We’ve
been getting our fair share of scary news stories in the US about
violence and crime in Mexico.
The ongoing issues with drug cartels in some parts of the country are
generating quite a bit of concern, and the US
State Department has travel advisories
in effect for many areas of Mexico. What does this mean if you’re
thinking about a trip to La Paz, in Baja
California Sur?
Travel
advisory for La Paz, in perspective
The
unfortunate and unavoidable reality of government travel advisories
is that there is always a significant delay
between the unfolding of events and the
publication of the warning. A current (as of this writing) warning
advises US citizens to use caution when traveling
to La Paz, which is the capital of the
state of Baja California Sur. This is due to a higher than usual
homicide rate, mostly stemming from organized crime and cartels.
However,
if you look at the actual crime
statistics for La Paz, you’ll see
that there was a “blip” of increased violence that ended in
October of 2015 – from October 2015 to April 2016, there have only
been a handful of homicides in the city. Considering that La
Paz, Mexico is a city of more than a quarter million people,
the actual rate of violent crime has been on par with some of the
safest US cities
for six months, going strong.
A
tradition of safety and peace in La Paz, Mexico
It’s
also important to remember that La Paz
has historically been one of, if not the
safest city in the entire county.
Before the violent “blip” came on the radar, Forbes had rated La
Paz #3 on their list of Safest
International Cities to Visit, and the
New York Times rated it one of the Top
10 Places for American to Retire. Which
really means that the elevated violence seen in late 2014-2015 was
the exception, not the rule.
Of
course, it’s always important to be
aware of your surroundings and not make
yourself a target – this is true whether you’re traveling to La
Paz or Tokyo or Washington D.C. As long as you keep your wits about
you, there’s no reason to call off your vacation
to La Paz because of safety concerns.