Seeking and finding a son who had disappeared during the relentless October 1968 Mexico City massacre

The three unexpected visitors riding into a remote Jalisco pueblo in October 1968 seemed more than a bit reckless.

For local observers, the three seemed dangerously rash. There was a good chance that some flavor of Mexican armed forces were near by, looking for strangers on the run. These dusty riders seemed an obvious fit for what federales were seeking. The fact that one was a North American increased the possibility of federal interest.

Yet silently that North American — Spencer Adams, riding at a leisurely trot — appeared to ignore such a conclusion. He seemed unconcerned that he might be heading for certain trouble.

But he trusted his friend, Selmo Rios, and his about-to-be l6-year-old daughter, Yoli. Both assured him that a family friend, who seemed to have no official standing, ran this small, isolated village. Evidently, the unexpected appearance of friends of that man would “probably” not prompt a gush of gossip. The threesome was supposed to assume that remote rural Jalisco villages were incurious about strangers showing up at moments of national emergency. Especially in the immediate wake of the government’s October 2, 1968 student massacre at the Plaza de las Tres Culturas in the Tlatelolco sector of Mexico City.

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