question re travel safety in Mexico
 

thanks in advance for your help with a proposed trip to mexico for my family at xmas. My question is your thoughts re safety traveling in Mexico (as opposed to going to resorts)- we have 10 days and would likely go to Mexico City and Oaxaca. We hear a lot of news about serious safety issues in the country that give us pause- we are not inexperienced travelers, and have traveled through europe, asia, chile argentina etc, so I would love to hear peoples' thoughts as to whether our fears are misplaced or if we are fine going to those areas or other suggestions. (we are open to other parts of the country, like art/food/culture/ nature, but aren't looking for a resort stay, we have about 10 days)

Thoughtful question. I will say your fears are misplaced; no worries. The CDMX-Oaxaca route is heavily traveled by foreign as well as national tourists without issue. That said, an occasional protest in Oaxaca has been known to disrupt traffic at times. But that's typically during the summer 'teacher strike' season that will be long over by your dates, and pose no threat of violence to tourists. Plus, with the new president vowing to eliminate education reforms, all is calm for now.
As a side note, I live here full time and drive 8,000-10,000 miles each year in many of Mexico's so-called 'no travel' zones with nary an incident (drove CDMX-Oaxaca last year). I'm presently in Coahuila (Level 3, OMG) for which I'll soon post a short trip report about an absolutely lovely place that couldn't be more tranquilo.

I trust you know to check the US State Department website for travel advisories.
And the CDC website for information about recommended medical preventatives.

As a former FSO, I'd say we tend to err on the side of caution.

We have yet to travel in Mexico, our first trip starts in one month and will be visiting a number of different regions including Mexico City and Oaxaca, travelling almost exclusively by bus. I too had read lots about how dangerous parts of Mexico can be, just as I did before spending a couple of months in Colombia. We didn’t feel in the least unsafe in Colombia and I am not really expecting any different in Mexico.

The US State Dept website does have a reputation for being a tad circumspect but that is their job. I usually rely on our own U.K. Foreign Office advisory’s which usually seem a little less alarming. Here is the link for Mexico https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/mexico

I have never felt unsafe in Mexico- mostly have spent time in and around Puerto Vallarta but not sure how I would feel about road trips. I have friends who live close to Mexico City and drive to the US every summer. They are Hispanic and Mexican citizens. This year on their drive they were stopped by bandidos who wanted $4000. After negotiating with the bad guys, they got away with giving them $400, which was all the cash they had with them. They say they will never drive to the US again. Very unfortunate. I know things happen in every country so guess you just have to be cautious wherever you go.
I occasionally read an online newspaper called the Mexico Daily news. It is full of lots of scary news that is enough to make me reconsider travel there. This year going to Hawaii instead.

I feel safe traveling (female/solo) in Mexico but my experience is limited to twice a year in Puerto Vallarta. I do not stay at a "resort". I rent an apartment downtown and go all around the city doing local things. So as far as me flying in and out of "Mexico" I have always felt safe and never yet had a negative experience.

I have not been to Mexico City or Oaxaca to speak to the specifics of your post.

As with every major city there are places to avoid. I do not know where they are in Mexico City as it consists of appr. 20 million people and is gargantuesque. I can only speak for the places that we have frequented which are concentrated in and around the main square and the suburbs. I must say that, at no time did we ever feel unsafe or worried. We visited a whole bunch of places including the pyramids at Teotheuacan by bus and Castle at Chepultepec, parcs, main square, Frida Kahlo’s house in Coyoacan etc. We ate out every night in nice restaurants and took taxis, taxis and a lot of walking.
Mexico City has à European feel and has everything to offer... In our case we stayed in the Roma Norte area and would most certainly return.

I wouldn't worry too much either. I haven't been to Mexico City or Oaxaca specifically, but I've got a Mexico City-Oaxaca trip in the works. I've been to other places in Mexico several times - by myself, with my husband, with colleagues. Parts of Veracruz felt a little sketchy to me, but other than that, it's always been totally fine - and nothing has ever happened in Veracruz and I have spent a total of about 3-4 weeks there on various work trips, things just felt a little off a few times.

Sunbum enjoy Hawaii , I’ve been there 8 times , which includes visits before AND after my best friend was raped and murdered there .