# safety in Mexico



## claraminor (Jan 4, 2013)

I am nearing semi/retirement in teaching and always planned on moving to Mexico and working with children there. My daughter has hispanic friends from all over Mexico and they all talk about how dangerous it is right now for Americans. Their own families have experienced kidnapping and drug related crime.
Please share with me the actual happenings in your area and your knowledge of the topic. I imagine it all depends on the locations. Thank you


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

claraminor said:


> I am nearing semi/retirement in teaching and always planned on moving to Mexico and working with children there. My daughter has hispanic friends from all over Mexico and they all talk about how dangerous it is right now for Americans. Their own families have experienced kidnapping and drug related crime.
> Please share with me the actual happenings in your area and your knowledge of the topic. I imagine it all depends on the locations. Thank you


Over the recent holidays, I was in the Denver bus station waiting for a bus to El Paso/Ciudad Juarez then a connection to Guadalajara.

I got to talking to a man who was putting his aunt on the same bus. She lived in Ciudad Juarez. When he learned that I was headed for Guadalajara, he asked me if it was safe there. A little more conversation revealed that he was from Guadalajara and had relatives in Leon and Guanajuato (ciudad), as well as Guadalajara. I asked him why he was asking me about safety and we both laughed.

To answer the Original Poster's question, I have traveled all over Mexico, including many places that are supposed to be dangerous (Michoacan, Sinaloa, Chihuahua/Zacatecas/Durango triangle, Ciudad Juarez). I have never felt as uncomfortable as I did during early morning walks to the train station in San Francisco during the time when the Zodiac killer was around. Bad things can happen anytime, anywhere. I choose to take reasonable precautions and not live my life in fear of improbable events. Being involved in the drug violence in Mexico is an improbable event if you take reasonable precautions (mainly stay away for the drug trade and anyone involved in it on either side).


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

claraminor said:


> Their own families have experienced kidnapping and drug related crime.


Either this is pure fabrication or these "families" are involved in a deeper level. Either way, don't let these "families" befriend you if you decide to move to Mexico.


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## circle110 (Jul 20, 2009)

I have several Mexican friends back in Chicago. They all claim to have a family member or know someone who knows someone who knows someone who has been affected by the violence.

Living here in Mexico and having many Mexican friends, neither I nor any of those friends know of anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone who has been affected. Odd.

I'm not sure why it is, but the Mexicans living NOB love to tell stories about the violence back home and all claim to have some remote connection to a victim. 

Personally, I don't live in fear and only take the standard precautions like locking and securing my house, not flashing big money in public etc. - all things I did in Chicago as well. Not driving the highways at night is about the only thing I do very differently, but that is not due to the threat of violence as much as the threat of animals in the road, potholes, unmarked speedbumps, goofballs that park their car on the highway and things like that.


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## alexdz (Nov 18, 2012)

circle110 said:


> I'm not sure why it is, but the Mexicans living NOB love to tell stories about the violence back home and all claim to have some remote connection to a victim.


Maybe they're trying to discourage all us gringos from moving down there and driving prices up before they get a chance to return. 



When I told my sister recently that I was moving to Mexico she told me she'd be afraid of all the violence. I responded, you live in San Juan PR, number 25 on the global list of cities with the highest homicide rates, WTH are you talking about? End of discussion.

lane:

AD


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

circle110 said:


> I'm not sure why it is, but the Mexicans living NOB love to tell stories about the violence back home and all claim to have some remote connection to a victim.


Maybe it's a way of justifying having left their homeland to live in the States. In other words, Mexico has become just too dangerous for them to return to.


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## AlanMexicali (Jun 1, 2011)

Isla Verde said:


> Maybe it's a way of justifying having left their homeland to live in the States. In other words, Mexico has become just too dangerous for them to return to.


Or possibly a macho thing?


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## tepetapan (Sep 30, 2010)

I have lived in Catemaco over 10 years and our most prevalent crime is cattle rustling.


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## Longford (May 25, 2012)

AlanMexicali said:


> Or possibly a macho thing?


Or, just possibly ... they're telling the truth.


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## claraminor (Jan 4, 2013)

Thank you all so, so much for your response to my concerns about safety and crime in Mexico right now. What a relief, now on with the planning!


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## claraminor (Jan 4, 2013)

Thank you so much. I wanted to go back to visit Guadalajara last summer, but was really concerned with the crime nonsense. I absolutely loved that area. Thanks again


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## joaquinx (Jul 3, 2010)

claraminor said:


> Thank you all so, so much for your response to my concerns about safety and crime in Mexico right now. What a relief, now on with the planning!


Keep in touch. Let us know of the places that your thinking about retiring to.


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## Lorij (Jul 8, 2012)

I have not traveled across Mexico so I can't answer as lots of people on here can. However, I think Mexico is much like America there are safe spots and dangerous spots as well. My finance's family live in Puerto Angel Oaxaca there is no crime there it is beautiful and mostly a fishing village and in nearby Huatulco had lots of tourists and is very safe and tranquil. I say visit a place and speak to some residents before making the decision to move. But I do highly recommend oaxaca. Puerto Angel, puerto Escondido and huatulco area. It's beautiful!


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## gorrillamcd (Jan 18, 2013)

I've lived in Ensenada, Baja California for 4 years and not once have I been or even felt in danger (from crime). I went on a road trip to Mexico city this past summer and stopped in Sonoyta and Hermosillo in Chihuahua, Mazatlan, Guadalajara, Queretaro, and Mexico City. Not once did we have a problem.

That's not to say there is 0 violence. In Sonoyta, we talked with a christian pastor that had just become the pastor of his church because the drug people killed the former pastor. However, towns like that are the exception. Just be smart and don't go to the seedy parts of town and you'll be just fine.


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## GARYJ65 (Feb 9, 2013)

Where are you planning to live?


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

And these same people rarely mention anything about the # of Hispanics incarcerated in the U.S. who are obviously dangerous yet you don't hear them talking about that.


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

Here's a recent interesting article written about safety in Mexico from Canada. Interestingly you rarely see any U.S. news media (unless it's underground/fringe) writing anything positive about Mexico so that should be a lesson to be cautious about whatever you read coming from the U.S. esp. if it's negative. 
I've found that to be true, as well, of U.S. State Department warnings which sometimes are due to country in question not bowing down to the U.S. government policies and demands.
A vacation to sunny Mexico? Safety-wise you could do worse.
A vacation to sunny Mexico? Safety-wise, you could do a lot worse - The Globe and Mail


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## jtfars (Feb 12, 2013)

gorrillamcd said:


> I've lived in Ensenada, Baja California for 4 years and not once have I been or even felt in danger (from crime). I went on a road trip to Mexico city this past summer and stopped in Sonoyta and Hermosillo in Chihuahua, Mazatlan, Guadalajara, Queretaro, and Mexico City. Not once did we have a problem.
> 
> That's not to say there is 0 violence. In Sonoyta, we talked with a christian pastor that had just become the pastor of his church because the drug people killed the former pastor. However, towns like that are the exception. Just be smart and don't go to the seedy parts of town and you'll be just fine.


This is encouraging. I am interested in moving my wife and baby to La Mission or somewhere thereabout. 

Obviously I am aware that crime is a part of life but I dont want to move into a place where I'll be a target. We live in down town San Diego and by exercising common sense we have managed to stay out of trouble. 

What is your experience or feeling with regard to Rosarito and south of there to Ensenada?


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