Rurales (Spanish for "Rurals") is a Mexican term used to describe two different government forces: The Guardia Rural (Rural Guard): a force of mounted police or gendarmerie that existed between 1861 and 1914. The modern Cuerpo de Defensa Rural (Rural Defense Corps): members of a part-time voluntary militia, used to support federal forces, like the ones deployed in the State of Michoacan to fight against local drug cartels.