.
Journalist Alexander Sammon found a way in. He wrote about Cherán and the anti-avocado militias of Michoacán for a recent issue of Harper's magazine.