Is it safe to travel to Mexico?

In a few days I will be traveling once again to Mexico. 

In recent years the media has been focusing on the drug wars south of the border, and some would have you believe that the entire country is a dangerous, lawless place with corpses littering the streets.  Indeed, the drug wars are a very real problem for Mexico, and there are some areas, particularly in the northern border region, that are considered dangerous.  For example, I have no desire to visit Ciudad Juárez (the city right across the border from El Paso, Texas) which is infamous as the murder capital of Mexico. But the truth is that most of the country is no less safe for tourists than anywhere else in the world.

I will soon be in Mexico City.  The thought of visiting this huge metropolis of around 20 million people might strike fear in the minds of some people.  However, I have read that Mexico's capital has a murder rate that is lower than Washington, D.C., or Las Vegas.  Whether that statistic is true or not, I can say that I have never felt unsafe in Mexico City.  Of course there are some parts of the city that have high crime rates, but that is true for any large city anywhere in the world.  Those neighborhoods are not places that a tourist is likely to visit anyway.  Naturally, I take the precautions that I would take in any large city.  I am aware of my surroundings, in crowded areas my wallet is tucked into my front pocket, and I don't carry around more than one credit card or more cash than I need.

Another Mexican city which I frequently visit is Mérida, the capital of the state of Yucatán.  Mérida, which has a population of around one million people, has a reputation as the safest large city in the country.  Even petty crime rates are lower than in major cities in the U.S. and Europe.  Over the years I have taken numerous friends to Mérida, and they have all thoroughly enjoyed their visit and have felt perfectly safe.

In anticipation of my upcoming trip, here are a few photos from previous visits to Mexico City.




The Palace of Fine Arts

The Independence Monument

 

Chapultepec Castle

 

A couple years ago I showed a friend some pictures that I had taken of Mexico City.  She was amazed.  She said that she had always imagined Mexico City as one huge slum.  She had no idea that there were so many beautiful places in the city.