this also goes hand in hand with the remarkably pervasive idea among US citizens, even left-leaning ones, that all of Mexico is a crime-ridden hell hole
Cancun and Tulum are sketchier than Merida and the other less tourist dominated bits but that’s in large part (so I’ve heard) because lots of partying tourists have money to buy drugs and want to buy drugs which attracts the industry
This is exactly correct. And in both places you’d have to be an idiot to get caught up in the violence btwn rival crews. Which naturally means it happens 2-3 times a year.