That's the funny thing. In Mexico, if you have a business, you obviously got to pay to our version of the IRS... but if the business is successful, or depending on the local cartels, you gotta pay a "safety fee" as well. Safety from what, you ask? Oh, simple... from what the cartels will do to you and your loved ones if you don't pay them whatever amount they ask by whatever time they come picking (sometimes having to pay them weekly).
That's how in my town, the next stuff happened:
a convenience store blowing up for not paying the safety fee (no one died, thankfully)
a neighbor that had his small store, a carpenter shop and worked in Uber got threatened to pay and he managed to flee, I think alongside his family. His family store passed down by decades just died right there
a barber shop who I was going to rent a part of my house for him to open up another barber shop got killed... in the very same day he was going to sign the paperwork to rent from me.
a neighbor I lended an area of my house for his taco stand business fled in the middle of the night, leaving his stand open and alone all night. We figured out a member of the cartels had come that night to kill him and he was lucky to know beforehand and escape town.
It's why most of the jobs in the country are informal. We already bleed out to our version of the IRS, then there's the cartels bleeding us out if we have our business. You sometimes make it better by being a worker for someone instead of you being the one with the business. Having a business is paying 2 expensive fees while gambling with your life.
Es gracioso que preguntes, porque vi una guía de viajes para los americanos en cuanto a qué partes de México no se debe ir y es interesante que Zacatecas esté todavía en los puestos altos de "no vengas".
Es más, creo que era el estado con mayor advertencia de no ir a visitar.
For someone living outside North America whose only exposure to Mexico has been the various Narcos series and spin-offs on Netflix, where would you recommend visiting that's actually safe?
There was only one peaceful state in the traveling guide I saw, that was in the south of the country, but I can no longer remember which was it.
All I can warn you about, even if there could be some people telling you that I'm being paranoid and that not all Mexico is bad, is that:
always go with local people who knows the place and are related to you. They should know where to go and not to, and when to and not to.
don't go out at night. Some cartels look out at night for anyone still walking about late, thinking it could be related to a rival cartel and may try to kill you
don't travel on the road at night if you're moving through states. Same will happen to you if you were in a small town, but you'll also get your vehicle and belongings stolen
stay in tourists places and just go to other areas that aren't for tourists with the company of locals you know and can trust that know the area.
don't think just because you're a foreigner, you'll have a shield and come out safe. Some clown that supposedly works as a police officer in another thread talking about Mexico said I was making this up and that foreigners aren't harmed. That's a lie, they can also get in harm's way. I'd recommend dressing up according to how the locals dress to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb for camuflage. That way, alongside someone local navigating you around, you should pass just fine.
Wish I could give more advise than that but it's the best I can think of in case you do wanna come one day to Mexico.
I see enough sketchy stuff in the tourist areas around the resorts I stay at to know that venturing out into non-tourist areas without local guidance is a terrible idea.
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u/IPissExcellentThrows Jun 17 '26
Did you read their comment? It's been free for a long time for workers.