When news came out that Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes — one of the most powerful cartel leaders in Mexico — was killed this past Sunday, I was in Mexico City. Scenes of chaos across Puerto Vallarta, the Guadalajara airport, and other Mexican cities flashed on my phone, and everyone in the country collectively held their breath, unsure of how widespread and violent the backlash would get.
The news coming out of Mexico has undoubtedly been terrifying, and I’m very lucky to be in the capital, which has been spared from the weekend’s violence. Still, as a Mexican American who was born in Mexico and is all too familiar with this type of cartel violence, seeing how some American tourists in Puerto Vallarta reacted to the situation has left me, and others, giving some major side-eye.
Among other unsavory social media moments, we saw Americans complaining about being slightly uncomfortable, potentially missing the next part of their vacations and stealing jugs of water from stores. Puerto Vallarta is known as being a haven for American tourists, including being a mecca for gay American men — whose presence has come under scrutiny in the past when they partied in that city in droves during the pandemic.
