"...pretty much everything began to deteriorate..."

Yup Stace, with all those "squatters" up there in them there hills, you should cancel your trip. I've been coming to the area since 1987 and Rob is the only local person that I've heard that is so obsessed with the poor people who have taken up residence in the hills. Oh, I'm sure there are many others who are not thrilled with it either, but I've never talked to anyone who has said they will no longer go there because of the squatters or feel that the area is no longer desirable because of them.

By the way, this is not unique to Zihua. It happens all over the world including the occupancy of city owned abandoned homes in the US in addition to bridge overpasses and government owned parklands. These aren't animals invading your turf, eating your crops or kill your livestock. They are people who get up every day, trying to survive till the next and protecting a family if they have one.