Characteristics of Clandestine Burial Sites in Mexico: A Regional Overview with Multivariate Analysis

The number of clandestine burial sites and clandestine graves in Mexico has increased considerably in recent years, associated with the increase in homicides and missing persons. This study aims to identify similarities and differences between municipalities in terms of clandestine graves, homicidal violence and missing persons, through cluster analysis, as well as to identify some significant environmental variables, such as airports, ports, borders, and roads through multivariate analysis. Access to sufficient data to study clandestine graves is complex, but this work achieves a count by municipality for 2012–2018. The results help to identify municipalities and continuous sets that could be considered a priority for public policy measures especially, coordination strategies between states and/or municipalities.