Description
Chaos and lack of control engulf Michoacán, one of Mexico’s foremost regions for drug trafficking. What has unsettled both government and organized crime is the export, cultivation, and obsession with the avocado. Like the apple in the story of Adam and Eve, this fruit of desire has reshaped Mexican landscapes to meet American consumption cravings. Its cultivation is marked by death, illegal land burning, droughts that desiccate entire lakes, and protection by drug-trafficking groups—as though it were a narcotic.
In Michoacán, people refer to the avocado as “green gold” not only for its flavor, but because of its soaring price and intense demand. Phonetically, this term resembles “Gringo,” a somewhat derogatory label for Americans in Mexico.
This NFT offers a critical lens on this situation. Paradoxically, Michoacán locals often present this fruit to foreign visitors, seeking to impress them with its quality—despite the darkness that surrounds its production.
Visual elements:
Words: Gringo/Green Gold.
The term “Gringo” originates from when the U.S. Army entered Mexico, and locals shouted “green go” at the green-uniformed troops, demanding their departure. Over time, the phrase evolved. “Gringo” and “Green Gold” share similar phonetics—a play the artwork deliberately uses. Their repetition and visual presence reference the key consumers who, knowingly or not, sustain this system.
Fire / gold.
Each year, approximately 6,000 to 20,000 hectares are burned to expand avocado plantations in Michoacán—according to La Jornada. These fires not only cause
droughts and severe ecological damage, but also enrich those controlling the trade. The use of fiery and gold hues and shapes evokes this duality: destruction intertwined with profit.
Subtle red stain:
A deliberately cartoonish red stain signals the superficial treatment this crisis often receives in Michoacán. Government authorities benefit from the avocado industry, thus the issue is presented with a simulated aesthetic, lacking depth.
Emojis:
Drug-trafficking groups recruit via emojis on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. This practice has been noted in “New Frontiers in Organized Crime Recruitment on TikTok,” a study by El Colegio de México.
Popular emojis used—and their meanings—include:
🍕 → La Chapiza (Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s faction)
🥷🪖 → Armed personnel (referencing uniforms)
🆖 → Jalisco New Generation Cartel acronym
🐓 → El Señor de los Gallos: “El Mencho” (Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes), CJNG leader, born in Michoacán
🧿 → “La maña,” slang for criminal activity
The emojis in this composition are a subtle reference to the ways these criminal groups operate, surrounding both the fruit and the broader issue. I find it relevant to highlight these new iconographies redefined by these groups, as they normalize and create a kind of propaganda for narco culture and a new, non-obvious media language.
Skulls surrounding the fruit:
This fruit is surrounded by death and harmful consequences for its geography, as it not only causes uncontrolled forest fires to continue planting, but also droughts and death at the hands of criminal groups that control its cultivation and distribution, who do not hesitate to end the lives of those who oppose the flow of this capital—be they farmers, citizens, activists, or even the government itself.
Field worker:
Tilling incomplete land, the idea of superficiality and its closeness to drug trafficking is reinforced through the use of emojis. This element goes unnoticed in the composition just like the physical labor involved in planting this fruit. The incomplete trees being planted are a reference to the devastation of forests.