Mexico

Mexico: Grenade Attacks

Date: September 25th, 2008 |

Two grenade attacks on an Independence Day celebration in Morelia suggest that warring drug cartels may begin targeting the general public in their campaigns against each other and the government. Most past attacks targeted rivals, police or soldiers, but this incident, which killed seven people and injured more than 100, points toward an ominous change [read more]

Mexico: Quintana Roo Sets Up Tracking System for Tourists During Emergencies

Date: August 13th, 2008 |

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Authorities in Quintana Roo and 30 foreign consulates have put together a tracking system for tourists in case of hurricane-related evacuations. When tourists register online at their hotels they will be in the system and if a storm forces relocation, consulates will know where they have been sent. This should simplify reporting the whereabouts of [read more]

Mexico: Oaxaca Teachers’ Strike Ends

Date: June 19th, 2008 |

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Some 20,000 teachers and sympathizers on strike in Oaxaca ended their three-week protest June 16 in part to allow the state to celebrate the Guelaguetza, the region’s premier cultural event. “La guelaguetza” is a Zapotec word meaning “offering,” and the festival features traditional dances from the seven indigenous regions of the state. The Guelaguetza takes [read more]

Mexico: Narco-Violence Near U.S. Border; Private Plane Stolen from Americans

Date: April 17th, 2008 |

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The U.S. State Department reissued its travel alert for Mexico citing extensive violent criminal activity in northern areas near the U.S. border. The violence is driven by drug cartels fighting over the narcotics trade. Attacks usually target cartel members, police, criminal justice officials and journalists, but foreign visitors and residents, including Americans, have been kidnapped [read more]

Mexico: Kidnapping of U.S. Citizens Up in Baja

Date: February 14th, 2008 |

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Kidnapping of U.S. citizens in Tijuana, Rosarito Beach and Ensenada has increased in the past year, with some 26 San Diego County residents taken hostage in 2007 compared to 11 in 2006. Most of the victims had business interests or family members in Mexico and thus were attractive targets, but all visitors should use common [read more]

Mexico: Oregon Tourist Killed in Police Custody; Drug Violence in Yucatan

Date: September 3rd, 2008 |

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Given the worst circumstances it could probably happen anywhere, but the fate of an Oregon crab fisherman who was beaten to death by Mexican police when detained in San Jose del Cabo should be a lesson to all not to tangle with police, especially in countries where you do not speak the local language. The [read more]

Mexico: Cabo Transit Dispute Riles Tourists; Longer Waits at San Diego-Tijuana Border Crossing

Date: July 23rd, 2008 |

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A long-simmering dispute between taxi drivers and tour operators in Los Cabos caught tourists in the middle July 16 when the taxis blocked buses from leaving hotels and forced the passengers to take taxis to the airport. Most of the tourists had paid for the bus transfers as part of their tour packages, and some [read more]

Mexico: Shark Attacks Spur Study of Shark Behavior

Date: June 4th, 2008 |

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The first fatal shark attacks along Mexico’s Pacific coast in 30 years occurred near the resort of Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo. Two surfers were killed and one was maimed in three separate incidents since late April. The attacks prompted the government to plan a tagging operation to try to understand why sharks are suddenly coming so close to [read more]

Mexico: American College Student Killed in Puerto Vallarta

Date: April 2nd, 2008 |

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A University of Colorado student vacationing in Puerto Vallarta with his mother was shot and killed March 26 when he tried to protect her from a robbery. The two assailants fled the scene but were apprehended and jailed, only to see the man who was suspected of firing the gun escape from prison when he [read more]

Mexico: “Women Only” Buses Now Running in Mexico City

Date: January 24th, 2008 |

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A “women only” bus service is now in place in Mexico City to give women using the city’s transit system a break from abusive men. The special buses with large pink signs are operating on two lines and will expand to 15 more routes by April. The first three cars in all subway trains are [read more]