In this thesis I argue that contrary to popular perceptions and stereotypes of familismo in Mexican families, there exists a femicidal mentality the permeates Mexican culture and places women at risk of physical violence and at times even death. This thesis examines femicide through the genocidal mentality framework found in Carol Rittner, et al’s book Genocide in Rwanda: Complicity of the Churches. It explores the root causes of femicide, the influence of different contexts and locations, and the use of machismo, familismo, and caballerismo as a vehicle towards a femicidal mentality in order to suggest opportunities for prevention.