In May 2011, married environmental activists Zé Cláudio Ribeiro and Maria do Espirito Santo were shot to death outside their house in the Amazonian state of Para. A month later VICE traveled to Zé Cláudio’s hometown of Marabá, which was once in the middle of the rainforest and is now surrounded by miles and miles of clearcut cattle land. As the investigation into Zé and Maria’s murders went nowhere, VICE drove into the forest to the site of the killings, followed the heavily armed men of Brazil’s environmental protection agency as they busted up illegal timber mills, visited the militant squatters of Brazil’s Landless Movement, met modern day slaves, and marveled at the lawless, violent atmosphere that permeates the town locals call Marabála (that means Mara-bullets).
