Initially the gang’s primary purpose was to defend immigrants.
As guerrilla factions and paramilitary groups have slowly disbanded, weapons have flooded the market and become easily available to youth—many still suffering from the emotional and social havoc wreaked by war. Thousands of children witnessed their family members being murdered. Easily available weapons, rampant poverty, and a culture of violence are remnants of the 36-year civil war. With a population of around 12 million, Guatemala is considered one of the world's most violent countries. Approximately 10 people are murdered in Guatemala every day.
Central American gang members are identified by the tattoos that cover their bodies, the tattoos signify their life-long allegiance to their gang and their total separation from society. They are boys as young as 10 who feel hopeless and are looking for a sense of belonging, threatened on all sides, many young people see joining gangs as their only recourse. Their lives become a daily battle to avoid being the next victim. If anyone attempts to leave the gang, they are threatened and often killed.
The gangs not only kill, but also dismember, and at times consume the bodily organs of their victims as part of gang ritual, in many cases their targets are not only their rivals, but sometimes their entire families.
