In the 1920’s, southern California experienced an influx of Mexican immigration. In an attempt to cope with the economic hardship encountered, these immigrants established businesses, or were employed in various occupations. Once settled in their new environment, they developed their own neighborhoods or “barrios” with other individuals who shared the same culture.

Eventually, these Mexican immigrants migrated eastward towards New York City which had a growing Hispanic population. These immigrants were confronted with animosity by many people as well as other Hispanics. The Mexican youth were affected by this intense isolation and began to form street gangs that engaged in destructive and criminal behavior.

Most of their criminal activities, including homicides, robberies, prostitution and narcotics are usually directed toward other Mexican-Americans, however, no one is immune.

Many Mexican gangs exist throughout the five boroughs. Many different gangs loosely align themselves with the two major Mexican “umbrella “organizations: La Gran Familia (The Great Family) and La Gran Raza (The Great Nation). These two organizations are indicated on this page, with the affiliated smaller gangs listed underneath. The precincts and areas where these gangs are primarily located are also indicated.