© Teun Voeten, Ciudad Juarez, Chinuahua State, Mexico, June 2009.
The bordertown of Ciudad Juarez, just across the Rio Grande opposite of the Texan city of El Paso, is plagued by a wave of drug related violence. Drug cartels fight over control of lucrative smuggling routes while smaller gangs fight each other over territory. With over 2800 killings in 2009, this city of one and a half million people has become the most dangerous city in the world.
The center of town, the immedeate surrounding near Avenida Benito Juarez, used to be the center of nightlife, with bars, brothels, night clubs, discotheques and pubs. Now the area is being demolished to make place for a brand new shopping center. The remaining places have gotten an ill reputation. Due to the violence, the area is hardly visited anymore except for criminals and prostitutes.