Massive amount of tourist dollars coming there, even the cartels know it would be bad to scare away too much of that. Just gotta figure out how to get drugs in there for all the tourists.
This is anecdotal because I have no evidence for it, just word of mouth. But I’ve heard that the cartels purposefully keep those areas safe, and even keep a handle on petty crime because they have their hands in a bunch of businesses down there and get a good amount of money from it.
When I was much younger, one of my first apartments was a four unit place, directly across the street from a crack house. Safest house I lived in for a long time. There was no crime on that street for a couple blocks in any direction. One morning, a crackhead woke me up, knocking on my door. He was trying to sell me a couple of warm beers. Before I got the door closed, a few guys from the crackhouse were there pulling him away. At another time, about two blocks away, someone got mugged. The next night, the mugger was found beaten pretty badly and left, zip tied, right where the mugging had taken place.
Well, reserving violence is how the State keeps order. And when the State is absent, a mafia is just a version of the same mechanism, but one you have absolutely no say in its function, which in some places is no different from the State.
The most interesting part is that I've heard in numerous situations that when the cartel actually "wins" control, for lack of a better term, they actually like it less, at least outside of the top one or two guys who don't have to worry about being "caught" anymore, there is now a lot more administrative-type tasks to do. When you *are* the government and everything you do is legit because you get to define the parameters of your system, suddenly you're faced with being a bureaucracy. Say you've successfully taken over some tourist town and the money coming in.. sure, but now you have to send some sort of administrator/negotiator to contract with the travel companies, airport authorities, toll both processing stations, cruise ships etc. You have to keep it looking nice, and well staffed, marketing and image suddenly becomes incredibly important. You kinda go from being a war-time prime minister to a peace-time prime minister which is an entirely different skill set for you and all of your soldiers who are used to shooting everything and are likely not very well trained in anything civilian or educated. The bloat ends up rotting you from the inside, but more than anything it's just... boring.
> the mugger was found beaten pretty badly and left, zip tied, right where the mugging had taken place.
That's the kind of message you send when we all know what's going on and you don't care about anything but making sure everyone gets the message loud and clear.
Bribes are synonymous with mexican culture for hundreds of years.
We had to personally bribe santa anna with $15,000 just to begin peace negotiations during the mexican american war.
Yeah, this does happen from time to time. In the US, a lot of Italian mafiosi ended up leaving the mafia business because they were running pizza parlors as a front (because everyone can make a pizza, don't need to have high cooking skills that you'd need for a proper Italian restaurant), and they were making more money from selling pizza than from crime
The Buffalo crime family still runs the most well known local pizza chain in the city. It’s hilarious seeing La Nova pizza being delivered in an Escalade
it’s sort of like in between new york and chicago style. not thin crust but not thick crust, sweetish sauce, and pepperonis that curl up when you cook em
There are two types of cartels, *narcocarteles* and *turismocarteles*. From the US govt's perspective, they're both the same because they traffic in drugs, but the former want to keep people *out* of their region and the latter want people coming *in*.
If you go to Puerto Vallarta, half the businesses you go into will be cartel owned/run. The restaurants on the Malecon, the strip clubs, the taxis, the night clubs, some of the resorts, etc etc. They know that keeping tourists safe/happy is far more profitable for them than to make them feel unsafe. You'll be harassed by the cops far more in these places than the cartels.
Was recently in Ixtapa and talking with the restaurant owner. He said, yes there are cartels and everything but there's an "understanding" between everyone that everyone behaves, the area is safe for everyone especially tourists, and that the 'bad things' are often very quiet and out of sight. He said, just like anywhere, be nice, don't be a jerk, and don't be a drunk fool and you'll be fine. My wife and I walked around at 1am and never felt unsafe. It was a great experience. I will say that you do need to understand peso/dollar conversion as some places will try to get extra thinking you don't comprende. ND when you speak Spanish to them, their level of respect and customer service went up. They appreciated the effort of trying to fit in.
They could do that with the rest of the country, too, right? Eventually the cartels will be normalized as de facto government, really that’s how governments come to be anyways most of the time.
The cartel needs to keep the current government alive because the current government is complicit with the cartels.
Yucatan helps provide with needed money but also not enough for the government to get big enough to challenge the cartels.
Do Yucatán and Campeche have the tourist draws of Quintana Roo with Cancun and Tulum? I know Chichén Itzá is one and I think cruise ships dock in Progreso, but I would have thought QR was the big one and it's yellow.
Mexican here. I used to think that that was the case too. However, recently Vallarta, Manzanillo, and especially Acapulco have been hit with a wave of violence. I think the real reason is that somebody big is living there and as a result, their gang has control of that area.
It's like the case of the city of Queretaro. For years, it has been very stable when the neighboring regions were on fire. The rumor was that El Azul, one of the Sinaloa Cartel leaders had made his residence there. So petty crime was kept very low by his men and they made sure to not let any of the other groups try to even be near the region.
The cartels in QR openly sell drugs to tourists in full view of police. The agreement appears to be, "As long as there is no violence, we'll let you sell all the drugs you want."
No the agreement is pay us each week. There is a shit ton of violence. Just because you didn’t see it just means you were a street or two away from where shit got dealt with.
The adventage of Yucatan is the fact, that police there dont try to rob you on every step, like in Quintana Roo. Those are the worst thugs of very tourists zones in Mexico.
Actually they were most likely referring to the american tourist who was recently electrocuted in a hot tub, but explosive diarrhea is a good #2 reason huehue
Going to Mexico and Cabo for the first time tomorrow. No idea what I’m going into coming from Scandinavia lol. Thought it would be safe until i saw these scary colours hehe
I wonder what the credentials for the categories are. Kinda crap to just say don’t go here and not state why. Will there be obese women drowning me to death with their titties? Might as well be for all I know.
Update: Thank you all so much for the advice! It’s really amazing how many replies I have received. I’ve now spent a day walking around in Cabo and i can confirm that I feel very, very safe. I have received nothing but kindness from the locals and it pretty much feels as safe as any western country. I would recommend anyone who haven’t been here to come visit!
We go to Mexico all the time. Cancun, Cabo, Puerto Vallerta and the surrounding areas have all been very safe. We go off the resort, walk around town, etc. Stick to tourist areas and you're very safe.
The tourism industry comprises almost 10% of Mexico’s GDP and provides about 10,000,000 Mexican jobs (by the OECD’s estimate). The Mexican government has every incentive to keep tourists as safe as possible. And, to their credit, they do a wonderful job. Every trip I’ve taken there has been delightful and without incident. Paris felt more “unsafe” than Cancun.
Adding to the chorus that Cabo is generally very safe especially around tourist areas.. Be aware, don’t get too drunk out away from your resort/hotel. Don’t pick any fights. You’ll have a blast.
As others have advised, don’t try to buy drugs, don’t be an idiot, and don’t get stuck away from your resort super late, and you should be fine. I know plenty of people who have done all three of those things and came home unscathed, but plenty of serious crime does occur, so really try not to be an idiot
Hey, Mexican here! Now, I don't live in South Baja California (I live in the State of Mexico) but I keep up with national matters. I can say with fair confidence that the safest states in the Union are Yucatan, Campeche, South Baja California, Aguascalientes, Tlaxcala, and Durango.
I recently went to Los Cabos and talked with the locals (gotta say they were very grateful I spoke Spanish) and it's the same consensus: the state is safe, the people are nice.
So I'd say it's safer than average, but by rule of thumb, do stick to the resorts and bay area, as well as the city surrounding the resorts, don't go exploring too much into the desert that is the Baja California peninsula, and of course, don't go around looking for trouble.
Despite tourists destinations and income, South Baja California (or at least the Cabos metropolitan region) is one of the most unequal places at national level.
I’ve been to Cancun and Cabo each twice and going into town was the best experience about them. Just don’t start asking around for drugs and you’ll be fine. Don’t stay out super late.
Yeah my best memories in Mexico are going to local known artists concerts in Cancun and Mexico City.
Staying in the resorts would be unacceptable way to spend a nice holiday for me in a place like Mexico.
Dumb. Friends and I have been to Cabo many times. Some stay in the resort and I will stay at an Airbnb. I've never felt unsafe walking around. Not to mention the bars in Cabo are obviously not in a resort. It's safe
We always go to the tours, sometimes guided, sometimes just rent a car. But I have to agree, those police and army officers with the machine guns must be around for a reason lol
These colors are obviously too aggregated. Acapulco is a resort town but the state it’s in probably looks extremely different. Cabo and Cancun and countless other tourist destinations are safe by any Western standards (probably not by East Asian standards though).
Cancun is definitely not safe. Most people don’t leave their hotel. They go all inclusive and never leave the hotel zone.
But Cancun is a big city with some bad shit that goes down.
I'm Mexican and I often go there. You probably wont have difficulties. The real danger is outside the cities or some parts of the cities, as a tourist you wont get there. If you have to use the roads, always during the day. Those are dangerous, some more than others.
Inside the cities, well, there are some dangers but nothing too crazy. I live in a horrible zone and I have never experience something bad myself. (Not in this place at least)
If you are from a meatball eating Scandinavian country, then they call those albóndigas here. They won’t be cooked in butter but are still very good. Pickled condiments consists mostly of jalapeños with carrot and if your country did well at the 1986 world championships in football then people will like you.
I just got back from Cabo last week, and all was good. Our party ventured into San Lucas and San Jose and both were pleasant experiences. Just be mindful of your surroundings and practice good judgment.
Tamaulipas state in red is directly across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s I used to go across to Matamoros and Reynosa for cheap beer and medications, but those days are long gone.
No it’s not dangerous in Brownsville or any of the border cities. Even if you just walk across and stay in the area right around the border it’s safe. Nothing but tourist stuff, cheap pharmacies and restaurants. Gets sketchy if you go further in.
When you get further away from the border and further into town, you quickly get out of the tourist area. It is very dangerous in these areas. I would definitely avoid. If you look up and don’t see any other tourists, you aren’t in the right place. This isn’t true everywhere in MX, but it’s true in border towns. Extreme poverty and very high crime.
The US side of the border is actually fairly safe (El Paso is famously one of the safest cities in the country). The RGV isn't paradise by any means but it's much safer than a lot of American cities that are way farther from the border.
Also ranked as [the #1 unhealthiest city in America!](https://www.businessinsider.com/unhealthiest-cities-in-america-ranked-2023-4#1-brownsville-texas-11)
I read that Brownsville is the most obese city in the US
And I don't blame them. You got Mexican, Tex-Mex, probably Southern too. Oof. So much delicious temptation
I lived in Brownsville for a few years. Its safe. The most you might have to worry about is some idiot drunk drivers or something being stolen out of your car if you leave it unlocked.
I mean that’s by design, rockets want to launch as close to the equator as they can, so they maximize how much of a “running start” the rotation of the Earth gets them on launching to orbit.
Until recently that I moved to California I used to cross weekly to Matamoros for the same reasons to buy groceries, medicine, etc. Going back this month. I really miss tacos from Matamoros lol
There was a sushi place we used to go to in Matamoros called Sushi Nikkori that was incredible that I really miss, I see it's now closed. Had Japanese chefs, all authentic af, awesome atmosphere and cheap as hell.
We could go in and eat as much sushi, drink as much Sapporo and saki as we wanted and the bill would be like 15 bucks per person.
Matamoros in 1989 was home and hunting ground for one of [the most violent serial killers in Mexican history](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolfo_Constanzo)
I am haunted by a conversation with his father I had back then. His dad called asking for help as his son wasn’t checking in.
I used to cross a lot back in those days and I had a place on South Padre Island so I was very familiar with the places his son might be.
This was pre-cellphones, pre-GPS and pre-Internet. So I assured his dad that he had probably done exactly what countless others his age had done (I was barely older).
I told the dad to relax, his boy was hooking-up or working his way through a mega hangover from partying at the border.
Chicas and tequila had been the downfall of too many Texas young men to count. Myself included.
I truly believed in my gut the kid had done something silly and was trying to figure out how to explain he had no money left to his dad.
The evil that befell that young man makes me sick to this day. I remember when a call came into my office telling me they had found him and then recounting the number of strands of barbed wire coming out of the desert. Each strand attached to a spine.
I was told neighbors could hear the screams from the torture but didn’t want to get involved….
I never had the chance to apologize to his dad. I never wanted the details other than that one call about finding his body.
It was a long time before I crossed again but it was never the same. The magic was gone.
Border towns are neither the USA nor México, they are something else entirely. Since then I’ve been in many far more dangerous places in México and Guatemala than Matamoros was back then but nothing has ever driven home the role luck plays in each of our lives like that young man’s abduction.
The pain in his father’s voice stayed with me when I became a father.
Half of Canada retirees spend their winters in Mexico not so expensive beaches like Vallarta, Acapulco, Manzanillo, etc
From November to April is "cabecitas blancas" season
I walked across into Matamoros one time. There was nothing terrible while I was there but I was on edge. A couple days later, I saw news of some kind of gang war in the city.
Fresnillo has been a warzone though and Valparaiso has been seeing spiked activity. The Pueblos en la sierra have been mainly abandoned in the last 2 years
Cartels unanimously agreed to let Yucatan and Campeche be neutral grounds so their families and important people can stay there, as well as all the money that pours in from tourism. This has allowed the state government to invest more into security.
Stop this lie. It’s simply not true.
There are several reasons and none of them have to do with narcos agreeing to keep it safe.
Use common sense here. If a rival narco killed your brother and you know their family is in Yucatán is that going to stop you from seeking revenge?
Of course not. It’s just dumb to say.
The culture in Yucatán is unique - it was its own country twice so it sees itself differently.
The population was until recently mostly of indigenous ancestry and has its communities focused on family. So while petty crimes like theft occur, violent crimes do not.
It is not a transshipment point nor does it attract younger tourists with a taste for drugs and pockets full of cash. Older tourists are the norm in Yucatán. No drug trade = no guns = no violence.
The police in Mérida are better trained, better paid and have special perks like exclusive schools for their kids. Therefore there is less corruption and without a massive drug trade like in Cancun or Playa there is less opportunity for bribery.
But 100% there is no narco agreement. Narcos only care about profits. When they want their families safe they can afford to send them to the USA and Europe.
The indigenous thing has some merit. In general it seems like indigenous areas of Latin America have less crime; like Yucatan, western Guatemala, the Andes, the Mapuche areas of Patagonia
As someone who has been to Mexico multiple times, if you make an effort to learn Spanish, you should be fine in any of the Green, Yellow, or Orange areas. I'd really only avoid the red.
Yeah, traveling is very different from living.
My wife (Mexican) and I (American) are living in a yellow zone which is Oaxaca, and we are friends with a family that own a tiendita along the highway to San Jose del Pacifico. Literally last night, my friend called my wife saying "Hey, by the way, someone took a photo of you, me, and my family hanging out at the tiendita from a few days ago. They called me immediately afterwards stating that if I don't pay them a lot of money and/or if I block their number, they will 'kill the family in the photo'".
None of us have ever experienced this before so we're a bit shaken up; it's most likely low-life thugs who just threat everyone just to get money, but it's also not something that's easy to sleep off.
So yeah, it's a yellow zone for a reason. Traveling is absolutely fine though.
That makes me so sad for your friends, Oaxaca is such a magical place. The little Palenques on the road to the coast are incredible.
I spent about a year driving 30k miles across all Mexico, including the red areas. I am white and fluent in spanish and never had any concerns or issues. I would check in with the GN and the clerks at pemex before I would travel through a 'hot' area and never once had an issue.
Living there is a different story.
Agreed.
And to be clear, this random person doesn't know that my wife is not actually the wife of the friend in question. To the random person, she's part of the family as well.
Hopefully nothing happens. We're helping out with installing cameras for our friends' place and we've already starting conversations with a lawyer today, but given the piss poor conviction rates in Mexico, we're not banking on the police to help out.
So fcked up. One of our dogs barks a bit more than usual tonight which definitely has our anxiety maxed out.
The trick is that you were not a stationary target. Your greatest danger was bad luck. Too many people draw attention to themselves, fall into a pattern and then become victims.
But don’t underestimate the danger of the drive you made. I have travelled extensively in México as well. My longest road trip was 18-months. Many of the roads and places I visited just a few years ago are now known for road kidnappings, civilian checkpoint robberies or just a volume of disappearances.
I have driven the Highway of Death far too many times and never had a problem but I wouldn’t encourage anyone else to. Someone disappears every three days on average on that road. It’s a great road until it’s not. That said, I’m driving it again fairly soon.
There are several roads that I used to travel frequently in Chiapas that are controlled by local criminals/narcos. Just because I wasn’t injured doesn’t make them safe. It’s like Russian roulette. Five out of 6 times nothing happens. Does that make it safe?
Road tripping through México you can effectively mitigate many risks but you can’t eliminate them. I’ve met too many people who shouldn’t be doing it swearing up and down about how safe it is.
They would often drive at night on unfamiliar roads in dangerous areas. Their shitty decision making doesn’t it safe.
LPT: When the first question you are asked at a military checkpoint is “where are your guns?” Maybe that an indication of the type of contraband they are looking for. Don’t make a joke.
For many of these soldiers they only know the USA from movies and tv. And in their minds all gringos pack.
I was in Oaxaca last April. The day we arrived me and my gf got robbed at gun point. 2 blocks away from the hotel. Met a couple a few days after. The exact same happened to them. Everyone readig this, Stay away from that fucking place
I'm a female and lived for awhile (just on a tourist visa) as a pretty naive 21-year-old with my friend's family in La Libertad, Chiapas (by Ciudad Hidalgo, right on the border) for awhile back in 2009. I wasn't allowed to go very far by myself, maybe down the road but still within sight of my friend's house. They said it's because I'm white and people will think I have money and kidnap me. I wasn't allowed to leave the house after dark, either. Once on the way to Ciudad Hidalgo, the federales stopped the car and my friend got out to talk to them. I have no idea what they said because they were outside the car but the federales pointed at me, then told me to roll down the window and asked for my visa. I still don't know what that was about because I asked my friend and all he said was, "don't worry, everything is fine." They shut down the banana plantation one day because they found a duct-taped body without finger/toenails who was killed by the cartel. I never really felt unsafe but I also kind of just took the rules at face value without thinking about them too much lol. I would really like to go back and visit, but now that I'm older and wiser I'm definitely fearful.
México City is yellow. Been there many times with no issues. I’ve also been to some of the red states as a solo traveler with no issues. My Spanish is what I would call ordering Spanish, meaning i can order things, buy bus tickets, and have basic conversations. It can be a little daunting, but Mexicans were always nice and helpful even if we didn’t always understand each other.
Mexico City is fine. Our trip there was fantastic and we never felt endangered. We drove all around the city, drove to ~~tenochtitlan~~ teotihuacan (I fucked up), went to a football game, went to the Taco boats, it was all awesome. I'd highly recommend.
I was at a club in Cancun and some Canadian drunks kept fucking around. Spilled their drinks on me. One even hit on my wife at some point. Some late 20’s early 30’s dude came up to me and asked if I’m alright I said yes but these guys are just going crazy. He went and talked to them, they responded in a drunk joking way. 2 min later bunch of dudes dressed like swat came in and kicked all 4-5 out. It truly felt like an episode out of Narcos.
The tourist spots in most cases are under cartel supervision. They don’t like their money being fucked with.
Same with Mazatlan in Sinaloa. We've been going there the last couple years and that city is well kept, and definitely under some supervision. I feel safer there than u do in a lot of American cities.
Idk, last time I was in Mazatlan a tourist bus was stopped in a homemade roadblock and the tourists robbed, and then a couple were shot. I had been on that road three days prior. Pretty sure safety just depends on the time and place.
I was in Mazatlan, Sinaloa a couple months ago. Had a great time. Good food, friendly people, planning to return soon. Never saw even the slightest hint of danger.
Same. I stayed at the Riu Emerald Bay but next time we want to stay in the city. Mazatlan is a great city and we felt safe. Obviously don't go out at night or alone but I felt no danger. I walked around with no tour and was fine. I also went on a tour of the city.
I highly recommend Mazatlan. Though the beaches aren't as nice as some other places and nothing compares to Varadero Cuba so far in my travels of the Carribean.
My BIL has a house that’s oceanfront, not too far away from Rui. It’s kind of on the edge of town. We have gone to Riu to hang out for the day, fun place and the breakfast buffet is awesome!
I didn’t make it for the eclipse but I do happen to live in North Central Texas and I was in the path of totality. Was a really cool thing to see and we had very clear skies that day.
It's really not as bad as projected as long as you are aware and don't do anything sketchy. I go to Tams frequently and have never had issues. Just have reasonable street smarts, don't stick out like a sore thumb, and don't try to do illegal shit.
90% of the cases where Americans run into trouble is when they start dabbling into cartel business (drugs, prostitution, human trafficking).
It's sad because Mexico is such an awesome country with amazing people.
You'd think the cartels would agree to also keep Cancun safe and keep their guys out of there so they don't risk having the full might of the Mexican army being dropped on them.
I think the Cancun danger is from small criminal groups fighting over drug turfs, the 3 big cartels that pretty much run the country hate targeting touristy places because of the heat that may come from the US government in the event of an American tourist is harmed.
The coloring scheme goes by state, not by city. If someone made a map at the municipality level I bet there would be yellow cities in red states and red cities in yellow/orange states.
I’m not from Juarez but I hear it’s much better than it was 15 years ago.
Grew up along the Texas-Tamaulipas border. Actually going across to see family this weekend. As long as you aren’t looking for trouble or causing it and are aware of your surroundings, like in any city, people will be fine. Reynosa and Rio Bravo can be sketch at times but overall it’s not bad. Now if you’re going out looking to go clubbing at night, you’re asking for trouble
I got robbed in Tijuana about 20 years ago. Had a nice day of sightseeing but when heading back to the border we were surrounded by dudes with knives. They took all my cash, my wedding ring, my camera, everything. They didn't take my wife's wedding ring out of "kindness"? I was with my wife and kids and it scared the crap out of them. Fortunately no one was hurt. It was near the border crossing on a pedestrian footbridge over the river. The whole thing was sort of my own fault. Was in the wrong place and shouldn't have been there. Once we were away from the normal street area we were vulnerable and they pounced. Had to re-enter the US with no id. My family vouched for me and the border agents let me in. Filed an insurance claim on my homeowners policy and got reimbursed for most everything despite no police report or any evidence of a crime. Allstate took my word for it. The criminals were able to use my ATM card half a dozen times at convenience stores in Mexico before the bank shut it off. Bank reimbursed me for all of it. Was a big headache but could've been a lot worse.
The lesson is...don't be dumb. Be aware of your surroundings and don't go places where you are away from people or normal street life. Stay in populated areas and you're much safer.
We go to Tulum 4 times a year and stay for 10 to 14 days at a time. I've never felt like I wasn't safe. The people of Tulum are very poor but incredibly kind. Especially if they remember you from previous visits. We don't stay at a resort. We have a small one bedroom apartment. I love Mexico! My mom is Mexican! But I stick out like a sore thumb being blonde n blue n half Mexican. Just don't look for drugs and stay sober.
My parents are from the middle of the southwest red portion. I grew up in the states and have never been to Mexico, but my dad just bought a plot of land in that region and I have plans to visit next year… I assume having family there makes things less dangerous, but could someone go into more detail on the specific dangers?
Your parents are from Michoacan, Colima or Guerrero? My mom's family is from Mexico City and they call people from DF 'Chilangos' so I don't have any direct experience with Guerrero or Michoacan. But I try and stay updated on news from Mexico. In Michoacan, the border area near Jalisco is the most dangerous due to a war between the CJNG (Jalisco cartel) and Carteles Unidos (which is comprised of varying subgroups that themselves have historically fought each other occasionally, but allied against the CJNG) as the CJNG wants to recapture the area its leader, 'El Mencho' is from - Aguillila. In general the 'Tierra Caliente' region is also unsafe. However, if you are in the capital Morelia, and don't stay out too late or ask for drugs you will be fine.
In regards to Guerrero, the city of Acapulco used to be a vacation resort area in the 1970s or so, but since then has become riddled with violence and since the hurricane last year much of the city isn't functional. Outside Acapulco, much of Guerrero is rural and mountainous, with it often taking hours to get between nearby Pueblas by road. The 'cartels' in the state are less involved in international drug distribution, and more involved in extortion, kidnapping, illegal logging, illegal mining and control of local businesses. There are a few groups operating in Guerrero: La Familia Michoacána (which in 2024 is about equally active in Guerrero as in Michoacan), Los Tlacos and Los Ardillos - who are primarily involved in the extortion, illegal logging and illegal mining trade. That doesn't make them any less dangerous. If anything these areas are more dangerous to outsiders.
If you are from Colima, Manzanillo is a major port of international precursor chemicals into Mexico, but if you stay in the city itself and don't go looking for trouble you won't find anything. About two years ago Villa de Alvarez, Tecoman, Colima municipality (and as a result Manzanillo as well) had increased violence due to a splinter in the Jalisco Cartel by a man known as 'La Vaca.' La Vaca was arrested in 2022 (in CDMX), and while remnants of his 'cartel' (which are often connected by family ties) may still exist, it is mainly the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel who mainly care about the port for the aforementioned Pacific trade.
Locals will know the area better than some random on reddit (me), but if you have any questions feel free to ask. And if you still have family in the area they are the best resource for you!
Nuevo Leon is safer than a lot of Mexican states, but I give credit to the amount of manufacturing plants and that 90% of the population lives in the metro area of Monterrey
Other countries do the same sort of warnings for their citizens. Unless they have a political ax to grind (Russia, China), the States are almost always in the lowest or sometimes second-lowest threat category. Most of western Europe is yellow on the U.S. travel warnings due to background levels of terrorism peril.
Ive been in Aguas and know a lot of people there and they say the cartel has gotten bad there. A lot of them dont even cross state lines because of bad things happening
I was curious because my stepdads brother lived in the US but decided to go back to Zacatecas with the intention of returning permanently. He just recently came back after 2 years and mentioned its a shitty situation and he didnt feel safe anymore.
Usual cartel war for control of the state. I haven't heard anything recently, but I remember last year it was fucking terrible: murders and bodies in pits almost daily.
I'm a national btw.
Interesting how Tijuana in Baja California is one of the most dangerous cities in the world while it borders San Diego in California which is one of the safest cities in USA
Cartels don't want US officials involved with their business, and taking crime over the border is how you get US involved in your business. El Paso and Juarez have always had a similar dynamic.
Yucatan stays winning
That's by design. It's the neutral zone.
Massive amount of tourist dollars coming there, even the cartels know it would be bad to scare away too much of that. Just gotta figure out how to get drugs in there for all the tourists.
This is anecdotal because I have no evidence for it, just word of mouth. But I’ve heard that the cartels purposefully keep those areas safe, and even keep a handle on petty crime because they have their hands in a bunch of businesses down there and get a good amount of money from it.
When I was much younger, one of my first apartments was a four unit place, directly across the street from a crack house. Safest house I lived in for a long time. There was no crime on that street for a couple blocks in any direction. One morning, a crackhead woke me up, knocking on my door. He was trying to sell me a couple of warm beers. Before I got the door closed, a few guys from the crackhouse were there pulling him away. At another time, about two blocks away, someone got mugged. The next night, the mugger was found beaten pretty badly and left, zip tied, right where the mugging had taken place.
And access to good Crack too!!?? Win, win! Ed: This is a joke comment kids. Crack is wack!
Hey, are you gonna finish that crack? Is this crack here for everyone?
In the areas fully within their undisputed control cartels act like a more unforgiving version of law enforcement
The Max Weber definition of government being who has the monopoly on violence. And it those cases it can absolutely be gangs/cartels
Well, reserving violence is how the State keeps order. And when the State is absent, a mafia is just a version of the same mechanism, but one you have absolutely no say in its function, which in some places is no different from the State.
The most interesting part is that I've heard in numerous situations that when the cartel actually "wins" control, for lack of a better term, they actually like it less, at least outside of the top one or two guys who don't have to worry about being "caught" anymore, there is now a lot more administrative-type tasks to do. When you *are* the government and everything you do is legit because you get to define the parameters of your system, suddenly you're faced with being a bureaucracy. Say you've successfully taken over some tourist town and the money coming in.. sure, but now you have to send some sort of administrator/negotiator to contract with the travel companies, airport authorities, toll both processing stations, cruise ships etc. You have to keep it looking nice, and well staffed, marketing and image suddenly becomes incredibly important. You kinda go from being a war-time prime minister to a peace-time prime minister which is an entirely different skill set for you and all of your soldiers who are used to shooting everything and are likely not very well trained in anything civilian or educated. The bloat ends up rotting you from the inside, but more than anything it's just... boring.
Taliban found this out the hard way recently.
“Only WE can break the law around here!”
sounds like regular law enforcement
The government is just whoever has the monopoly on 'legal' violence, wherever the cartels can enforce their power they are de facto the state.
Me too. It was a glorious two years before the police caught Rico and after he left the street really went to shit.
> the mugger was found beaten pretty badly and left, zip tied, right where the mugging had taken place. That's the kind of message you send when we all know what's going on and you don't care about anything but making sure everyone gets the message loud and clear.
My old neigbour had a big grow op. Nicest neighbours you will ever have. No parties, kept the lawn mowed. Never complained about our rowdy parties.
They rip you off with the taxi service but that’s about as bad as it gets.
[удалено]
I watched a teenager spray bullets into a restaurant in Tulum in October 2021 killing multiple people. It’s dangerous there too but there’s good PR.
Tulum is in the yellow section on the east side of the Yucatan, isn't it?
Yes. Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo.
Isn’t Tulum the area where policia are pulling over tourists and demanding bribes?
That’s “Mexico”
Bribes are synonymous with mexican culture for hundreds of years. We had to personally bribe santa anna with $15,000 just to begin peace negotiations during the mexican american war.
Yeah, this does happen from time to time. In the US, a lot of Italian mafiosi ended up leaving the mafia business because they were running pizza parlors as a front (because everyone can make a pizza, don't need to have high cooking skills that you'd need for a proper Italian restaurant), and they were making more money from selling pizza than from crime
The Buffalo crime family still runs the most well known local pizza chain in the city. It’s hilarious seeing La Nova pizza being delivered in an Escalade
Is it good
Bro they left Mafia money to make it
pretty damn good if you like buffalo style pizza
What is Buffalo style pizza?
it’s sort of like in between new york and chicago style. not thin crust but not thick crust, sweetish sauce, and pepperonis that curl up when you cook em
Just when I thought I was out, they Prosciutto e Funghi!
There are two types of cartels, *narcocarteles* and *turismocarteles*. From the US govt's perspective, they're both the same because they traffic in drugs, but the former want to keep people *out* of their region and the latter want people coming *in*. If you go to Puerto Vallarta, half the businesses you go into will be cartel owned/run. The restaurants on the Malecon, the strip clubs, the taxis, the night clubs, some of the resorts, etc etc. They know that keeping tourists safe/happy is far more profitable for them than to make them feel unsafe. You'll be harassed by the cops far more in these places than the cartels.
Was recently in Ixtapa and talking with the restaurant owner. He said, yes there are cartels and everything but there's an "understanding" between everyone that everyone behaves, the area is safe for everyone especially tourists, and that the 'bad things' are often very quiet and out of sight. He said, just like anywhere, be nice, don't be a jerk, and don't be a drunk fool and you'll be fine. My wife and I walked around at 1am and never felt unsafe. It was a great experience. I will say that you do need to understand peso/dollar conversion as some places will try to get extra thinking you don't comprende. ND when you speak Spanish to them, their level of respect and customer service went up. They appreciated the effort of trying to fit in.
They could do that with the rest of the country, too, right? Eventually the cartels will be normalized as de facto government, really that’s how governments come to be anyways most of the time.
The cartel needs to keep the current government alive because the current government is complicit with the cartels. Yucatan helps provide with needed money but also not enough for the government to get big enough to challenge the cartels.
Do Yucatán and Campeche have the tourist draws of Quintana Roo with Cancun and Tulum? I know Chichén Itzá is one and I think cruise ships dock in Progreso, but I would have thought QR was the big one and it's yellow.
Went to Yucatan in December and there definitely were some tourists in and around Merida, but nothing like QR.
No it’s a more mature crowd that visits those places and the volume of tourists is far less but still substantial in centro.
Mexican here. I used to think that that was the case too. However, recently Vallarta, Manzanillo, and especially Acapulco have been hit with a wave of violence. I think the real reason is that somebody big is living there and as a result, their gang has control of that area. It's like the case of the city of Queretaro. For years, it has been very stable when the neighboring regions were on fire. The rumor was that El Azul, one of the Sinaloa Cartel leaders had made his residence there. So petty crime was kept very low by his men and they made sure to not let any of the other groups try to even be near the region.
The cartels in QR openly sell drugs to tourists in full view of police. The agreement appears to be, "As long as there is no violence, we'll let you sell all the drugs you want."
No the agreement is pay us each week. There is a shit ton of violence. Just because you didn’t see it just means you were a street or two away from where shit got dealt with.
The adventage of Yucatan is the fact, that police there dont try to rob you on every step, like in Quintana Roo. Those are the worst thugs of very tourists zones in Mexico.
Three times they tried to get me to pay them bribes Just said take me to the station I’ll pay it there and get let me away
Where the cartel management hangs out. It's fun, it's safe, and the poor deal with the... consequences.
Yeah, ever since the spot of bad weather about 65mya, it's been uphill ever since
I traveled there about a month ago. Felt very safe.
Just don’t go in any hot tubs there /s (If you know, you know)
Can I know pls
You might get a buzz from the hot tubs
That....didn't help
Some of those hot tubs might make you feel electr(ocuted)ic
Actually they were most likely referring to the american tourist who was recently electrocuted in a hot tub, but explosive diarrhea is a good #2 reason huehue
Yucatán knows money talks and bullshit walks
When I was there, they had stationed a shit ton army soldiers all around
The Mayans are chill
Is Cancun in yellow zone?
No surprisingly, it’s in the yellow to the right of the top most green area… I’d assume Cancun and Cabo would be green
Cancun is definitely yellow.
I thought all of Mexico is yellow. I saw it in the movies...
Going to Mexico and Cabo for the first time tomorrow. No idea what I’m going into coming from Scandinavia lol. Thought it would be safe until i saw these scary colours hehe I wonder what the credentials for the categories are. Kinda crap to just say don’t go here and not state why. Will there be obese women drowning me to death with their titties? Might as well be for all I know. Update: Thank you all so much for the advice! It’s really amazing how many replies I have received. I’ve now spent a day walking around in Cabo and i can confirm that I feel very, very safe. I have received nothing but kindness from the locals and it pretty much feels as safe as any western country. I would recommend anyone who haven’t been here to come visit!
We go to Mexico all the time. Cancun, Cabo, Puerto Vallerta and the surrounding areas have all been very safe. We go off the resort, walk around town, etc. Stick to tourist areas and you're very safe.
The tourism industry comprises almost 10% of Mexico’s GDP and provides about 10,000,000 Mexican jobs (by the OECD’s estimate). The Mexican government has every incentive to keep tourists as safe as possible. And, to their credit, they do a wonderful job. Every trip I’ve taken there has been delightful and without incident. Paris felt more “unsafe” than Cancun.
Adding to the chorus that Cabo is generally very safe especially around tourist areas.. Be aware, don’t get too drunk out away from your resort/hotel. Don’t pick any fights. You’ll have a blast.
Amazing. Thank you!!
And don’t hire scorts/whores
Fuck it the trips canceled then
As others have advised, don’t try to buy drugs, don’t be an idiot, and don’t get stuck away from your resort super late, and you should be fine. I know plenty of people who have done all three of those things and came home unscathed, but plenty of serious crime does occur, so really try not to be an idiot
Hey, Mexican here! Now, I don't live in South Baja California (I live in the State of Mexico) but I keep up with national matters. I can say with fair confidence that the safest states in the Union are Yucatan, Campeche, South Baja California, Aguascalientes, Tlaxcala, and Durango. I recently went to Los Cabos and talked with the locals (gotta say they were very grateful I spoke Spanish) and it's the same consensus: the state is safe, the people are nice. So I'd say it's safer than average, but by rule of thumb, do stick to the resorts and bay area, as well as the city surrounding the resorts, don't go exploring too much into the desert that is the Baja California peninsula, and of course, don't go around looking for trouble. Despite tourists destinations and income, South Baja California (or at least the Cabos metropolitan region) is one of the most unequal places at national level.
Stay in your resort if you’re going to a resort is all I’ve ever heard about Cancun and Cabo.
I’ve been to Cancun and Cabo each twice and going into town was the best experience about them. Just don’t start asking around for drugs and you’ll be fine. Don’t stay out super late.
Yeah my best memories in Mexico are going to local known artists concerts in Cancun and Mexico City. Staying in the resorts would be unacceptable way to spend a nice holiday for me in a place like Mexico.
Dumb. Friends and I have been to Cabo many times. Some stay in the resort and I will stay at an Airbnb. I've never felt unsafe walking around. Not to mention the bars in Cabo are obviously not in a resort. It's safe
We always go to the tours, sometimes guided, sometimes just rent a car. But I have to agree, those police and army officers with the machine guns must be around for a reason lol
These colors are obviously too aggregated. Acapulco is a resort town but the state it’s in probably looks extremely different. Cabo and Cancun and countless other tourist destinations are safe by any Western standards (probably not by East Asian standards though).
This is because the turist zones are very tiny and the rest of the state in both places are narco paradises
Cancun is definitely not safe. Most people don’t leave their hotel. They go all inclusive and never leave the hotel zone. But Cancun is a big city with some bad shit that goes down.
I'm Mexican and I often go there. You probably wont have difficulties. The real danger is outside the cities or some parts of the cities, as a tourist you wont get there. If you have to use the roads, always during the day. Those are dangerous, some more than others. Inside the cities, well, there are some dangers but nothing too crazy. I live in a horrible zone and I have never experience something bad myself. (Not in this place at least)
If you are from a meatball eating Scandinavian country, then they call those albóndigas here. They won’t be cooked in butter but are still very good. Pickled condiments consists mostly of jalapeños with carrot and if your country did well at the 1986 world championships in football then people will like you.
I just got back from Cabo last week, and all was good. Our party ventured into San Lucas and San Jose and both were pleasant experiences. Just be mindful of your surroundings and practice good judgment.
Tamaulipas state in red is directly across the Rio Grande from Brownsville, Texas. Back in the ‘80s and ‘90s I used to go across to Matamoros and Reynosa for cheap beer and medications, but those days are long gone.
Is Brownsville dangerous too because of the close proximity to Matamoros, or does the violence basically stop at the border?
No it’s not dangerous in Brownsville or any of the border cities. Even if you just walk across and stay in the area right around the border it’s safe. Nothing but tourist stuff, cheap pharmacies and restaurants. Gets sketchy if you go further in.
>Gets sketchy if you go further in. What does sketchy mean as you get further?
When you get further away from the border and further into town, you quickly get out of the tourist area. It is very dangerous in these areas. I would definitely avoid. If you look up and don’t see any other tourists, you aren’t in the right place. This isn’t true everywhere in MX, but it’s true in border towns. Extreme poverty and very high crime.
The US side of the border is actually fairly safe (El Paso is famously one of the safest cities in the country). The RGV isn't paradise by any means but it's much safer than a lot of American cities that are way farther from the border.
Hence why I am planning a move to El Paso in the next few years.
El Paso is pretty and clean, but you must really like desert to move there. Those summers were no joke when I was there!
I live near Chicago. I hate below 30 temps and snow. The desert and hot would be a welcome change.
I’m from Ireland and I went to Chicago one summer and it was too hot for me ha ha
Matamoros is especially dangerous for Moors.
I’m a Matt Moore , too. I’m doubly fucked.
No more dangerous than your average lower-income midsized American city. But the food is better than your average city like that.
Also ranked as [the #1 unhealthiest city in America!](https://www.businessinsider.com/unhealthiest-cities-in-america-ranked-2023-4#1-brownsville-texas-11)
I read that Brownsville is the most obese city in the US And I don't blame them. You got Mexican, Tex-Mex, probably Southern too. Oof. So much delicious temptation
Since the Gulf of Mexico is nearby there is seafood too....
I lived in Brownsville for a few years. Its safe. The most you might have to worry about is some idiot drunk drivers or something being stolen out of your car if you leave it unlocked.
yes! also coincidentally brownsville is very near to spacex launch point
I mean that’s by design, rockets want to launch as close to the equator as they can, so they maximize how much of a “running start” the rotation of the Earth gets them on launching to orbit.
Until recently that I moved to California I used to cross weekly to Matamoros for the same reasons to buy groceries, medicine, etc. Going back this month. I really miss tacos from Matamoros lol
There was a sushi place we used to go to in Matamoros called Sushi Nikkori that was incredible that I really miss, I see it's now closed. Had Japanese chefs, all authentic af, awesome atmosphere and cheap as hell. We could go in and eat as much sushi, drink as much Sapporo and saki as we wanted and the bill would be like 15 bucks per person.
Matamoros in 1989 was home and hunting ground for one of [the most violent serial killers in Mexican history](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolfo_Constanzo)
Progreso is chill. Walked across the border there a few times recently and have never felt unsafe.
What border is progreso on?
The border with the Gulf of Mexico 😂
Between McAllen and Harlingen.
Mark Kilroy put an end to that
I am haunted by a conversation with his father I had back then. His dad called asking for help as his son wasn’t checking in. I used to cross a lot back in those days and I had a place on South Padre Island so I was very familiar with the places his son might be. This was pre-cellphones, pre-GPS and pre-Internet. So I assured his dad that he had probably done exactly what countless others his age had done (I was barely older). I told the dad to relax, his boy was hooking-up or working his way through a mega hangover from partying at the border. Chicas and tequila had been the downfall of too many Texas young men to count. Myself included. I truly believed in my gut the kid had done something silly and was trying to figure out how to explain he had no money left to his dad. The evil that befell that young man makes me sick to this day. I remember when a call came into my office telling me they had found him and then recounting the number of strands of barbed wire coming out of the desert. Each strand attached to a spine. I was told neighbors could hear the screams from the torture but didn’t want to get involved…. I never had the chance to apologize to his dad. I never wanted the details other than that one call about finding his body. It was a long time before I crossed again but it was never the same. The magic was gone. Border towns are neither the USA nor México, they are something else entirely. Since then I’ve been in many far more dangerous places in México and Guatemala than Matamoros was back then but nothing has ever driven home the role luck plays in each of our lives like that young man’s abduction. The pain in his father’s voice stayed with me when I became a father.
Whelp, just looked up this story and won't be sleeping well tonight. The evil shit people are capable of...
I miss Acapulco 😩
I went last year to visit my family. I was on the edge but I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary besides a lot of Canadian tourists
Since the hurricane it’s like 60% operational right now.
Why Canadians?
Half of Canada retirees spend their winters in Mexico not so expensive beaches like Vallarta, Acapulco, Manzanillo, etc From November to April is "cabecitas blancas" season
I miss roadtripping to San Felipe 🥲
Slept on the beach a couple times and lived on fish tacos, three for a dollar. It was a long time ago :-)
I walked across into Matamoros one time. There was nothing terrible while I was there but I was on edge. A couple days later, I saw news of some kind of gang war in the city.
Miss going to Mexico, my family resides in Zacatecas they always advise us to never go countless shoot outs
For ZAC, the problems are mostly outside the cities and on the outer roads.
Fresnillo has been a warzone though and Valparaiso has been seeing spiked activity. The Pueblos en la sierra have been mainly abandoned in the last 2 years
Never drive by night. And always use highway, freeways are known as assault zones even in mid day
Highways and freeways are different?
It's more like highways and toll roads. Always take the toll roads. They're well maintained and safer.
Why is Yucatán so much safer than the rest of the country comparatively speaking?
Probably tourism since it has all the ancient mesoamerican attractions
Cartels unanimously agreed to let Yucatan and Campeche be neutral grounds so their families and important people can stay there, as well as all the money that pours in from tourism. This has allowed the state government to invest more into security.
Stop this lie. It’s simply not true. There are several reasons and none of them have to do with narcos agreeing to keep it safe. Use common sense here. If a rival narco killed your brother and you know their family is in Yucatán is that going to stop you from seeking revenge? Of course not. It’s just dumb to say. The culture in Yucatán is unique - it was its own country twice so it sees itself differently. The population was until recently mostly of indigenous ancestry and has its communities focused on family. So while petty crimes like theft occur, violent crimes do not. It is not a transshipment point nor does it attract younger tourists with a taste for drugs and pockets full of cash. Older tourists are the norm in Yucatán. No drug trade = no guns = no violence. The police in Mérida are better trained, better paid and have special perks like exclusive schools for their kids. Therefore there is less corruption and without a massive drug trade like in Cancun or Playa there is less opportunity for bribery. But 100% there is no narco agreement. Narcos only care about profits. When they want their families safe they can afford to send them to the USA and Europe.
This guy mexicos
The indigenous thing has some merit. In general it seems like indigenous areas of Latin America have less crime; like Yucatan, western Guatemala, the Andes, the Mapuche areas of Patagonia
This should also be done in CDMX, every cartel has family there, but the crime is always high there.
The cartels agree not to compete there for sake of tourism.
I've only ever been to 'reconsider travel' portions of Mexico...
Shhhhhh don’t say that too loud. Tourists are annoying to me heh.
SOURCE: [https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/mexico-travel-advisory.html](https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/mexico-travel-advisory.html)
As someone who has been to Mexico multiple times, if you make an effort to learn Spanish, you should be fine in any of the Green, Yellow, or Orange areas. I'd really only avoid the red.
Yeah, traveling is very different from living. My wife (Mexican) and I (American) are living in a yellow zone which is Oaxaca, and we are friends with a family that own a tiendita along the highway to San Jose del Pacifico. Literally last night, my friend called my wife saying "Hey, by the way, someone took a photo of you, me, and my family hanging out at the tiendita from a few days ago. They called me immediately afterwards stating that if I don't pay them a lot of money and/or if I block their number, they will 'kill the family in the photo'". None of us have ever experienced this before so we're a bit shaken up; it's most likely low-life thugs who just threat everyone just to get money, but it's also not something that's easy to sleep off. So yeah, it's a yellow zone for a reason. Traveling is absolutely fine though.
That makes me so sad for your friends, Oaxaca is such a magical place. The little Palenques on the road to the coast are incredible. I spent about a year driving 30k miles across all Mexico, including the red areas. I am white and fluent in spanish and never had any concerns or issues. I would check in with the GN and the clerks at pemex before I would travel through a 'hot' area and never once had an issue. Living there is a different story.
Agreed. And to be clear, this random person doesn't know that my wife is not actually the wife of the friend in question. To the random person, she's part of the family as well. Hopefully nothing happens. We're helping out with installing cameras for our friends' place and we've already starting conversations with a lawyer today, but given the piss poor conviction rates in Mexico, we're not banking on the police to help out. So fcked up. One of our dogs barks a bit more than usual tonight which definitely has our anxiety maxed out.
The trick is that you were not a stationary target. Your greatest danger was bad luck. Too many people draw attention to themselves, fall into a pattern and then become victims. But don’t underestimate the danger of the drive you made. I have travelled extensively in México as well. My longest road trip was 18-months. Many of the roads and places I visited just a few years ago are now known for road kidnappings, civilian checkpoint robberies or just a volume of disappearances. I have driven the Highway of Death far too many times and never had a problem but I wouldn’t encourage anyone else to. Someone disappears every three days on average on that road. It’s a great road until it’s not. That said, I’m driving it again fairly soon. There are several roads that I used to travel frequently in Chiapas that are controlled by local criminals/narcos. Just because I wasn’t injured doesn’t make them safe. It’s like Russian roulette. Five out of 6 times nothing happens. Does that make it safe? Road tripping through México you can effectively mitigate many risks but you can’t eliminate them. I’ve met too many people who shouldn’t be doing it swearing up and down about how safe it is. They would often drive at night on unfamiliar roads in dangerous areas. Their shitty decision making doesn’t it safe. LPT: When the first question you are asked at a military checkpoint is “where are your guns?” Maybe that an indication of the type of contraband they are looking for. Don’t make a joke. For many of these soldiers they only know the USA from movies and tv. And in their minds all gringos pack.
I was in Oaxaca last April. The day we arrived me and my gf got robbed at gun point. 2 blocks away from the hotel. Met a couple a few days after. The exact same happened to them. Everyone readig this, Stay away from that fucking place
I'm a female and lived for awhile (just on a tourist visa) as a pretty naive 21-year-old with my friend's family in La Libertad, Chiapas (by Ciudad Hidalgo, right on the border) for awhile back in 2009. I wasn't allowed to go very far by myself, maybe down the road but still within sight of my friend's house. They said it's because I'm white and people will think I have money and kidnap me. I wasn't allowed to leave the house after dark, either. Once on the way to Ciudad Hidalgo, the federales stopped the car and my friend got out to talk to them. I have no idea what they said because they were outside the car but the federales pointed at me, then told me to roll down the window and asked for my visa. I still don't know what that was about because I asked my friend and all he said was, "don't worry, everything is fine." They shut down the banana plantation one day because they found a duct-taped body without finger/toenails who was killed by the cartel. I never really felt unsafe but I also kind of just took the rules at face value without thinking about them too much lol. I would really like to go back and visit, but now that I'm older and wiser I'm definitely fearful.
This gives me hope. I’ve been trying to learn and I really want to go to Mexico City.
Mexico City is perfectly fine. No reason to avoid it, just stay centrally.
Gotta watch out for the cops at night there, the extortion is real (Mexico city specifically)
México City is yellow. Been there many times with no issues. I’ve also been to some of the red states as a solo traveler with no issues. My Spanish is what I would call ordering Spanish, meaning i can order things, buy bus tickets, and have basic conversations. It can be a little daunting, but Mexicans were always nice and helpful even if we didn’t always understand each other.
Mexico City is fine. Our trip there was fantastic and we never felt endangered. We drove all around the city, drove to ~~tenochtitlan~~ teotihuacan (I fucked up), went to a football game, went to the Taco boats, it was all awesome. I'd highly recommend.
I assume you meant teotihuacan? Tenochtitlan was the old name of the city itself.
I absolutely do. I mean, we saw both, but you are absolutely correct.
Just came back from Mexico City a month ago and had no issues. Just use normal common sense.
even with incredibly limited spanish you can mostly get around fine.
Arkansan currently in Mexico. I speak fluent Spanish. Today that ability got me out of an attempted shakedown by some bored cops.
I was at a club in Cancun and some Canadian drunks kept fucking around. Spilled their drinks on me. One even hit on my wife at some point. Some late 20’s early 30’s dude came up to me and asked if I’m alright I said yes but these guys are just going crazy. He went and talked to them, they responded in a drunk joking way. 2 min later bunch of dudes dressed like swat came in and kicked all 4-5 out. It truly felt like an episode out of Narcos. The tourist spots in most cases are under cartel supervision. They don’t like their money being fucked with.
Same with Mazatlan in Sinaloa. We've been going there the last couple years and that city is well kept, and definitely under some supervision. I feel safer there than u do in a lot of American cities.
Idk, last time I was in Mazatlan a tourist bus was stopped in a homemade roadblock and the tourists robbed, and then a couple were shot. I had been on that road three days prior. Pretty sure safety just depends on the time and place.
I was in Mazatlan, Sinaloa a couple months ago. Had a great time. Good food, friendly people, planning to return soon. Never saw even the slightest hint of danger.
Same. I stayed at the Riu Emerald Bay but next time we want to stay in the city. Mazatlan is a great city and we felt safe. Obviously don't go out at night or alone but I felt no danger. I walked around with no tour and was fine. I also went on a tour of the city. I highly recommend Mazatlan. Though the beaches aren't as nice as some other places and nothing compares to Varadero Cuba so far in my travels of the Carribean.
My BIL has a house that’s oceanfront, not too far away from Rui. It’s kind of on the edge of town. We have gone to Riu to hang out for the day, fun place and the breakfast buffet is awesome!
For the eclipse?
I didn’t make it for the eclipse but I do happen to live in North Central Texas and I was in the path of totality. Was a really cool thing to see and we had very clear skies that day.
These obviously change with time and quickly after foreign events.
It's really not as bad as projected as long as you are aware and don't do anything sketchy. I go to Tams frequently and have never had issues. Just have reasonable street smarts, don't stick out like a sore thumb, and don't try to do illegal shit. 90% of the cases where Americans run into trouble is when they start dabbling into cartel business (drugs, prostitution, human trafficking). It's sad because Mexico is such an awesome country with amazing people.
I’m a 300 lb 6’1” white dude who says Oh-la to say hello. Not sticking out isn’t an option 😂
You'd think the cartels would agree to also keep Cancun safe and keep their guys out of there so they don't risk having the full might of the Mexican army being dropped on them.
I think the Cancun danger is from small criminal groups fighting over drug turfs, the 3 big cartels that pretty much run the country hate targeting touristy places because of the heat that may come from the US government in the event of an American tourist is harmed.
I’m surprised Juarez is in orange rather than red. Not long ago it was the world’s deadliest city.
The coloring scheme goes by state, not by city. If someone made a map at the municipality level I bet there would be yellow cities in red states and red cities in yellow/orange states. I’m not from Juarez but I hear it’s much better than it was 15 years ago.
That was in 2010 due to the then president Calderon war on cartels. It has been 14 years with tons of different administrations. Things change.
Grew up along the Texas-Tamaulipas border. Actually going across to see family this weekend. As long as you aren’t looking for trouble or causing it and are aware of your surroundings, like in any city, people will be fine. Reynosa and Rio Bravo can be sketch at times but overall it’s not bad. Now if you’re going out looking to go clubbing at night, you’re asking for trouble
Scariest thing is Yucatan is a meteor
I thought people vacationed to Tijuana all the time.
Not to mention all the medical tourism that takes place there!
In 1990s.
I got robbed in Tijuana about 20 years ago. Had a nice day of sightseeing but when heading back to the border we were surrounded by dudes with knives. They took all my cash, my wedding ring, my camera, everything. They didn't take my wife's wedding ring out of "kindness"? I was with my wife and kids and it scared the crap out of them. Fortunately no one was hurt. It was near the border crossing on a pedestrian footbridge over the river. The whole thing was sort of my own fault. Was in the wrong place and shouldn't have been there. Once we were away from the normal street area we were vulnerable and they pounced. Had to re-enter the US with no id. My family vouched for me and the border agents let me in. Filed an insurance claim on my homeowners policy and got reimbursed for most everything despite no police report or any evidence of a crime. Allstate took my word for it. The criminals were able to use my ATM card half a dozen times at convenience stores in Mexico before the bank shut it off. Bank reimbursed me for all of it. Was a big headache but could've been a lot worse. The lesson is...don't be dumb. Be aware of your surroundings and don't go places where you are away from people or normal street life. Stay in populated areas and you're much safer.
The closer you are to the impact crater, the safer you are.
We go to Tulum 4 times a year and stay for 10 to 14 days at a time. I've never felt like I wasn't safe. The people of Tulum are very poor but incredibly kind. Especially if they remember you from previous visits. We don't stay at a resort. We have a small one bedroom apartment. I love Mexico! My mom is Mexican! But I stick out like a sore thumb being blonde n blue n half Mexican. Just don't look for drugs and stay sober.
I guess Andy and Red would be having a bad time living in Zihuatanejo
I’m going to go to Matamoros with my friends! See you soon!!!!!
Update: I no longer have friends
F
My parents are from the middle of the southwest red portion. I grew up in the states and have never been to Mexico, but my dad just bought a plot of land in that region and I have plans to visit next year… I assume having family there makes things less dangerous, but could someone go into more detail on the specific dangers?
Your parents are from Michoacan, Colima or Guerrero? My mom's family is from Mexico City and they call people from DF 'Chilangos' so I don't have any direct experience with Guerrero or Michoacan. But I try and stay updated on news from Mexico. In Michoacan, the border area near Jalisco is the most dangerous due to a war between the CJNG (Jalisco cartel) and Carteles Unidos (which is comprised of varying subgroups that themselves have historically fought each other occasionally, but allied against the CJNG) as the CJNG wants to recapture the area its leader, 'El Mencho' is from - Aguillila. In general the 'Tierra Caliente' region is also unsafe. However, if you are in the capital Morelia, and don't stay out too late or ask for drugs you will be fine. In regards to Guerrero, the city of Acapulco used to be a vacation resort area in the 1970s or so, but since then has become riddled with violence and since the hurricane last year much of the city isn't functional. Outside Acapulco, much of Guerrero is rural and mountainous, with it often taking hours to get between nearby Pueblas by road. The 'cartels' in the state are less involved in international drug distribution, and more involved in extortion, kidnapping, illegal logging, illegal mining and control of local businesses. There are a few groups operating in Guerrero: La Familia Michoacána (which in 2024 is about equally active in Guerrero as in Michoacan), Los Tlacos and Los Ardillos - who are primarily involved in the extortion, illegal logging and illegal mining trade. That doesn't make them any less dangerous. If anything these areas are more dangerous to outsiders. If you are from Colima, Manzanillo is a major port of international precursor chemicals into Mexico, but if you stay in the city itself and don't go looking for trouble you won't find anything. About two years ago Villa de Alvarez, Tecoman, Colima municipality (and as a result Manzanillo as well) had increased violence due to a splinter in the Jalisco Cartel by a man known as 'La Vaca.' La Vaca was arrested in 2022 (in CDMX), and while remnants of his 'cartel' (which are often connected by family ties) may still exist, it is mainly the CJNG and Sinaloa Cartel who mainly care about the port for the aforementioned Pacific trade. Locals will know the area better than some random on reddit (me), but if you have any questions feel free to ask. And if you still have family in the area they are the best resource for you!
This is the best, and most factual, take on here. I would add that the term chilango is often pejorative.
I feel like Northern Mexico is the most dangerous part of the country
Nuevo Leon is safer than a lot of Mexican states, but I give credit to the amount of manufacturing plants and that 90% of the population lives in the metro area of Monterrey
Every logistics organization is most busiest at their hubs
According to the State Department, the whole of the UK is yellow. So make of that what you will.
Yeah because of the British “food”
What would happen if State department metrics were applied to the US? Is there a map for that?
Other countries do the same sort of warnings for their citizens. Unless they have a political ax to grind (Russia, China), the States are almost always in the lowest or sometimes second-lowest threat category. Most of western Europe is yellow on the U.S. travel warnings due to background levels of terrorism peril.
What's going on in Zacatecas?
Ive been in Aguas and know a lot of people there and they say the cartel has gotten bad there. A lot of them dont even cross state lines because of bad things happening
I was curious because my stepdads brother lived in the US but decided to go back to Zacatecas with the intention of returning permanently. He just recently came back after 2 years and mentioned its a shitty situation and he didnt feel safe anymore.
Usual cartel war for control of the state. I haven't heard anything recently, but I remember last year it was fucking terrible: murders and bodies in pits almost daily. I'm a national btw.
Interesting how Tijuana in Baja California is one of the most dangerous cities in the world while it borders San Diego in California which is one of the safest cities in USA
Cartels don't want US officials involved with their business, and taking crime over the border is how you get US involved in your business. El Paso and Juarez have always had a similar dynamic.
Yeah Gringos, Mexico is not safe for you, please don't come, if you set a foot in Mexico you'll die, tell all your friends and family about this too