The Pathetic Collapse of Order in Veracruz

Today´s massacre of bus passengers in Veracriuz State followed by retribution against gangsters by the military resulting in at least 16 deaths and the firing en masse of the entire police department in Veracruz City and Boca Del Rio, a metropolitan area of some 600,000 people is not surprising to us and is not even close to the end of violence and disorder there. Just a couple of months ago we were taking another trip through that state on our way to Chiapas from Lake Chapala, a trip we make several times a year and this time we detoured through the mountains of Puebla and the Gulf Coast from Papantla to Veracruz City and hotels and tourist attarctions were almost completely deserted. Tourism was reported to us even then by authoritative sources to be down as much as 90% from El Tajin to the beach towns in Metro Veracruz. Now this debacle and mass killing reported today plus the firing of the entire Metro Veracuz Police Department known derisively there as "polzetas", makes the whole area seem undesirable as a destination or an alternative route to Southern Mexico.

There is nothing like being the only patrons of huge beach resort hotels along the beaches in Veracruz State but it´s a bit spooky to be the only guests in huge all-inclusive dining facilities meant to accomodate 500 or more family diners and people were suffering when we were there in October. Now things will become even worse. When we were driving through was the time the creeps dumped all of those bodies on the expressway in upscale Boca Del Rio and now this massacre. Perhaps it is time to head for Chiapas on our next drive through Oaxaca State which takes a bit longer than the drive through Veracruz State but Oaxaca, although also a violent place, is less anarchic at present.

Problems in Metropolitan Guadalajara or exurban Lakeside pale by comparison but things change as they have in historically civilized Veracruz so we had best be on our guard assuming we have any power to change things anyway.

Been gone for awhile, and not on the board...am catching up on all the posts....how sad this is Dawg....I have friends in Minnesota who are from Vera Cruz...

Did anybody read about the $25,000,000 cash that a PRI politician was taking from there supposedly for a government payment? I wonder if he was getting a factura???

The situation in Veracruz has been unstable for a number of years. After having an unfortunate experience there in 2008 I would take the long route to Chiapas. In Veracruz, Pemex attendants poured gasoline on my husband in an attempt to rob us. Veracruz is known for corrupt officials and unscrupulous Pemex owners. Having lived in Estado de Mexico with Michoacan right next door we were not immune to the increasing violence. i.e: police stations blown up, unknown vehicles coming to the house late at night.
During the same trip I referenced we were stopped by local authorities because there were 26 headless bodies in a field next to the road we were traveling on back to our home.
It is an unfortunate situation for Mexico and its people.

I read the story yesterday in the Mexican media about the PRI guy getting caught in Toluca. Couldn't find anything today but did find this article from FAUX News:
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/02/01/mexicos-politicians-battle-over-1-m-found-in-bags/

Interesting article, CheenaGringo. Thanks for posting the link - Toluca sits at the intersection of the corridors - a corridor for all types of illegal actvity and has law enforcement all to willing to assist

It adds a few kilometers to the drive but Dawg is thinking Chapala, Arco Norte, Puebla, Oaxaca City, Tehuantepec, Tuxtla Gutierrez, San Cristóbal. We were just north of Veracruz City when they dumped all those bodies on the expressway at Boca Del Rio last October. Then there were the inexplicably horrendous killings in the Huasteca area in Veracruz. We get the message.

When we stopped off at the ruins at El Tajin near Papantla and, later on at the beach at Tecoluta and Playa de Hornos , we were amazed at how deserted the resort stops were in Veracruz State. Guides at El Tajin told us tourist business was 10% of normal and that was before the shit hit the fan. God help those poor people trying to make a living there.

We were the only occupants at the huge resort we stayed in at Tecoluta and it was damned spooky to dine all alone in a cavernous dining hall built to accomodate at least 1,000 people. The chicken was cold.

Glad CG gets some information from Fox even though he can't spell it.

Dawg, now that the army is in control, do you think Veracruz might be less hazardous?

Mainecoons wrote:Dawg, now that the army is in control, do you think Veracruz might be less hazardous?

Well, MC, it ia probably less hazardous for most out of state travelers in transit through the state on the primary toll roads during the daylight hours. We make it a point to stay in Orizaba the first night of our drive fron Chapala to Chiapas and then hit the road at daybreak in order to reach our home in San Cristóbal before dark. When we had our car diasbled because of road debris on one drive through the state, CAPUFE came to our rescue or we might have been out in the middle nowhere at nightfall which would have been extremely dangerous. By the way, because we had saved our toll booth receipt, CAPUFE paid for repairs to our vehcle once we got back to Guadalajara. We only got compensated by CAPUFE because we waited at the scene of the incident until CAPUFE´s insurance adjuster was able to get to the scene and issue his report. If we had even driven to the next toll plaza we might have been on our own.

When we took our road trip last October we traveled over some pretty remote roads through Papantla and down the coast and arrived in Veracruz City right after all of those bodies were dumped on the expressway at Boca Del Rio and a number of other bodies were being discovered all over the metropolitan area. We would not take that drive again under the present circumstances but will stay on the main autopista from Puebla to Tuxtla Gutierrez which doesn´t go anywhere near Veracruz City. Oddly enough, we don´t have that same level of concern in most of Oaxaca, Chiapas and the Yucatan Peninsula where we take many road trips on rural back roads and through many indigenous villages I would describe as often less than friendly to put it mildly. One is generally safe in indigenous areas in Chiapas as long as one respects their customs and laws but I wouldn´t advise hiking alone through indigenous lands, remote wilderness areas or deserted beaches.

Good information and advice, thanks!

The army was in control when we were there and they found the second batch of bodies. The army was all over the place so I am not sure it is safer now.

Granted it is only one article but when one reads such, they can hardly claim that the military has things under control:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.eluniversal.com.mx%2Fnotas%2F827551.html