Today, after years of bloodshed, the mortuary is all but empty and the growing sense is that the war may be over.
Bars and restaurants once closed and boarded up because of extortion and fear are reopening. Families that fled to El Paso across the US border are returning, and teenagers, who not so long ago spent weekends indoors to avoid getting caught in a massacre, are rediscovering clubs and discos.
“People are starting to go out and spend money again,” says Cristina Cunningham, president of the national restaurant industry chamber. “The city is coming back to life.”