Mexico still hot spot

By Tom Sullivan

Spring break this year has ended, and despite several warnings from the university and the U.S. government, Mexico was once again a popular destination for Santa Clara students.

Prior to the end of winter quarter, Jeanne Rosenberger, vice provost for student life, e-mailed the campus community about the potential dangers of traveling to Mexico, which has been mired in violence.

The U.S. State Department has had a travel advisory for Mexico since October of 2008. It is set to expire in August of 2009.

"While millions of U.S. citizens safely visit Mexico each year (including thousands who cross the land border every day for study, tourism or business), violence in the country has increased recently," the State Department said on its Web site. "It is imperative that travelers understand the risks of travel to Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations and whom to contact if one becomes a crime victim."

Junior Ronnie Alvarado traveled with a group of 20 friends to Cabo San Lucas, and although remaining safe was a priority, he said it didn't alter their plans too much.

"We traveled in groups when we were out, and safety was on our minds, but we never had any issues and felt that Cabo was pretty safe," he said. "I think most of the issues were outside of the touristy areas closer to the border. The only real trouble we had was when people tried to overcharge us at a few places, but we felt safe and had a fun trip."

Senior Lindsey Cochran went to Playa del Carmen with about 30 friends for the week. She said she researched the violence prior to leaving and found that most of the problems were in Ciudad Juarez, near the Texas border.

"A few of my friends' parents wouldn't let them go on the trip, so this was something that was on my mind going there," Cochran said. "I was a bit apprehensive, but everything worked out fine."

The State Department Web site confirmed the majority of problems involving security have been close to the U.S. Border, a safe distance from Cabo San Lucas and Playa del Carmen.

In the city of Juarez, 1,800 people were killed between January 2008 and February of this year, the State Department said on their Web site.

Mike Haenel traveled with Alvarado to Cabo San Lucas over spring break and said he had initial questions about safety.

"I was pretty worried about it," he said. "The trip was a blast though. There were tons of college kids, beaches were great, weather was awesome. It was a ton of fun."

He said the only problems they experienced came from alcohol consumption.

Excessive alcohol consumption is listed among the biggest causes of problems in Mexico, according to the State Department.

"Alcohol is involved in the vast majority of arrests, accidents, violent crimes, rapes and deaths suffered by American students on spring break," its Web site said. It stated that disturbing the peace, lewd or indecent behavior, littering, driving under the influence, drinking on the street or on public transportation, using public transportation without payment or making obscene or insulting remarks are all considered criminal activities by Mexican authorities.

Cochran said safety didn't turn out to be a problem.

"We had a lot of fun there," she said. "We stayed in the touristy areas and we tried to travel in four main groups by house so everyone was accounted for, but everything was fine safety-wise."

The State Department advised visitors to use common sense and only stay near areas of heavy tourism when traveling in Mexico.

Contact Tom Sullivan at (408) 554-4546 or tsullivan@scu.edu.