Is Mexico safe to visit? The short answer is: Yes, and no. Mexico is and is not safe.Henry wrote:In the US, we keep on hearing nightmarish stories about certain cities in Mexico, including Mexico City.
My guess is that if you know someone that keeps you out of harm's way, Mexico City is a lot of fun and reasonably safe.
If it's not so safe, please describe what precautions a tourist visiting Mexico City should prudently consider.
Let's see... Ok, Mexico is more dangerous than the world average. However, insecurity exacerbated by media can generate a greater sense of insecurity as the real. I mean, Mexico is a big country, has one hundred and ten million inhabitants. It has people of all ages, has rich and poor, has all kinds of cultures and religions. There is no such thing as a cloud that settled over Mexico and turned people into kidnappers and vandals. There are thugs, yes. But these are not 50 percent of the population. Neither 25 or 10, not even 1 percent of the population. They are less, much less. But unfortunately, a thief steals not one person. But fortunately, the rest of the population is the opposite.
Henry's conjecture is true. For a foreigner visiting Mexico, will be safer if he is accompanied by a local resident. Not only because it might divert the attention of criminals, but because merely a local resident knows what places to go or not, and what is right or not to do. This does not mean that if you are not accompanied by a Mexican you will be kidnapped or something. As I said before, the issue is more relaxed than it seems: Each year, a significant number of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico. Approximately 15 to 16 million a year. With proper precautions, any tourist can be completely secure.
The most common crime problems that foreign visitors could find:
Extortion by law enforcement and other Officials.
(Unless you are very naive, this problem could happen only if you get into legal trouble. In fact, it is more common in springbreakers, especially with minors. I only know a close case of this nature: Some friends of mine (a couple) came from Brazil. The man got drunk on the beach, and while returning in car to the hotel, the police stopped them and asked them for money in exchange for not pressing charges. They were scared, so they ended up giving a good amount of money to the police. This could have been avoided if he had not driven under influence of alcohol, but of course, this does not mean that corrupt cops are acceptable. Based on my own experience, when a cop is corrupt, you can be sure that he is not a good cop (obviously), and since it is not a good cop, he probably will not end taking you to the prosecutor, they will only try to scare you to get money. Remember: If you're innocent, you should not fear the police.
Kidnappings.
As I said, Mexico is a big country, so there are safe places and unsafe places. In Mexico there are many kidnappings, yes. These are usually related to the problem of drug trafficking. Here one should look for facts: On average, the majority of kidnappings in the country happens between Mexican kidnapping Mexicans, which are usually in one way or another related to drug trafficking, too. There are cases where is not the case, it's true. For example, kidnapping for revenge. I think that unlike other places, in Mexico it is not common to get kidnapped for money, but of course, like everything, is possible. Although the chances are minimal, especially for foreigners. If a foreigner visiting Mexico is kidnapped and the kidnapper wants a reward, to whom he would ask the money? Moreover, the problem of kidnapping occurs mainly in the northern border, or in other places where illicit trade with foreigners is possible. (As Acapulco) This is not the case of Mexico City, for example.
Armed robbery and cab robberies.
This is more usual, but it is also easy to avoid. If you visit Mexico, do not use taxis you find in the street, because some of those taxi drivers could really not have taxi driver's license.
I recommend using a taxi company. You can find the taxi stand at the airports or just outside some hotels. The service of these companies is that you can order a taxi by phone, which is very safe, because the company keeps track of everything. If you are in a hotel, the reception can help you get the number of one of these companies. Also, the employees of any hotel reception can make the calls for you, if you do not speak Spanish. (Though probably there are companies that can speak English.) Even if someone helps you with this, remember to ask for the phone number of the company and keep it, in case there are any problems in the future. When you call them, they will ask you which direction you will go, where the taxi will pick you up, and what time you want this to happen. You can ask them other things, if it makes you feel safer.
Another thing to remember is that both company taxis as taxis you find in the street, must have driver's license in sight: Sometimes in the dashboard or in one of the back windows. This license has a large photograph the taxi driver, your name and the basic data of him and the taxi (as the plates). Feel free to copy the data that you consider necessary, if it makes you feel safer. They are there for that.
While in the armed robbery, this obviously does not happen in crowded places. The usual suggestions are:
-Do not carry valuables or wear jewelry (or at least those easily noticeable).
- As a tourist, it is better to go in groups. If at least three people are together, the chances of something bad happening are almost nil.
-Try not to overdo tourist clothes. Try normal clothes, the clothes that you would use in your place of origin. If you think it's warmer here, wear lighter clothing. (A Hawaiian shirt, a tourist hat and a camera hanging from the neck, always attract attention.) Try a t-shirt or other light shirt, shorts or jeans and athletic shoes (trainers, runners, sneakers, tennis shoes, or whatever you call them.)
-If a place gives you a bad feeling, do not go. It sounds cliché, but it is true: In the places that look good not bad things usually happen. The tourist areas are usually the safest places, so if you do not get away from there, everything will be fine. Like I said before, this does not mean that if you leave the tourist area you will not come back. You could go out and walk and have a great adventure without anything bad happening, it all depends on where you go. Mexico City, for example, is very large, as a small country. So you have areas of both high and low economy, or high or low population, or anything that comes to mind. The city is divided by delegations, and each can be completely different from the others. And just as there are safe places (like Coyoacán and San Ángel, to name a few), there are also not so safe places (like Iztapalapa or Tepito). But in all cases, the same thing happens: Safer places are those that look better. You just need to have good judgment.
Purse-snatching and pickpocketing
Unlike the armed robbery, this usually only happen in crowded places such as public transport. To avoid this just simply pay attention and try to anticipate situations. If you have a backpack, and you need to enter the subway when crowded, pass the backpack to your chest instead of your back. Things like that. The advice I can give here is only paying attention to the things you carry with you. Do not carry all your money at once, just take what you need. If you are really afraid of being robbed, you can leave most of the contents of your wallet in the place where you stay, and only bring enough money with you, an ID, and your cell phone. If you're a couple, divide the money among the pockets of the two, so if someone steals something, then he will not take away much. Things like that.
Well, all these suggestions should not be taken as if they were instructions. These are just tips. I focused on safety, since it is what Henry asked me, but I can answer other questions if you like. Oh, and sorry if anything is misspelled or has bad grammar. I would appreciate if you can tell me those errors, to correct them. I hope what I have written is helpful for someone, (And I hope I have answered the question, Henry.) And if anyone has any more questions, do not hesitate to ask.
Perhaps the fame that Mexico has is hard to explain, but trust me: Mexico is not as shown in the media. We are not like chicanos, we do not use sombreros (I believe that only in the football matches), and if someone of you comes, I assure you that you will see that most of the population is very nice and friendly. You are always welcome.
To finish, I'll leave here two articles that I found, if you want to go deeper into the topic:
“Twenty years ago, the city had a reputation as a dangerous place, but successive local administrations have made it safe for residents and visitors.”
http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/09/world/ame ... o-security
“Overall, Mexico City reported 464 murders in 2012, about the same as New York City. Chicago on the other hand reported 532.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanielpa ... xico-city/