Are a group of Mexican American street gangs with origins in the oldest barrios of Southern California. There are hundreds of Sureño gangs in California, and each has its own identity on the streets.[citation needed] Although they are based in Southern California, their influence has spread to many parts of the US and other countries as well.[citation needed]

The gang's alleged roots came from a jail discussion between the Mexican Mafia (La EME) and Nuestra Familia (NF).[citation needed] Those who sided with La EME aligned themselves in the south (sureño=southerner) while those that sided with the NF aligned themselves in Northern California (norteños=northeners). Besides Southern California, Sureños can be found in more than 30 states (primarily in southwestern and central states. Norteños appear mostly in the northern areas of California, but are also present in numbers in western states like Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Utah.[citation needed] But the largest presence of Sureno's remain in the cities of Los Angeles, & San Diego where every single latino gang with the exception of the Maravilla gang are considered to be surenos.[citation needed]