Demonstrators in the Mexican resort city of Oaxaca retreated from heavily armed federal police on Sunday, although some said they would regroup at a local university.
"How can we confront them? We have already seen the R-15 [rifles] and AK-47s they carry," said Bertha Munoz, one of the leaders of protesters who are demanding the removal of Oaxaca state Gov. Ulises Ruiz.
They say he fixed his 2004 election and has used violence against political opponents.
Some residents in the city, which has been in turmoil since May, cheered as the police moved in, supported by helicopters, armoured vehicles, water cannon and heavy construction equipment.
A 15-year-old protester was killed by a tear gas canister, human rights worker Jesica Sanchez said. There were reports that 50 protesters had been arrested.
Police forced their way into the central plaza, the centre of the demonstration, where the demonstrators had set up a tent city and covered the walls with graffiti.
The dispute started as a strike by teachers, but spread as anarchists, students and Indian groups joined the protest, occupying the city centre and building barricades on some streets.
The federal government only got involved on Saturday, when President Vicente Fox — who leaves office on Dec. 1 — ordered the police in after three people died in gun battles on Friday.
Two of the dead were Mexicans. The third was American Bradley Roland Will, 36, an activist and journalist who supported the protest.
Police are suspected in the shooting, U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said. Authorities are holding five men.
The teachers had earlier agreed to go back to the classrooms on Monday.
With files from the Associated PressRelated
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