MEXICO (approximately). – Over the Easter holidays, half of Mexico has travel bans due to violence, Spanish newspaper El País reported.
The U.S. Embassy in Mexico has restricted the movement of its officials to large areas and released a large map that serves as an alert to tourists around the world, he said.
“Heaven is not always recommendable, no matter how holy the current week is supposed to be. To have a detailed map of those places, highways, tourist destinations, magic towns and world heritage cities where it is better not to not set foot, the recommendations that the United States makes to its citizens and officials undoubtedly serve, ”said the note written by journalist Carmen Morán Breña.
He pointed out that in five of the 32 states they directly recommend against travel; in 11 they ask that they reconsider the visitation plans if they had made them; in 14 that extreme precautions are taken and only in two: Campeche and Yucatán, they indicate as those that offer a quiet trip, with the usual precautions for tourism or foreign visits.
“Destinations once golden for America’s most glamorous, like Acapulco, are now off limits for security reasons. Mexicans in the capital still flock to the pearl of Guerrero when they have days off, but they know that it is not even safe to take a taxi, let alone at night. That the bullets died on the beaches a long time ago because of the exotic desire of half the world, ”he added .
He adds that, in the American document, Zihuatanejo or Ixtapa are not spared either, two destinations very popular with Mexicans and foreigners: Pacific beaches that have little of this.
Also in Guerrero, the magical city of Taxco, one of the jewels of the state, is designated as difficult to access and certain routes are recommended to enter it, such as the federal highway 95-D which passes through Cuernavaca and Morelos “, he added. .
He said that kidnappings for ransom are common on many highways in Mexico, so it’s worth revisiting the map.
“There are other magical towns, such as San Sebastián del Oeste, a rural beauty between green mountains, on the border of Nayarit, where it is common to see the SUVs of drug-related criminals speeding along the paved roads and dirt roads, which is why it is not recommended to use Route 544 between Mascota and San Sebastián,” he said.
He added that Michoacán is one of the Mexican states that brings together the most tourist interest because it has lakes and beaches, history and monumentality, not to mention the field where avocados and lemons grow that Americans love so much.
But it is also one of the most divisive destinations. The US Embassy recommends not to go there and if you are traveling alone in certain areas like the capital, Morelia and by marked roads or by air.
“Even the monarch butterfly reserve, which nests in cones on trees in one of the most awe-inspiring displays in the world, is not free from restrictions. The most beautiful rural areas are sometimes the most dangerous because organized crime uses them for their merchandise or to clear them in search of plantations that are more profitable to them,” he said.
He listed other paradises that, despite the violence, keep an open entrance, even with all the precautions, such as the case of the Caribbean or Baja California, places where almost more English is spoken than people. Spanish or Chinese.
“Criminal activity and violence can happen anywhere, anytime, including in popular tourist destinations. Travelers should maintain a high level of situational awareness, avoid areas where illicit activity occurs, and quickly move away from potentially dangerous situations.
“Without targeting tourists, shootings between rival gangs have killed or injured innocent bystanders. In addition, US citizens have been victims of violent and non-violent crimes in tourist and non-tourist areas,” he added.
Although it does not impose travel restrictions, “it recommends that U.S. government employees exercise greater caution after dark in downtown areas of Cancún, Tulum and Playa del Carmen, and to stay in well-lit pedestrian streets and tourist areas”.
He mentioned that in Quintana Roo, where there are beaches with luxury hotels, it is feared that the sound of bullets will end up rotting one of the areas most valued by tourism; in Cabo San Lucas, San José del Cabo and La Paz, Baja California Sur, they are also getting rid of restrictions on public officials, which should also be useful to ordinary citizens.
In Baja California, where the Sea of Cortez is on its inner side, which it shares with Sinaloa, it is recommended not to travel due to crimes and kidnappings. Mazatlán, one of the favorite destinations, is only recommended by air and sea and with limited enclaves such as the Golden Zone or the Historic Center. The same thing happens with Los Mochis and Topolobampo.
In Oaxaca, perhaps one of the entities that offers the traveler the most in any of its corners: beaches, mountains, traditions, shopping, history, monuments and gastronomy, it preserves a good part of the territory bullets and other crimes, but travelers are asked to avoid certain areas of the isthmus, as well as the border with Chiapas to the east, but can enjoy the capital, the archaeological area of Monte Albán, Puerto Escondido and Huatulco.
In Zacatecas or Querétaro, extreme precautions are required. In Guanajuato and Puebla they do not present major problems in enjoying their immense heritage.