For the past few months, the US media have been obsessed with violence in Mexico.
Photo: tuxmemento
From FOX to NPR, the evening news has been awash with reports of blood-splashed streets, out of control crime stats, and a police force so impotent that federal military intervention is required.
It’s frightening stuff, alright, so much so that lots of travelers have changed or canceled their Mexico travel plans. People have even formed organizations calling for travel boycotts.
But outside of the drug-running hotspots of Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, is traveling to Mexico really dangerous?
We talked to some frequent Mexico travelers and looked at some data to answer that question.
Matador contributor Misty Tosh is a regular visitor to Mexico. She hosts annual retreats on Isla de Mujeres and has driven Baja–alone–a dozen times. She recently wrote:
“I cruised down extremely dusty backroads, took precarious routes along the Sierra Madre’s, and swam along lonesome stretches of sandy beaches. Never did I fear for my life. Not once did I think I was gonna catch some trouble cause I was alone. Stay away from Mexico? As if. You’d be crazy if ya did.”
Travel writer Eric Lucas, who has had his passport stamped in Mexico more than 25 times, also travels south feeling at ease. In response to the travel boycott, he had this to say:
“Actually, it’s safer there than here. For example, the murder rate in Mexico is about 11 per 100,000 people a year. In New Orleans, it’s almost seven times worse, 71 per 100,000. Atlanta, Cleveland, St. Louis—all have higher murder rates than Mexico.”
Eric’s correct. As author David Lida–an American expat living in Mexico City for almost 20 years–explained in his excellent book, First Stop in the New World:
“In 2004, there were 710 homicides in Mexico City, as opposed to 218 in Washington, D.C. Yet there are close to twenty million people in Mexico City and only 572,000 in the U.s. capital. Therefore, your likelihood to get murdered in D.C. is far greater than it is here–equally true in many U.S. cities, among them Detroit, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Phoenix, Dallas, and Las Vegas (according to 2004 statistics from the FBI). In 2006, New Orleans…with a population smaller than 1 percent of Mexico City’s–had a murder rate nearly equal to the D.F.”
Lida concludes that the persistent problem with the portrayal of violence in Mexico is one of misinterpretation and lack of contextualization. 710 homicides sounds like a lot… if you’re not considering total population and if you’re comparing that statistic to the statistics of a city with a significantly lower population.
Mexico isn’t crime-free, but neither is the US. Yet if we focus enough on our neighbor to the south, maybe we’ll distract ourselves from our own problems. And perhaps that’s what’s really behind the sudden obsession with Mexico’s crime.
Photo: Gret@Lorenz
So don’t cancel that Mexico trip. Unless you’re planning on Spring Break in Juarez, you’re just as likely to be as safe in Mexico as you are in your own home town.
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13 Comments... join the discussion!
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Can’t speak for up north, but as you know, Julie, my five weeks in the DF last fall were stellar. No trouble in the underestimated tourist destination of Mexico City!
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@Travellohr:
Perhaps you’re right, but I still think that focusing on the gruesomeness without examining who, exactly, the victims are, perpetuates a fear among travelers that’s unfounded.
I lived in Mexico City for at least part of the year for the past two years and I learned that many of the crimes committed in Mexico that are obsessed about in the US and which affect people’s travel plans are not crimes that affect travelers directly. Does that mean those crimes and their gruesomeness should be ignored? Definitely not.
But I think it’s important to note that the people who are crime victims in Mexico (at least in the stories presented in the US press) are often targeted because of their known wealth, their own involvement in drug trafficking or other activities, or because of their position in society. Travelers are not victimizers’ interests.
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Mexico is often portrayed by the news media as being in a state of complete turmoil. I disagree with this assessment. Besides refuting this inaccurate characterization on Travelojos, I’ve booked a family vacation to Guadalajara in June.
Have you seen this week’s edition of Businessweek? It’s about the “Other Mexico.” The Mexico where companies are investing billions of dollars in factories. Many companies are finding it more economical to have their manufacturing done in Mexico than in China. Do you think they would be making that decision if the country was on the verge of being a failed state?
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@Julie – I agree the spate of murders shouldn’t be ignored. The US media coverage though, is making some people fearful for no reason since – you’re right – it’s about drugs, not tourists.
Along another vein, maybe the Mexican gov’t is taking steps to ensure tourists remain safe. If they lost their tourism income because of this, that could be devastating. I’m going next month and am planning on hanging out by myself part of the time. I’m going to touristy areas, though, and I know I have nothing to fear (outside of the ordinary).
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Hey Julie–
Thanks for a great article. It’s amazing how manipulative statistics can be–yes, thousands of people have been killed in Mexico’s “drug war”–and the vast, vast majority of them are affiliated either with drug cartels or with the corrupt government, and have been killed as part of payback for that–this is not to justify those murders at all, but merely to put the violence in context.
I was talking to my dad about this issue (he came down to visit me when I was living in Oaxaca) and he was saying how on his visits to Cleveland (he had to organize a big health study with a hospital there) the doctors told him not to walk on certain parts of certain streets or he would be shot/knifed by gangs. That kind of stuff does not happen in Oaxaca. But the U.S media, as always, would prefer to sensationalize danger abroad as opposed to zeroing in on the U.S’ appalling crime rates.
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But there is one problem. In order to get into Mexico you have to drive through the border towns. This is, of course, assuming you are traveling by motorcycle through Mexico.
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I just got back a few weeks ago from Mexico and was interested to see what the take was there versus the more shrill U.S. mainstream press. While the drug war is serious, it’s a big country and tourists would be unlikely to go to the effected areas. If there was gang warfare in Los Angeles there would be no point in canceling a trip to San Diego, for example. It’s also a great time to go as the exchange rate is favorable (about 13 pesos to the dollar). I love Mexico and travel there about once a year.
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Great analysis! I agree that if you stay away from the border towns, you’re going to be fine. And the prices are cheaper now as the result! Love it when people’s unwarranted fear make my travel expenses drop
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Thanks so much…I have been blogging about this on aithenticcoppercanyon on wordpress…I go there every month and the safety issue incountry is a nonissue.
The victims are the good mexican people who are trying to go on with life and are wondering where the norteamericanos are.
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This is a great news, because of your note and also because of the comments.
I am Mexican and is good to know that people in the US know how the media manipulates this situation (not to mention others). Mexico is a great country and quite big, saying this, most of its places are safe. They are few cities were the crime is taking place and as mentioned before in one of the comments it is about the same drug dealers and corrupted police officers the ones getting killed, pay back!
Mexico is considered the main problem, but also think about the cartels in Mexico that have to do with cartels in the rest of Latin America and probably some other countries out of the American continent.
A funny thing is that is always mentioned the mafia in Mexico, but the main drug consumers are not Mexicans, are Americans, so why is never mentioned the mafia in US, who receives the drugs, who buys them?. Again… press!
Not all the borders cities in the south border are dangerous, only a few.
Thanks Julie for this excellent post.↵ -
Excellent article! Mexico has gotten a bad rap lately, and unfortunately most of the fuss is all hype. WIth the Peso down 30% it’s like the entire country is on sale! Now is a great time to go south.
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Hi everyone! I just booked my winter travel plans to Los Cabos, Baja California. With the state of the economy, lots of hotels are offering huge discounts for people looking to travel to Mexico. One of my favorite chains, Barcelo (Spain) is offering an incredible deal where anyone can get up to 20% off any reservation. The Barcelo hotel in Cabo is under construction, with an opening date of December 1 – if anyone is thinking about going to Cabo, this promotion really is a great way to save some money. Just go to http://www.thehotelofyourdreams.com and write a review of what kind of hotel room you would like to stay in. Hopefully see some people down Mexico way!
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