Well, let's put it this way: I was born and raised in Mexico, have traveled repeatedly all over Mexico, have family, relatives and friends all over Mexico. I am not a tourist, a condo renter nor a visitor; I am what one might call an insider, and pretty well informed - in touch with folks living in Mexico on a weekly basis at least, daily basis sometimes.

Rather than share uninformed opinions from people who catastrophize or overgeneralize - and I am not saying you are, just that there are those who do - I find it better to manage risk based on evidence, on the ground information and experiences of myself and those who are there. I have traveled extensively for over six decades and have experience in counterinsurgency as well.

Is Mazatlan safe? Relatively so - but it also depends on where one visits, what time of day or night, what activities one participates in. The fact many Mexicans from the City and Guadalajara are even now planning to visit Mazatlan in droves during semana santa (March 31 - April 8) with their families is a pretty good indication it's not so unsafe - though I can promise it will be crowded, dirty and with very high prices, so I'd certainly not go then.