I have visited many of the areas mentioned in the article. There are police on EVERY corner in Mexico City. Mexico City is safer than most US large cities including New York and Washington DC! The Yucatan has almost no violent crime. None! The Mayan decendants are the most peaceful folks you will ever encounter. Stay away from the border with the US tho...it is bad...very bad and the west coast is not so good either. Pick and choose where you go but by and large Mexico is an exceedingly safe place to visit!

I had a home in Rocky Point on the Sea of Cortes for 12 years.....ITS NOT SAFE in that country, especially if your a white American! Don't let anyone kid you, The police will also signal the Americans out just for your pocket book. I wouldn't trust anyone down there

I disagree. Traveling to Mexico and other Central American countries is worth the relatively small risk. You and your family will experience things that the T.V. and laptop cannot compete with. When you return, you will have both memories to cherish and a new appreciation for the U.S.
Be smart. Leave the fancy clothes and jewelry at home. Abide by local laws and customs. Be aware of your surroundings and use the buddy system. You are more likely to be tricked into paying too much for a product/service (if you go to an all-inclusive resort, you'll be screwed from the start) than you are to experience violence.
We have a degree of danger no matter where we are. While leaving the U.S. means leaving a certain amount of security (or perceived security) behind, there is much to be learned and enjoyed.

Better not travel to most US States then, if you want to keep safe. The murder rates for most States here are way higher than the suggested areas in Mexico.
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/murder-rates-nationally-and-state

More people are killed and maimed yearly in the USA in convenience store robberies, stray bullets, drive-bys, arguments & domestic gun violence, because of the prevalence of guns here, than in violence in Mexico , .

I live in Mexico 9 months a year and am as safe as I am where I live in the USA. Please, do not believe everything you read or see on tv. I have been coming to Mexico for the past 40 years and I can not imagine people being so blind with their thinking.

Just to put these numbers into perspective:

Philadelphia has 27 murders per 100,000 people.

These places are therefore 14times SAFER than Philadelphia. Just with anyplace you go - be aware of your surroundings and don't buy drugs!

If the US people didn't buy POT thinking it's an ok drug - then these cartels would be crippled with no money.