5 favorite vacation spots in Mexico

Reed Johnson reports:

It's understandable why Americans these days are thinking twice about venturing south of the border. A wave of gruesome violence, much of it related to drug trafficking, has swept Mexico in the last two years, leaving thousands dead.

Popular tourist venues haven't gone unscathed. Last summer, armed assailants shot up a town in northern Mexico that's a gateway to the spectacular Copper Canyon region, killing 13 people. A pile of decapitated bodies turned up 75 miles from the great Mayan ruins at Chichén Itzá.

Although the U.S. government hasn't warned Americans to stay away, it has urged caution. On its website,  www.travel.state.gov, the State Department says, "While millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year, including thousands who cross the land border every day for study, tourism or business, increased levels of violence make it imperative that travelers understand the risks of travel to Mexico.... Common-sense precautions ... can help ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable."

Travelers in Mexico must stay alert, especially along the border and in the states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua, which are rife with criminal activity. But there remain many safe, or at least relatively safe, destinations to explore.

During my recently concluded 4 1/2 -year stint as The Times' Latin American arts and culture correspondent, I was based in Mexico City and traveled extensively throughout the country. Any list of recommended travel destinations is, of necessity, subjective. But here are five spots that have a claim on my affections. I've visited all of them twice or more.

Any large metropolitan area such as Puebla or Veracruz, let alone Mexico City, will have crime. But having visited these areas and occasionally written about criminal activities in Mexico along with monitoring crime reports across the country, I feel confident advising friends or loved ones to include any or all of these five places on their itineraries.

Read more of "5 favorite vacation spots in Mexico" here.

-- Deborah Bonello in Mexico City

Photo: Mariachis celebrate the Day of the Dead in Puebla, a historic Mexican city with a baroque feel. Credit: Ulises Ruiz/ European Pressphoto Agency

Comments

[california bankruptcy attorney]

Mexico is steeped in a rich history and tradition. Truly it should be a nation where tourists come from everywhere to explore and enjoy. Unfortunately, due to crime and the drug trade people do not feel safe.

[low cost auto insurance]

Mexico is great but I wonder how badly they are suffering with this whole flu scare. It must be affecting their economy and that's too bad.

[Betty Lou Tracy]

For years, Americans and Canadians have romantized Mexico. Oh, the food is so good. Oh, the people are so nice. Oh, everything is cheaper there.
What is more true is that most Mexicans are jealous, angry and exploitive of it's Northern neighbors.
The population has never been serious enough to overthrow it's corrupt government; instead they would steal from us, as visitors to their country and come here as illegal immigrants. They take the easy way out.
There was a very important book written, titled "Distant Neighbors" that may be out of printed but available on Amazon.
After it was written, it was banned in Mexico. Had more people read the truth in the 1980's, we would be better educated.
We need to stop romantizing this country. It is a poor, corrupt, third world country filled with desperate people who will continue to do desperate things to survive.
Close the borders to Mexico...NOW!