No Mayhem Here
On Sunday, February 22, a powerful cartel was killed in Jalisco by Mexican government forces. Violence erupted across several states, as cartel members retaliated by hijacking vehicles and setting them on fire to block roads. Mexico was in the headlines around the globe.
We had invited friends to have dinner at our condo on Sunday evening. Around 2:00pm, the private chef called to tell us he was out shopping for dinner, but local officials had just advised everyone to go home and shelter in place. San Miguel de Allende is in Guanajuato, the state directly east of Jalisco. I consulted news sites and Facebook groups for more details. In and around San Miguel, highways were blockaded, buses had stopped running, and many businesses were closed. I contacted our friends, arranged with the chef to postpone our dinner to the following evening, and hoped for the best.
It proved to be a quiet, uneventful afternoon and evening. There may have been “mayhem” in other parts of Mexico, but thankfully, not in San Miguel.
Facebook travel groups were abuzz. Flights had been canceled in Guadalajara. Tourists were stranded in Puerto Vallarta. People wondered whether it was safe to travel to any part of Mexico.
But residents (both Mexican and ex-pat) urged everyone to maintain perspective.
“Mexico is more than a headline”
“Mexico is not a place to be warned about. It is a place to be understood…respected…celebrated.”
It was good to be reminded. To be a traveler, and not a tourist, it is important to see events through the lens of a resident, not a visitor.
