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Gang-dominated areas, pickpocketing, and high rates of violence in some areas: there are many reasons why you would want to keep your guard up on a trip to Mexico––as the mainstream media would have you believe, anyway.
While it’s true there have been instances where tourists were targeted by criminals, it’s important not to generalize: crime levels can vary across Mexico, and not one state is like the other.
In fact, two of the country’s most beautiful cities have, for the most part, all but quashed organized crime and now form the safest tourism zone in Mexico:
Merida And Campeche Are The Safest Cities In All Of Mexico
The U.S. State Department has just updated its Travel Advisories, and unlike those issued for other countries that cover a national territory, Mexico’s are state-specific, meaning Washington really goes into detail in assessing safety down south.
The only two states to appear at Level 1, the lowest possible level for crime, are Yucatan and Campeche, which are led by their respective capitals, Merida and San Francisco de Campeche––to put it simply, both share the podium for least-dangerous cities in Mexico.
As Yucatan and Campeche are neighboring states, and both have been conferred Level 1 status, they form the single safest contiguous zone for tourism in the country (mind you, it takes only 2 hours to drive between the state capitals).
But how are they so safe, and what is the U.S. even basing their advisories on?
Let’s start with Merida:
Merida, Yucatan
One of the oldest European-built cities in the Americas, settled at a time the Mayans still controlled vast swathes of the Yucatan peninsula, Merida is distinguished for being one of Mexico’s best-preserved colonial cities, with an unusually-large Centro Histórico and a plethora of landmarks to its name.
It plays host to the monumental Cathedral of Merida, the first raised by settlers in the mainland Americas, using disassembled chunks of rock from nearby Mayan temples, stately 16th-century palaces, including Casa Montejo, now an art museum, and charming Spanish-inspired plazas.
Despite its relatively big size––it concentrates over 1.3 million residents in its metropolitan area––the city feels surprisingly peaceful, particularly around the virtually-unchanged colonial core, that’s been left untouched amid the 20th-century development boom.
That’s what makes Merida so fascinating: it’s not so often you get to walk streets that emanate so much charm and absorb this much culture all in one place, and the best part is, you have no reason to stay on edge all the time:
How Is Merida So Safe?
According to Numbeo, the level of crime in Merida is among the lowest not only in Mexico, but all of the Americas––yes, comprising the United States and Canada, even: it’s an official ‘low’ rate of 21.29.
For comparison purposes, Cancun’s is a much higher 60.71, and Mexico City is a dangerously-elevated 77.71. In other words, Merida is knocking it out the park on the security front.
There are many factors to be taken into consideration here, and we can’t give you one particular reason why Merida is such a successful case, but it may have to do with the fact that it is a cultural center of little to no value to criminal organizations, who are based in the Mexican Caribbean instead.
Additionally, the police presence in Merida is very, very real: officers here are paid higher wages than the national average, on general, and they seem to be better equipped, as well as more professional in conducting their daily affairs.
Finally, there are surveillance cameras almost everywhere that are central, on most busy streets and in busy intersections, and these have certainly aided officers in capturing wrongdoers in the rare instances when criminal acts take place.
Naturally, you shouldn’t be completely naive and step out of your hotel flashing valuable items and typing away on your phone unaware of your surroundings––you know, stuff that just screams ‘I’m a clueless gringo, come get me!‘––but definitely don’t be overly concerned about personal safety here.
San Francisco de Campeche, Campeche
In the neighboring state of Campeche, San Francisco de Campeche is an equally safe destination for Americans and a seriously underrated cultural getaway that often gets eclipsed, what with all your Mexico Cities and Guanajuatos and Oaxacas.
Despite its relative anonymity, at least to the non-Mexicophile, the Mexican SanFran is an ensemble of architectural treasures, the kind you don’t see every day, even in a nation as old and deeply historical as Mexico: come on, it has intact city walls!
The fortifications that surround the city are still the ones the Europeans put in place themselves all those years ago to barricade themselves up against invaders, and to this day, Campeche is one of only two settlements in the Americas, alongside Quebec City in Canada, to have retained them.
Inside the walled center, you’ll find postcardy streets flanked by ornate, colorful facades that could easily belong in Old Iberia, and civic structures as old as 500 years, such as the Baroque Campeche Cathedral, and the Temple and Convent of San Francisco.
How Is Campeche So Safe?
Wondering how exactly U.S. authorities have reached the conclusion Campeche is safe for Americans?
Well, other than the fact that very few arbitrary arrests are made every year, if any at all, and it’s been several long months, if not years, since a serious crime involving a tourist made local newspapers’ headlines, it’s safe to say Campeche is a pretty, hem, uneventful city.
That is, if you’re excluding the lively bars up Calle 59, where you can get $3 tequila shots, and that are brimming with young, sociable kinds on weekends.
As per Numbeo‘s estimate, the crime rate is an acceptable 27.08, a few percentage points higher than Merida, but technically ‘low’ nonetheless––again, have you checked Cancun’s?
Similarly to Merida, Campeche isn’t a hotbed for turf wars and gang activity, and daily reports of violence are between low and insignificant: no shootouts and no robberies at gunpoint.
Its inscription into UNESCO’s coveted list of World Heritage Sites, in acknowledgment of the near-perfect state of preservation of the walls and all those centuries-old buildings it contains, is equally to thank for:
In general, UNESCO-protected cities are sanctuaries for the culture, and there are typically strict security measures put in place to safeguard the well-being of present monuments and visitors alike––Campeche is no exception.
How Do Other Destinations In Mexico Fare?
If you’re a newbie to the world of travel alerts, you should know destinations placed at Level 4 are the ones to be avoided at all costs: in Mexico, this means the states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.
Some may disagree with the placing, considering one of Mexico’s up-and-coming resort cities, the trendy Mazatlan, is in Sinaloa––it still doesn’t change the fact U.S. officials consider these regions too risky for Americans to visit due to higher crime rates.
At Level 3, you should reconsider travel, but you’re not expressly forbidden to go––think the moderately-dangerous Baja California, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Guanajuato, Jalisco (home to a highly-popular Puerto Vallarta), Morelos and Sonora.
Level 2 is reserved for states where organized crime is mostly kept in check, and there is a wide range of measures in place to guarantee tourist safety, so only ‘increased caution’ is urged: that’s every other Mexican state not yet named, including Quintana Roo, as well as the capital city.
Is Mexico As A Whole Safe To Visit?
With a History spanning thousands of years, including periods of Aztec, Mayan and Spanish rule, Mexico is one of the most fascinating nations on Earth: from its mountainous hinterland, down to the tropical coast, it has no shortage of stunning cities to discover.
It’s mostly safe, too:
The fact that most Mexican destinations are either in Levels 2 or 3 doesn’t mean necessarily they should be avoided, or that they are inherently dangerous: not all neighborhoods in a single city are crime hotspots, and even Level 4 cities have safe tourist zones.
Whether it’s Mexico City, home to a landmark Metropolitan Cathedral, or the charming San Miguel de Allende, with its winding cobbled streets, you could spend a lifetime traveling south of the border and still not see everything they have to offer.
That being said, always make sure you take all the necessary precautions when traveling to Mexico or any foreign country where you don’t know the language and local customs:
- Don’t walk alone late at night, particularly in poorly-lit, deserted areas
- Avoid suburban districts that are not usually frequented by tourists
- Minimize phone usage when out to stay aware of your surroundings
- Careful when withdrawing cash from ATMs, particularly in busy areas
- Do not attempt to resist a robbery, or you could get seriously, or even fatally injured
- Save the number of the nearest U.S. Embassy or Mission in case you need immediate assistance
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.