She had only been in Mexico for a month but she was happy with her destination and willing to integrate to take advantage of her stay at the Autonomous University of the State of Morelos. This was conveyed to her tutor at the University of Granada, with whom she spoke the day before to resolve some academic doubt. On the weekend he attended an important fair on medicinal plants and traditional culture that is held every year in the municipality of Cuautla, perhaps with the intention of integrating and connecting better with the history and customs of his host country. There, in the gardens of the cultural center, she was assaulted and fatally stabbed.
At the moment, the motive for the murder is unknown, although the Attorney General's Office has opened an investigation for femicide, which is the usual protocol in a country in which the violent death of women is considered a huge State problem.
The personal and academic adventure that Claudia Tacoronte Aguilera, 21, had undertaken this year in Mexico was, in this way, fatally interrupted. When the health services arrived to treat her, they found her dead, according to what the authorities told local media that reported the event last Saturday.
The organizers of the event later said that the student had participated in the meeting "with the desire to learn, live together and be part of a community gathered around knowledge, medicinal plants, health and collective care," according to a statement issued by the Mexican Institute of Traditional Medicines Tlahuilli AC.
Claudia Tacoronte Aguilera was in her fourth year of college and had moved to Mexico in August. He had grown up in El Monte, in the municipality of Santa Brígida (Gran Canaria), and had attended secondary school at the IES Nelson Mandela in Tafira. He later enrolled in the Early Childhood Education Degree at the University of Las Palmas but decided to transfer his studies to the University of Granada. He was a member of the Santa Brígida scout group and with them he participated in volunteer work after the eruption of the La Palma volcano.
The governor of Morelos points to "significant progress" in the investigation
The governor of the Mexican state of Morelos, Margarita González Saravia, has pointed to the existence of "significant progress" in the investigation into the murder. González Saravia has revealed in a statement published on social networks that during the last few hours he has held a meeting with the Consul General of Spain in Mexico, Marcos Rodríguez Cantero, to address the "significant progress" in the investigation into the case, without any arrests having been made so far. "I received the Consul General of Spain in Mexico, Don Marcos Rodríguez Cantero, at the Government Palace to share with him significant progress in the ongoing investigation," said the governor, who stressed that the authorities will continue working "in a close and coordinated manner" to "do justice for Claudia."
Likewise, he has published a video in which he has expressed his "deepest condolences" to family and friends of the victim for "the feminicide of Claudia Tacoronte", before emphasizing that the authorities have been working "from the first minute" to "find the person responsible." "We are in coordination with the Prosecutor's Office of the state of Morelos, but also with the Consulate of Spain. I am sure that we will find the person responsible and we will do justice," she stressed. "As a state government, our responsibility is to act firmly and provide answers," he added.
A video from a security camera has also emerged in which Claudia's alleged murderer can be seen, dressed in white and with a black backpack.
For his part, the Attorney General of Morelos, Fernando Blumenkron, has maintained that the ongoing investigation is "transparent" and "professional" and has added that "no line of investigation has yet been ruled out," including the possibility of a robbery.
Blumenkron has also confirmed to the press that investigators have requested the delivery of the recordings from the "surrounding" security cameras, including those of "individuals", as well as "whatever the board of the House of Culture" of Cuautla can provide, where Tacoronte Aguilera died.
3,000 students
Currently, the University of Granada (UGR) has about 3,000 students spread across different destinations around the world in the different exchange and mobility programs it has, and is also a destination center for several thousand foreign students, which makes it one of the most international universities in Spain. There are currently 27 students from the UGR in Mexico, who have contacted them to offer them support and offer them the possibility, if they wish, of returning to Granada, facilitating the entire return process.
After gathering the educational community during the morning to observe a minute of silence in memory of the young Canarian woman, the dean of the Faculty of Education Sciences, Katia Caballero, stated that the news of Claudia's violent death has been "a very strong blow for everyone" at the University, which is going through some "very sad" moments. The dean also explained that students receive information about the danger of the areas to which they travel, with recommendations on what activity to do or how to get around. "Something like this has never happened in all the years we have had this type of programs," Caballero repeated in dismay.
According to what the vice-rector of Students, Juan Luis Benítez, later said, the University is in contact with Claudia Tacaronte's family and with the consulate to implement the repatriation protocol. A psychological support team has also been appointed to assist the young woman's colleagues who need it in the coming days. And finally, the University of Granada will review the security conditions of the destination countries of its students.
