(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Most people in Mexico believe the country is still haunted by the memories of a government-approved student massacre that took place in October 1968, according to a poll by Reforma. 69 per cent of respondents say Mexicans remain hurt by the events that took place in Tlatelolco, while 27 per cent say people have moved on.

On Oct. 2, 1968, a group of students staged a protest inside the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in the Tlatelolco area of Mexico City. They were demanding freedom of gathering, the release of political prisoners, and an investigation into previous police-led repressions of public demonstrators, among other things. In the evening, soldiers and armed civilians opened fire against the students. Different estimates suggest that anywhere from 200 to 2,000 people died in Tlatelolco.

In September 1968, Mexican president Gustavo Díaz Ordaz ordered the army to occupy the main campus of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in reaction to several student protests. Mexico hosted the 1968 Summer Olympics, from Oct. 12 to Oct. 27.

In October 1997, a congressional committee was established to investigate the student massacre. Special prosecutors attempted and failed to try Luis Echeverría—who was the interior secretary in 1968 and eventually served as Mexico’s president from 1970 to 1976—for his alleged role in the events of Oct. 2, 1968.

Earlier this month, Amnesty International called on current Mexican president Felipe Calderón to "establish the truth" about the student massacre, stating, "The government has been all but silent on this dark chapter in Mexico’s history. We challenge this administration to open all relevant archives and records, establish a new and independent inquiry and lift the obstacles preventing those responsible for this horrific crime being brought to justice."

Polling Data

Forty years have passed since the student massacre of Oct. 2, 1968. Do you think Mexicans remain hurt by what happened, or do you think Mexicans have moved on?

Source: Reforma
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 850 Mexican adults, conducted on Sept. 27, 2008. Margin of error is 3.4 per cent.

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