Mexico travel warnings

I would be more afraid of being severely hurt or being killed! property value would not be as important. I left SMA after living there from 2012 to 2016.. it's too dangerous for my tastes.

Just curious 1happykamper, are you from the U.S. and did you return back to the states? I'm leaving for my first trip to SMA in less than a week with my daughter (in elementary school). I'm a seasoned traveler so know how to be cautious. In general, what would be your advice to someone in term of security? It's upsetting to read posts like yours because San Miguel seems so awesome in many ways and I was thinking perhaps a good retirement option for us.

I live in Michoacan and have never had a problem.That being said I would never buy a house here and I make sure that everyone is aware that I am renting.I did buy a place in Huatulco but that is a tourist resort,different ballgame altogether.As far as the US travel advisories go,I don't put too much stock in them.I don't ignore them either.

For what it's worth:

Click here for latest U.S. State Department Travel Advisories in Mexico

Gordy

I would love to know about your house and experience in owning in Huatulco.

I lived in puerto Vallarta and cancun for 17 years
Mexico is not the same country today as it was in the 80's and 90's...because of the cartels.  I would heed the travel warnings and beyond that even
If you have any doubt, go to borderlandbeat.com
Sharon

I would not buy a house...too difficult to sell when the time comes
I owned a house in Puerto Vallarta...it took 7 years to sell
Rent gives you freedom to leave if you want to or need to
Sharon

Joyanne's...how r u traveling to SMA....don't even consider road travel...too dangerous...and you are taking a child?

its just a small getaway place that I bought from my father,he had had it since the mid 70s.

JoyanneS — I just returned from a one month trip to SMA. My 11 yr old son and I walked everywhere and felt very safe. To be honest, I felt safer there than I do when I visit cities in the US, where people seem much angrier (just the way it feels to me).

I'm considering moving there with my son, and have found a great school and some connections in the community as well. Send me a message if you want to discuss further.

Wow, I must have visited a different SMA over Christmas. I did tend to stay in central, but I have to say it felt as safe as downtown Portland OR, and most everyone was nice and friendly.

As for road travel, the bus from Mexico City was very nice (ETN). The only problem I saw was that the place was growing too fast, and people were having issues dealing with the change. But safety, safer than LA or most any other big city for sure.

I have been to many many cities, some marked as dangerous,  and never felt any more threatened than LA, SF, Oakland, Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis,  Chicagoi, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, Miami(!), Tampa, Jacksonville, MANHATTAN, Boston, ....come on, folks

So true.  I've spent months at a time in Sinaloa.  Never felt threatened.   But then again I am from Philidelphia.

Traveling to a city or town is different than living there. Would you live in Sinaloa or Michoacan?  Buy a house?

We need travel warning for Florida!!

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

For what it's worth:

Click here for latest U.S. State Department Travel Advisories in Mexico

Gordy

Thank you Gordy!  I smiled when you stated "FWIW" before you gave the link.  A man after my own heart.  While the US State Dept. travel warnings are helpful, they don't give anyone "the rest of the story" (for those of you who are old enough to remember Paul Harvey ) I posted these links elsewhere; sorry for the repetitious information.

If you want very specific global crime rate information by country, state, and city check out:
Vision of Humanity and/or Global Peace Index. The Global Peace Index is an international effort and the US participates -- there is an office in NY, Sydney Australia, and the Netherlands.  "The Institute for Economics and Peace is the world's leading think tank dedicated to developing metrics to analyze peace and to quantify its economic value."  I would agree they (my links above) are "the" authority to turn to when you want to answer questions about safety with facts, not generalizations.  As a side note: I don't often agree with people who compile statistical information.  As Mark Twain said:  "Lies, damned lies, and statistics": a phrase describing the persuasive power of numbers, particularly the use of statistics to bolster weak arguments.

FWIW:  There was an interesting factoid in the Yucatan Expat Life newspaper.  Being the critical thinker that I am I don't believe most of what I read.  I must research and see it for myself.  The article stated "Yucatán called world's 2nd most peaceful place to be" with Iceland being the most peaceful in the world.  Sure enough, the facts were as stated.  The Yucatan peace index score of 1.239 is very good.

Many big US cities are dangerous.  But, all of Mexico can be dangerous, if you are traveling on a drug route or in the wrong place at the wrong time
check out Borderlandbeat.com.   As I said in  a previous post, I lived there for 17 years.....saw and heard too many terrible things.  I love Mexico.....the culture; the music; the small cities; the history....but would not live there again or own property
I would love to spend my winters in SMA....it's beautiful.  Besides the potential danger, health care is also an issue....good health care....knowledgeable health care; safe healthcare

Sharonincanada wrote:

Many big US cities are dangerous.  But, all of Mexico can be dangerous, if you are traveling on a drug route or in the wrong place at the wrong time
check out Borderlandbeat.com.   As I said in  a previous post, I lived there for 17 years.....saw and heard too many terrible things.  I love Mexico.....the culture; the music; the small cities; the history....but would not live there again or own property
I would love to spend my winters in SMA....it's beautiful.  Besides the potential danger, health care is also an issue....good health care....knowledgeable health care; safe healthcare

I'm smiling at the "healthcare" concern in Mexico vs the US.  With utmost certainty, I can contribute my mother's demise (literally) and my father's very serious declining health to the founding, first in the US, HMO -- for those of you who are unfamiliar with first HMO, its birth was in CA. I'm referring to the HMO that begins with the letter "K".  Very long story, but neglecting the elderly is their specialty.  If you are, or know of an elderly person who is a member of this HMO, PLEASE reconsider signing their blanket, hot pink paper, DNR.  I guarantee you they won't ask you to rescind it if you need a procedure that is relatively non-invasive to keep you comfortable and alive.  A DNR means NO treatment, not just "don't do CPR" as many assume.  I can state with certainty, having lived through it on numerous occasions, they will leave you lying in a hospital bed to die, and when you don't die after 3 days (Medicare kicks in after 3 days) they will come by and talk to you about procedures to get you out of the hospital (went through it with mom and dad, more than once).

In my mom's case, they sent her home with morphine to die when a very simple procedure, draining the fluid around her lungs, could have made her comfortable and kept her alive.  Did they talk to the family about that?  H-E-double-hocky-sticks NO!  I watched as she drowned in her own fluid and died in her bed at home -- of course the morphine hastened the fluid accumulation.  The "Hospice" was despicable.  I had zero help; no sleep for days, covered in pee, poop, blood, vomit, and when I broke, mental and physical exhaustion, I called and asked for help.  I needed a shower and rest.   I got ZERO help.  Was the hospice experience so much better than the hospital?  What do you think?  Think I had quality time with my loved one?  So, if anyone is trying to tell me the healthcare in the US is good, save it.  Elderly tend to view doctors as "all knowing" and hospitals/doctors take full advantage of that trust.  "Soylent Green" is closer than I ever imagined.  Yes, I know, I am very cynical and    once again 

I drive back and forth between Canada and Mexico every year for the past 10 years and have many American neighbors who do the same, without problems - travel warnings and all. I have a property in San Miguel and an hour away in the bigger and akso beautiful Quéretaro. But if you are uncertain and have not spent substantial time in a place it is better to rent. I feel as safe here as anywhere, and as with anyplace, you must use common sense. I also find saying hello with my neighbors and local shopkeepers, making Mexican friends, also makes one feel safer - but I do see a lot of expats who only acknowledge other expats and walk around unsmiling, don't leatn Spanish  and look frightened - which I find sad and a bit rude.

That happycamper never lived in Houston, TX, did he?  He'd find SMA a haven of safety, in comparison.

I find that lots of the "travel warnings" for Mexico have been politically motivated lately.

The US is no longer a safe place to live, so I am not worried at all about Mexico.
In the US, I could volunteer in the schools and get shot, could go to a shopping mall and get shot, etc. etc. etc.

Unfortunately, you are not exaggerating.  It's become a strange country full of hateful, armed people.

katesparks wrote:

Traveling to a city or town is different than living there. Would you live in Sinaloa or Michoacan?  Buy a house?

I own a house in Sinaloa.

We are leaving a month early from San Miguel de Allende since there have been 5 murders 1 block from our apt. here in the San Rafel area of San Miguel. This area known as Guanajato State has newly been classified 2nd most dangerous area of Mexico only behind Baja MX. Troops have been called in 2500 in and around San Miguel. Gangs and cartels have said you bring troops here there will be more killings! Goverment has kept all very quiet as to not chase away the money meaning tourists! 59 police have been killed in the turf wars in a few months here and 1600 murders since August. Some of these murders are taking place in broad daylight! Please reseach before buying not worth it in this state for us to even rent we are going back to USA! Crimes here are not taken care of here and just 1 arrest in murdres by our apt. This is a shame since weather is so nice and city is beautiful! But our safety is parimount! With military parading down roads here combined with federalies and police machine guns we feel unsafe now. The guns are huge too on the vehicals are using horses motorcycles too!

The travel warnings are issued by the US government.  The same government that is now starving its employees so "it" can build a wall.  Of course they need to keep us from going to Mexico, otherwise we would figure out that their their narrative of those vicious Mexican "rapists and murderers" would be... lies? 

I've lived in other countries with US travel advisories and didn't have any problems.   I lived in Guatemala when their civil war was still going on, and felt safer there than I ever did here in Houston.
Sure, you don't walk around at night in a neighborhood you don't know.

Talking about that:  on our last trip to SMA we decided to take an evening walk.  We just took some side streets and kept walking.  There were fewer and fewer people, and finally a Mexican man came up and told us that people like us (i.e. gringos) should not be walking around in that neighborhood at that hour.  He was quite polite about it.  We asked for the way out of the neighborhood, he showed us, and we left. 

Stay away from drugs and dark neighborhoods at night. Same caution you would take in any American city.  Unless you're black, of course, in which case none of your precautions would probably keep you from getting shot by the US police.

I Live in San Antonio the Southside US Marshalls yesterday did a jump up Man they call it for wanted Car theft suspect. Jump Up Man is when a swat team surrounds the trailer and smashes the windows making who lives inside Jump up. This is not the first time in my neighborhood which is known for a place to dumb bodies. I plan on living in San Miguel Allende since it is beautiful and no threat of Tornadoes which we experience here in Fall and Spring.

Prairie garden is a troll. Been posting this garbage all over this site. I responded to them that perhaps they should give up driving or riding in motor vehicles of any kind because they are among the most statistically dangerous things to do and they might want to refrain from crossing the street, very very dangerous. But seriously we should support their desire to relocate so I am suggesting they try Chicago or Los Angeles or New York City because there is no crime or danger there.  I too think safety is important and the word prairie is parAmount not parimount !