Violence, death and stolen land: people need to know the true cost of an avocado | Claudia Ignacio Álvarez

Behind the west's huge appetite for the fruit lies the dark reality of environmental destruction and Indigenous exploitation in Mexico

I grew up in San Andres Tzirondaro, a Purepecha community on the shores of Lake Patzcuaro in the Mexican state of Michoacan. My childhood was shaped by water, forests and music. The lake fed us. The forest protected us. In the afternoons, people gathered in the local square while bands passed through playing pirekua, our traditional music.

That way of life is now under threat as our land is extracted for profit.