Violence in Mexico - a few observations

Of course before we arrived in this fair country we had read all about its descent into mad max mugging/kidnapping/beheading craziness, apparently over 40 thousand people have been killed since the current president - Felipe Calderon - took charge in 2006.


I can assure you that neither Pam nor I have suffered anything more than a mild hangover since our arrival, more importantly every single Mexican we have met or interacted with so far, whether it be in the street/restaurant/hostel/bus/tube etc, has been extremely welcoming and helpful brandishing nothing more than a sense of humour, a moustache and a guitar.

Even in moments when one thinks hmmm am I going to be decapitated now - for example when a road block of Zapatista activists stopped and then boarded the bus - they proved to be most charming. Rather than pointing a firearm and shouting 'your money or your life' as one has been led to believe is likely to happen, there was a polite explanation of their cause, further explanation of what they wanted the money for (to travel to Mexico City in order to demonstrate about the 'desaparesidos') and then they calmly passed through the bus asking for contributions.

The worst thing we have heard about that has happened to anyone we have actually met took place in Oaxaca. One of the ladies on the cooking course with Pam had her earrings stolen from her ears as she walked down the street. Yup, gold hoop earrings removed from the ears of a walking person...

Now does that = incredible prestidigitation worthy of an appearance on Mexico's Got Talent or a violation of international human rights the likes of which should be used as evidence for not visiting this incredible country?

It has certainly been a little ironic watching London go up in flames, reading many articles searching for explanation of the 'unexpected' violence in the land of law and order, listening to David Starkey's outrageous account on Newsnight that bastion of intelligent and tolerant Britain, all whilst travelling through the most peaceful land of 'lawless' Mexico.