Zocala Square, in Mexico City, was the site of a violent standoff between teachers and anti-riot police in September of this year.

The Mexican government set a deadline for protestors to leave Zocala Square; when that cutoff point was ignored by some, the police -- armed with batons and shields -- swarmed the protest camp, where thousands lived for several weeks in what was being called a "tent city."

Helicopters orbited overhead while tear gas and water cannons rained down on the teachers, many resigned from the area quickly, while more extreme protestors masked themselves, armed themselves with various weapons, and used firebombs and missiles to combat what was thought to be heavy-handed tactics used by the police.   

Teachers were told to vacate in order make way the country's Independence Day festivities, which was the upcoming weekend. The violent scene took an hour to clear, the police tearing down demonstrators' shelter, putting out small fires and removing plastic tarp. Even while this was happening, however, confrontations persisted on side streets.

Eleven police officers and at least 29 protestors were wounded; and 31 individuals were detained, though none were teachers.   

Despite the injuries and arrests, Interior Minister Miguel Osorio Chong insisted that police were unarmed and that the eviction was "professional."

The teachers protested in response to recent changes to education reform. President Enrique Pena Nieto approved a reform that requires teachers to complete mandated performance-related evaluations. Teachers reacted in outrage saying that the rules violate their labor rights, indicating that it's an excuse to fire teachers en masse. It's also said that the tests don't take into account difficult working conditions.  

The National Education Workers' Co-ordinator(CNTE) backs the teacher's opposition, saying that new reforms will lead to massive layoff. The government countered that statement by saying that the new system will ensure that poorly trained teachers aren't promoted over their more qualified colleagues.