One of the scariest and most intimidating gangs in the world is called Mara Salvatrucha. They are also known as MS or Mara, but they are most commonly referred to as the dreaded MS-13. They originated in Los Angeles in the 1980’s and have grown into an international organization which boasts an estimated 70,000 members worldwide. They rule their turf with an iron fist and the level of brutality that they employ makes the old Moustache Petes look gentle. They earn loads of money through various crimes such as human trafficking, s*xual slavery, and various street level rackets. They have reportedly been instrumental in helping the infamous Sinaloa cartel control most of the illegal drug market in the United States.

While MS-13 has a great number of veteran members, they rely on the younger generation of disenfranchised youth to spur the gang’s growth. There are many cases of children as young as 8-years-old being involved with them. They mold their impressionable minds and offer a sense of security and belonging. An interesting facet of MS-13’s success is their almost unbreakable structure. Another is their dedication to rituals. These traditions are part of their identity and many of them involve extreme violence. Let’s take a look at 15 of the most shocking MS-13 rituals.

15. Prospects Must Commit Murder

Both males and females have the desire to become members of MS-13. Once they are in, they normally serve different roles. Women are primarily used as drug mules and s*x objects while the guys generally hit the front lines. Joining this group isn’t as simple as flashing some ID, paying a processing fee, and getting a membership card. Prospective members must prove their worthiness by committing murder. Most of the time, these prospects, or “chequos” as they are commonly referred as, have to murder a member of a rival gang in order to become a “homeboy”. Sometimes they must kill a random stranger. Either way, aspiring MS-13 members will need to brutally take somebody’s life. That’s a lot of bloodshed when you consider that there are an estimated 70,000 members worldwide.

14. Tattoos

They say that every picture tells a story. In the case of MS-13 members, most of their tattoos tell a terrifying tale. When you combine all of the tattoos that cover a gang member’s body then you have an epic novel. Just as prehistoric man would chronicle their experiences on the walls of their caves, MS-13 members tell their stories through the multiple tattoos that cover their entire body including their faces. The more ink, the longer and more violent the story. They cleverly incorporate a lot of hidden symbolism into the images such as working in the letters M and S into tattoos of Jesus and by having things somehow add up to 13. Members have been toning down their use of tattoos in recent years because authorities can easily identify them and tell how many murders and other crimes they’ve committed

13. Wearing White and Blue

MS-13 originated in Los Angeles in 1980. It was created by immigrants from El Salvador for the purpose of protecting Salvadorian immigrants from other gangs. Since then, growing numbers of people from other Central American countries such as Honduras and Guatemala have joined their ranks. Still, with the Salvadorian roots and influence, gang members often wear the colors white and blue to pay their respects to the Salvadorian flag. They are partial to wearing sports jerseys that bear the numbers 13, 23, or 3. One of their preferred jerseys used to be a Kurt Warner Rams jersey which is mainly blue and bears the number 13. They can also have a bandana which is commonly blue. They can wear them in different places on the body such as on their head or hanging out of their pocket.

12. Machetes over Guns

It takes enough balls to shoot somebody from a distance or even close up for that matter. MS-13 members sometimes don’t like to be so impersonal and they certainly don’t normally want their enemy’s death to be quick and painless. MS-13 members are encouraged to use machetes over guns. Many members make their own machetes in garages and metal shops. They will slash their victims and sever various appendages which often result in a slow and horrifyingly painful deaths. The machete instills a great amount of fear and, in a way, is their calling card. This doesn’t mean that they don’t use guns like they did in Honduras just two days before Christmas in 2004. Gang members sprayed a bus with bullets killing 28 passengers and injuring 14. Most of the victims were women and children.

11. Skip Parties

One of the keys to having a growing and strong organization is a successful recruiting program. Now, it’s not like MS-13 is going around giving presentations in high school classrooms for Career Day but they are quite good at attracting an ongoing supply of recruits. One method that MS-13 employs is throwing “skip parties”. What wayward kid can’t resist skipping out on some boring class when they can go to a wild party and hang out with the big boys from the hood? Sex, drugs, and alcohol are easily accessible at these parties which is why teenagers are so easily attracted. MS-13 recruiters organize these events with the intention of identifying and exploiting at-risk kids and turning them into cold-blooded killers. It’s a very effective recruiting tool that consistently gets good results.

10. Initiation of Males

Hazing is a well-known part of becoming a member of a team. Becoming a member of a college fraternity or even a professional sports team usually involves some kind of hazing although the practice has been frowned upon for the past several years. It’s one thing to have to subject yourself to a relatively harmless yet embarrassing ritual such as having to run naked through a crowd or being forced to pick up a large dinner tab. It’s an entirely different thing to have to accept a brutal beating at the hands of your new friends. MS-13 prospects must endure such a vicious beating called a “jump in” in which they are savagely pummelled. Even this doesn’t guarantee acceptance. If it is thought that you didn’t take it like a man then you won’t be granted membership.

9. Initiation of Females

A female prospect must also endure an initiation process although she is given a choice. The girl can either submit to a “s*x in” in which over a dozen gang members can have their way with her until they are satisfied or they can go through the same painful “jump in” as their male counterparts. Needless to say, if they opt for the former there is still a very good possibility of the ceremony taking a physically abusive turn. Those women that choose to be beaten like the males are generally looked at with a little more respect and have higher standing within the group than those who choose to be sexed in. Those who are sexed in will find that they usually have to submit to sexual or abusive whims of gang members on an ongoing basis.

8. Worshiping Satan

It seems fitting that a group that commits such heinous and evil deeds would idolize Satan. The much-feared gang is well-known to sacrifice people in a ritualistic manner. Just recently, MS-13 members were charged with several murders. One of the murders that they were allegedly involved with was that of a 15-year-old girl who had questioned her captors’ beliefs while they were at a satanic shrine. Who knows what kind of torture she was subjected to before she was shot multiple times from close range and dumped in the middle of a road? Rumor has it that members have used Ouija boards to get information as well as participating in demonic rituals through which they go into a trance and gain superhuman strength. The internet is rife with stories of MS-13 members participating in satanic rituals in which teenagers are sacrificed.

7. Failure to “Back your Homeboy” Means Death

Perhaps one of the most important rules of MS-13 is that you must always have your homie’s back. If you don’t do all that you can to help out fellow gang members in times of need then you are among the walking dead. The punishment for breaking this rule is most severe. Offenders are hunted down and brutally killed. If one of your homeboys is fighting a rival then you better be sure to lend a hand. A single gang member’s absence in a large-scale turf battle can mean the difference in a “clique’s” very existence. Obviously, ratting out other MS-13 gang members to authorities is the ultimate form of not having your homie’s back. Many members have met a terrifying and gruesome end for turning on the group.

6. Women are Property

As mentioned earlier, there are a couple of ways in which women are initiated into the gang. They can be sexed in or jumped in. The girls that are sexed in are usually relegated to being s*x toys for gang members while those who are jumped in gain a higher status. Still, even those who are jumped in don’t have the same status as their male counterparts and they oftentimes become the exclusive property of a male member. This means that he has the right to do whatever he wants with her. He can beat her, r*pe her, or pimp her out. Other gang members might not sexually abuse her but by no means is she immune from horrible treatment. Despite this, there is no shortage of females that are willing to live such a brutal existence.

5. Secret Codes

MS-13 use unique signals and codes to communicate just as gangs such as The Crips and The Bloods do. MS-13 use what is called the devil’s head to identify themselves. It is the same hand gesture that has been used at heavy metal rock concerts for years and when it is inverted it looks like an “M”. They also have several code words that they frequently use. It’s like they have their own language that only they can understand. If, for example, an imprisoned member needs to communicate with members on the outside then they will write a letter that looks like unintelligible ramblings. Within those ramblings will be a clear message that only those in the gang can interpret. It’s not as if they’d write a letter that says “Please kill John Doe”. They’re a little wiser than that.

4. Killing to get Respect

Just because you killed a rival gang member or two, endured your jump in like a champ, and became an official member of MS-13 doesn’t mean that it’s smooth sailing from there. That’s just the beginning. Gang members need to constantly prove that they are worthy of their standing in MS-13. Clique leaders will often murder rival gang members and even random strangers for no apparent reason. Of course, there really are a couple of reasons they do this. For starters, such an act gains them a lot of respect from within the group. Secondly, it puts fear into their underlings while also sending a clear message to rivals that they can be killed for no reason whatsoever. MS-13’s violent and merciless reputation makes it a lot easier for them to go about conducting their business and controlling their turf.

3. Prison Rules and Regulations

Another key for an organization’s success is having and adhering to an established set of rules. We’ve already mentioned a few that apply to those on the streets but there is also a set of rules that apply to those who are incarcerated. Do not talk behind another member’s back, never choose sides between members, do not use heavy drugs, and only deal drugs for money and not favors, are just a few of the many rules imprisoned MS-13 members must abide by. They must also keep in close contact with each other and if a member tries to start a new clique they are considered traitors. Duties and responsibilities of senior members such as advisors and veterans are also spelled out. They have the final say in all matters around the prison yard and must be obeyed at all times.

2. Paperwork

We know that bureaucracy reigns supreme in government offices and other workplaces all over the world. It seems that everything needs to have a paper trail but you might be surprised to learn that paperwork is part of MS-13’s structure. Let’s say that a clique leader, or Palabrero, notices that another Palabrero isn’t running his turf the way he is supposed to and it is adversely affecting the gang. He can fill out some paperwork outlining the problem and a suggested solution. The form is sent to the Council of Nine who runs the entire organization from their base in El Salvador. If the council sees a problem and agrees with the solution then permission is given to take action. The council can also order an alternate resolution which must be complied with.

1. Never Make False Claims Against your Homie

One surefire way for an MS-13 member to dig his or her own grave is to level accusations against a fellow member without having the evidence to back up the claim. One of the 15 most shocking MS-13 rituals is that they will kill one of their own for making unfounded claims against another member. In a lifestyle in which there are power struggles, it would be easy for one member to openly accuse another of a serious infraction in order to curry favor with leadership and climb the ranks. However, the Council of Nine is hip to this ploy and they instituted the death penalty for anyone who does it. This policy is very effective in dealing with such a problem. Even if you know it to be true, you better keep your mouth shut unless you have solid proof.