The law in their hands
Vigilantes ride on the back of a pick-up truck while driving in a convoy in Mexico's Michoacan state, the site of a bitter struggle between them and one of the country's most powerful drug cartels - the Knights Templar.
Heavily armed vigilantes have been battling the drugs gang as federal forces stand by, raising questions about how the government will restore order in the lawless region.
Jose Manuel Mireles (3rd left), a vigilante leader, poses for a photograph with other fighters.
A vigilante holds his gun while standing at a checkpoint in Tepalcatepec.
Another vigilante sports a tattoo reading "Michoacan".
With his gun slung over his shoulder, a vigilante shops in a store in Poturo.
Vigilantes stand outside the municipality after entering the town of Nueva Italia.
A group of vigilantes block a road after hearing rumours of a possible ambush in Tierra Caliente.
Military personnel patrol the area around La Ruana and Tepalcatepec.
Police in riot gear stand guard outside a townhouse in Apatzingan.
The dead body of Mario Perez lies in a coffin during a wake at his family home in Antunez. Residents reported that soldiers opened fire when the town's inhabitants tried to stop them from disarming vigilantes. Perez, a local fruit harvester, was not a member of the vigilante groups, his family told Reuters.
