Mexico - Military Presence in CUN

I'm vacationing in Cancun now... this is my first time to Cancun ...and my first time to Mexico so I have nothing to compare it to. But I'm a bit surprised by the significant presence the Mexican military has here.

On the way to the hotel district from the airport, there were three military "checkpoints" of sorts where the traffic was down to one lane and military personnel with semi-automatic guns drawn were hanging out in/around military vehicles. Traffic wasn't stopped (at least I didn't see any), so it wasn't a legit "checkpoint" but it was pretty impressive to see. And then once into the hotel district, there were many, many military vehicles roaming around loaded up with folks armed and in full uniform... along with local police.

Is this normal ...or is this normal for spring break time?

Speaking of spring break time, I'm surprised by the make-up of the visitors here. While part of me was expecting to see roaming crowds of drunk college types litter the streets and beaches, I'd say the number of families with small children definitely outnumber the 18-25yo crowd. Maybe it's early in the season yet...

The show of force is as much to reassure tourists (primarily from the USA) worried about their safety, because of the publicity they're read at home about violence in Mexico, as it is for a specific crack down on crime. Largely, Mexico has become a militarized state - in the sense that soldiers/marines have replaced local police in many parts of the country. For those of us who come from parts of the world where the military does not play that role, and where high-powered weapons and armoured vehicles aren't commonplace on street corners - it can be off-putting. From what I've been reading, both Cancun and Acapulco (the two principal 'spring break' destinations in Mexico) have seen far fewer reservations from college students for 2010 - supposedly due to the reports of violence from around the country. Though, neigher Cancun nor Acapulco have seen much violence.

I would think that Spring Break would be in full swing during the month of March. CUN is typically the capital of Spring Break for Mexico. I'm actually glad to see there's a strong military presecence there. The Mexican gov't lost about 20% of there tourist dollars last year. That's a big chunck of change, and they are taking steps to try and entice tourists back. Will be there the end of April when all the spring breakers are back at school!

FWIW, the President of Mexico was in Cancun during this period, and our drivers told us this was what accounted for the checkpoints, etc. One day there was an officer of some sort posted by every intersection on the main highway.

I'm a bit surprised by the significant presence the Mexican military has here.

Is this normal ...or is this normal for spring break time?


I've been going to CUN twice a year for the past 15 years, and I can say that presence of military troops has increased over the past two.

Before 2008 it would have been a highly unusual sight to see military troops within the hotel zone or near any tourist areas. Yes, you have the Federales riding around in the back of pickups, but that's normal for anywhere in Mexico.

I've noticed a number of troops in the hotel zone over the past couple of years. It's definitely sad to see CUN affected by the narco-wars.


I'd say the number of families with small children definitely outnumber the 18-25yo crowd.

Many colleges have warned against travel to Mexico, and many parents are keeping their kids away as well. In addition, CUN has seen a steady rise in mexican tourism(families) over the years.

When I first started going there, you mostly saw US and European tourists. Now its common to see mexican and other latin american visitors.

+1 We saw quite a few more vehicles and at least one checkpoint during our visit last December. But the troops don't bother me - I think a show of force is good for keeping away the banditos.

In general the narco types have stayed away from Cancun because it is not near the US border as well as the government would be likely to really crack down if there were any problems here since Cancun is a critical source of foreign exchange.