The Zócalo Bombings, which mark the beginning of the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Attacks, were a calculated strike at the heart of Mexico’s history. Days prior, Mexican and American security services had gotten critical information that pointed towards a terrorist attack in Mexico City, but they were unable to follow the lead and stop the events that unfolded. On the morning of 22 October, two large trucks carrying several tons of explosives ploughed into the Plaza de la Constitución (the Zócalo), one detonating in the middle of a dense crowd, the other crashing into the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral, reducing its main entrance to rubble. The explosions instantly killed hundreds of civilians, including international tourists and Olympic visitors, while injuring thousands more in the city’s busiest district. In the chaos, gunmen disguised as wounded bystanders opened fire on arriving emergency responders, battling Mexico City's metropolitan police and the Mexican Army for several hours, further amplifying the carnage. The attack sent Mexico City into immediate panic, with emergency sirens echoing through the streets and martial law swiftly declared. Within hours, Mexican security forces launched a citywide manhunt, but as they scrambled to respond, the second phase of the attack had already begun.