Spring Break Plans to Mexico Continue After Travel Advisories
- Georgina America
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
With Spring break in full bloom, students are traveling to Mexico despite the violence that ensued there following the death of cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.”
After the death of “El Mencho” on Sunday, travel advisories put in place following violent outbursts from members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel raised uncertainty surrounding plans to travel to Mexico. However, travel advisories have been lifted for many of the surrounding states that are popular Spring break destinations.
The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico website said flight schedules have returned to normal and there are no reports of road closures on Wednesday.
Juniors Hunter Chentnik and Ava Kolker are traveling to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur for Spring break—a popular spot for spring breakers.
Though Chentnik and Kolker feel safe going to Cabo San Lucas, they’ve made some changes out of extra caution.
“We’ll definitely be rearranging our plans there a little bit—probably not going out as much as we were originally intending, but at least the whole trip itself isn’t going to be canceled,” said Kolker.
The U.S. Department of State travel advisories map is measured on a scale of one to four, with one advising to “exercise normal precautions” and four warning “Do not travel.”
Jalisco is currently at level 3: “Reconsider travel,” though states that are popular for spring breakers such as Baja California and Quintana Roo are both at a level 2: “Exercise increased caution.”
This will be Chentnik’s first trip to Mexico— he said that though it is disappointing to go there after such a widespread eruption, Cabo San Lucas is almost a day’s drive from Jalisco and is separated by water.
Putting Cabo San Lucas into a larger perspective also helped him to have a better understanding of how to exercise caution.
A level 2 advisory has a broad standing in countries across the world such as Belgium and Denmark.
“There’s a bigger picture than just what’s happening in one city,” said Chentnik.
Kolker’s family is also quite familiar with Cabo San Lucas; her uncle lives there and her father has been doing business there for most of her life.
She’s gotten regular updates from her uncle, who told her that everything feels normal and that nothing is different in day-to-day life.
There are various comments on social media that express concerns and prayers for safety over tourists and residents in the affected states, though some people replied to the footage of burning cars and businesses with opinions on the overall safety of Mexico.
Freshman Andrea Castaneda is from Mexico City; though it was not an immediately affected area, she made a point about the issue in generalizing the whole country over events that primarily occurred in certain states.
“I think that shows a lot of prejudice on Mexico as a whole. Mexico has always had this stigma of being a dangerous place... I don’t think it’s fair to stigmatize Mexico, nor any other place,” said Castaneda.
The road blockages and billowing clouds of smoke are not an everyday occurrence; she said that it was the CJNG cartel’s response to a problem that has always been there but is no longer undercover.
While travel to tourist destinations in Jalisco such as Puerto Vallarta may still be risky, there are other parts of Mexico that students will be enjoying their Spring breaks at without any imminent threat.
“I love experiencing different cultures and something that isn’t common in Nashville or my day-to-day life,” said Chentnik, “I’m excited to just be on the beach and relax.”
Written by Georgina America