Subculture clash among Mexico’s youth (1/3ページ)

It is a Saturday at the Chopo flea market, and the angst-ridden youth of Mexico's blooming middle class have come to hang out.

Goths, skaters, punk rockers and "emos" mill around, checking out used albums and buying T-shirts.

The Chopo market is neutral ground. But in other parts of Mexico, a spate of attacks by punks and other groups on the emos has thrown a spotlight on the rapid growth of these "urban tribes" of disaffected, tech-savvy teens and young adults.

"Before, Mexico was very homogeneous," said Gerardo Reyes, one of the "darks," known as Goths in the United States. "Now the young people are splitting off, doing their own thing."

Mexico has seen youth movements before, when homegrown versions of hippies and punks popped up in the 1960s and '70s. In the past decade, the number of subgroups has soared, said Hector Castillo, a sociologist at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

The phenomenon stems from Mexico's increasing access to music and fashion from other countries, people migrating toward cities, a strengthening economy and the nation's relative youth, he said. Nearly 60 percent of Mexicans are under age 30, compared with 42 percent of Americans, according to Mexico's census bureau.

The divisions among young people turned violent in March, when Internet posts and cellphone messages began appearing urging darks, "punketos" (punk rockers) and other groups to chase the emos from their hangout on the main plaza in the city of Queretaro.

Emo movement

Emo stands for emotional. Adherents listen to alternative music with sad lyrics, comb their hair over their eyes and wear tight T-shirts and sneakers. The movement came to Mexico from Europe and the United States about five years ago, Castillo said.