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Carnaval Mazatlan a festive celebration, but safe?
Carnaval Mazatlan started this week and runs through February 21. Like other celebrations, glittering costumes, exotic foods and dancing street musicians are all part of the festivities. But this year's Carnaval, while featuring a full program of activities designed for the whole family, comes on the heels of a renewed travel warning to Mexico questioning the safety of a visit south of the border.
"Thousands of North American visitors will join in the full array of festivities, which celebrate Mazatlan's rich heritage, authentic cuisine, music and welcoming spirit of its residents," says GoMazatlan, the marketing arm of the Mazatlan Hotel Association.
But will Americans traveling to Mexico be safe?
The U.S Department of State's updated warning on travel to Mexico points out "an increasing number of innocent people are being targeted by transnational criminal organizations (TCOs)", something that Mexican President Felipe Calderón generally doesn't like to acknowledge or discuss says HSsecuritytoday, a web site targeting news and analysis on homeland security affairs.
Issuing a "strong caution" against "nonessential travel to areas within 16 of Mexico's 31 states," Spring break trips to Mexico are being discouraged. In fact, National Public Radio (NPR) says Mexican drug wars have gotten so bad that the Mexican people are out on strike – not because they need better wages, but because of crime that's nearly shut down the country's tourism industry. In turn, NPR reported how locals and tourists have been "extorted, kidnapped and intimidated by local gangs," said Huliq just this week.
In 2011, six Canadians were killed in Mexico and 50 were assaulted. According to the State Department US citizens murdered in Mexico increased from 35 in 2007 to 120 in 2011.
To be fair, the State Department also says that "the Mexican government makes a considerable effort to protect US citizens and other visitors to major tourist destinations," which we found to be true visiting Mazatlan last October where armed Mexican Marines stood watch over Day of the Dead celebrations happening during our visit. But at that time, crime in the state of Sinaloa, where Mazatlan was located, was not a concern.
The travel warning updated by the State Department earlier this month breaks down crime by states in Mexico and notes "You should defer non-essential travel to the state of Sinaloa except the city of Mazatlan where you should exercise caution particularly late at night and in the early morning. One of Mexico's most powerful TCOs is based in the state of Sinaloa," which causes concern for many and will probably result in a lower than normal turnout for one of the best Carnaval celebrations in the world.
Dating back 113 years, Mazatlan's celebration began in 1898 and is today recognized as the third largest Mardi Gras in the world, following Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans. During Mazatlan's Carnaval, locals and visitors converge for colorful parades, dance performances, art exhibitions, open-air street festivals, outdoor concerts by international artists and a grand firework display.
It will be a shame if, after all that time, Mazatlan's Carnaval gets shut down by criminal activity. Still, the words of caution by a relative of Canadian Sheila Nabb are hard to ignore: "Stay out of Mexico. It seems to be getting worse and worse."
Flickr photo by Kashmera
Filed under: Festivals and Events, North America, Mexico, United States, Travel Security
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Larry L Feb 20th 2012 7:15PM
I retired to Mazatlan 4 years ago, from Panama City FL and have never had a moment where I did not feel as safe, or safer, than I did in FL. The media tries to hype things up into a frenzy and live up to Don Henley's classic song "Dirty Laundry". Yes, there have been some instances of violence, but to tell you the truth I would rather be here than some of the cities in Canada, even those in the US also.
I am not saying I do not pay attention to my surroundings, but I do not venture into the unknown realms of Mazatlan in the wee hours - I mean that is understood by all. Carnaval is going great this year and has been quite safe withstanding the usual arrests for disorderly conduct, intoxication and minor infractions of the law. Come down and enjoy the friendliness and helpfulness of the Mazatlan people, otherwise do not form your opinion from the media.
The water is warm, the beer is cold and the senorita's are smoking hott.
Larry L
Mazatlan