They own the hotel workers', construction and taxi unions.

Historically, "unions" are arm in arm with politicians throughout North America.

This is Guerrero. Morena is popular and reigns supreme in the state. But Zihuatanejo is a different kind of fiefdom, like Acapulco is, and the local politicians Morena postulates don't have the money to compete with the corruption they're up against. PRI will buy and coerce many of their votes, especially in the colonias of land thieves they've allowed to take over what is supposed to be our Zona Ecológica above the Cota 70 (70 meter mark). They own the hotel workers', construction and taxi unions. They allow people to get away with dubious nefarious things then call in their marks for elections. It will be very difficult for Morena to postulate a candidate who can win here, but it's possible. This region is a big PRI stronghold in Guerrero, though the PRD won here a couple of times.

I do vaguely remember that huge billboard campaign advertisement for the current mayor at the foot of Benito Juaraz during the last election. If I may ask, what amounts of resources does the local PRI typically bring to bear during an election cycle?

My apologies if this thread is bringing up some uncomfort.

I have no idea how much money they spend. They are allotted a certain amount by INE, but during their entire tenure they are in campaign mode, then there's the dark money no one can account for. Remember, apart from the smoothly polished daily propaganda in the news media and their own slick productions, they've been self-awarding no-bid contracts to pour cement for around 7 years. Auditors appear easily bought or persuaded via the old plata o plomo threat (it's amazing what people will do if a loved one in their family is threatened). And there's allegedly some real estate ventures involved to boost their war chest. If the opposition doesn't call them out, there's little the state or federal government can do. "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto."

This is Guerrero. Morena is popular and reigns supreme in the state. But Zihuatanejo is a different kind of fiefdom, like Acapulco is, and the local politicians Morena postulates don't have the money to compete with the corruption they're up against. PRI will buy and coerce many of their votes, especially in the colonias of land thieves they've allowed to take over what is supposed to be our Zona Ecológica above the Cota 70 (70 meter mark). They own the hotel workers', construction and taxi unions. They allow people to get away with dubious nefarious things then call in their marks for elections. It will be very difficult for Morena to postulate a candidate who can win here, but it's possible. This region is a big PRI stronghold in Guerrero, though the PRD won here a couple of times.

I do vaguely remember that huge billboard campaign advertisement for the current mayor at the foot of Benito Juaraz during the last election. If I may ask, what amounts of resources does the local PRI typically bring to bear during an election cycle?

My apologies if this thread is bringing up some uncomfort.

Which is why I post daily "#MásSeguridadPúblicaMenosCemento".

But PRI governments such as our municipal government are well known for putting their corruption before all else, and behind all the pretty events and lipstick, our current mayor is no different. Case in point: in spite of overwhelming opposition to "remodelling" the Panteón de La Madera, the mayor is OF COURSE going ahead with her plan to pour tons more cement there on top of many of the tombs. A nose-flipping insult to the entire community. Welcome to paradise!

Rob, what are the prospects for the Morena party to gain a foothold in Zihuatanejo and Guerrero? Isn't one of their stated objectives to deal with the lawlessness and corruption?

This is Guerrero. Morena is popular and reigns supreme in the state. But Zihuatanejo is a different kind of fiefdom, like Acapulco is, and the local politicians Morena postulates don't have the money to compete with the corruption they're up against. PRI will buy and coerce many of their votes, especially in the colonias of land thieves they've allowed to take over what is supposed to be our Zona Ecológica above the Cota 70 (70 meter mark). They own the hotel workers', construction and taxi unions. They allow people to get away with dubious nefarious things then call in their marks for elections. It will be very difficult for Morena to postulate a candidate who can win here, but it's possible. This region is a big PRI stronghold in Guerrero, though the PRD won here a couple of times.

Which is why I post daily "#MásSeguridadPúblicaMenosCemento".

But PRI governments such as our municipal government are well known for putting their corruption before all else, and behind all the pretty events and lipstick, our current mayor is no different. Case in point: in spite of overwhelming opposition to "remodelling" the Panteón de La Madera, the mayor is OF COURSE going ahead with her plan to pour tons more cement there on top of many of the tombs. A nose-flipping insult to the entire community. Welcome to paradise!

Rob, what are the prospects for the Morena party to gain a foothold in Zihuatanejo and Guerrero? Isn't one of their stated objectives to deal with the lawlessness and corruption?

Cada dia puedes ves mas Mariposas por aqui y parece que ya llego unas ballenas.

Zihuatanejo's homicide rate is one of the highest in Mexico, with one source stating a rate of 61.3 homicides per 100,000 people in the year leading up to August 30, 2025. Another report from late July 2025 indicated an even higher rate of 75.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants based on data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP). These figures place the municipality among the most violent in the country. The murder rate in the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) was \(1.19\) per \(100,000\) people in 2023, a drop of over 20% from the previous year. In 2023, there were 54 homicides in the Montreal area, down from 66 in 2022. The rate was below two homicides per 100,000 for the first time since 2019.

I'm curious Is the homicide rate in Ixtapa less than Zihuatanejo? Is Ixtapa safer than Zihuatanejo?

Ixtapa is considered Zihuatanejo. There is no separate township. As a property owner in Ixtapa, I see the biggest threat to Ixtapa coming from the hundreds of Casas Geo allowed to be built on wetlands behind Ixtapa. That's where much of the criminal element is located who have easy access to the rest of Ixtapa. We are considering selling before things get much worse there and property values decline.

IMHO, the safest place to live is where we are on the waterfront in downtown Zihuatanejo not far from the Mexican navy.

Zihuatanejo's homicide rate is one of the highest in Mexico, with one source stating a rate of 61.3 homicides per 100,000 people in the year leading up to August 30, 2025. Another report from late July 2025 indicated an even higher rate of 75.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants based on data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP). These figures place the municipality among the most violent in the country. The murder rate in the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) was \(1.19\) per \(100,000\) people in 2023, a drop of over 20% from the previous year. In 2023, there were 54 homicides in the Montreal area, down from 66 in 2022. The rate was below two homicides per 100,000 for the first time since 2019.

I'm curious Is the homicide rate in Ixtapa less than Zihuatanejo? Is Ixtapa safer than Zihuatanejo?

Zihuatanejo's homicide rate is one of the highest in Mexico, with one source stating a rate of 61.3 homicides per 100,000 people in the year leading up to August 30, 2025. Another report from late July 2025 indicated an even higher rate of 75.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants based on data from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP). These figures place the municipality among the most violent in the country. The murder rate in the Montreal Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) was \(1.19\) per \(100,000\) people in 2023, a drop of over 20% from the previous year. In 2023, there were 54 homicides in the Montreal area, down from 66 in 2022. The rate was below two homicides per 100,000 for the first time since 2019.

Which is why I post daily "#MásSeguridadPúblicaMenosCemento".

But PRI governments such as our municipal government are well known for putting their corruption before all else, and behind all the pretty events and lipstick, our current mayor is no different. Case in point: in spite of overwhelming opposition to "remodelling" the Panteón de La Madera, the mayor is OF COURSE going ahead with her plan to pour tons more cement there on top of many of the tombs. A nose-flipping insult to the entire community. Welcome to paradise!

We have to look out for ourselves and each other here. I never ever count on police protection. Even the tourist police are basically useless. We walk to the pier frequently. Fishing is supposed to be banned there, but it is fortunately tolerated, and I have no problem with that, but especially the end of the pier smells like urine. Why men don't simply pee in the water I can't imagine. I can only guess that women are also peeing on the pier. But it's symptomatic of the lack of seriousness by the municipal government to take care of our brand new pier that is already showing signs of deteriorating. I hate seeing my taxes wasted. And I hate corrupt and unserious politicians.

Would it be unwise for you to run for office on that platform? You are someone with roots deep in the community. You married into a family that has been here for generations. Certainly the people are hungry for what you would offer them. Would you fear for your safety?

A candidate for presidente municipal must have been born in Mexico.

Of course I would fear for my safety. This is Guerrero, a state run by caciques where the federal government has historically had little reach. After so many decades of essential lawlessness, we still have a long way to go to have any real semblance of law and order, especially here in Guerrero where justice is historically a laughable mostly unknown concept. Frankly, I'm still amazed so many of you foreigners who know so little about this region would "buy" property here and want to live here. Our only saving grace is that, unlike other places in Guerrero, Mexico and the world, so far our local people are exceptionally good people. But as more people move here from other places, our local goodness becomes diluted by people with more vices than virtues.

The other day a Gringa posted the following message on a Facebook post I made showing a photo of fishing pangas and Playa Principal: "The beauty of Zihuatanejo Bay is marred by the stench of death from all the fishermen killing all the precious fish in the bay." I asked her why she moved from the USA to our fishing town if she felt that way, but I never received nor expected an answer. Too many foreigners bring their cultural baggage with them here and try to impose it on others. I've seen this a lot during my life. Here, in the U.S. Virgin Islands and all up and down Florida. People move to "paradise" only to find out it isn't the one they had in their head, which is the only place paradise really exists. The lucky ones make it back alive to wherever they came from.

We have to look out for ourselves and each other here. I never ever count on police protection. Even the tourist police are basically useless. We walk to the pier frequently. Fishing is supposed to be banned there, but it is fortunately tolerated, and I have no problem with that, but especially the end of the pier smells like urine. Why men don't simply pee in the water I can't imagine. I can only guess that women are also peeing on the pier. But it's symptomatic of the lack of seriousness by the municipal government to take care of our brand new pier that is already showing signs of deteriorating. I hate seeing my taxes wasted. And I hate corrupt and unserious politicians.

Would it be unwise for you to run for office on that platform? You are someone with roots deep in the community. You married into a family that has been here for generations. Certainly the people are hungry for what you would offer them. Would you fear for your safety?

The last paragraph is more concerning, mentioning three deaths over the weekend from apparent assaults. While I know this is nothing new, and that it is largely cartel violence that doesn’t affect tourists, I am beginning to wonder if there are other areas that might have more effective policing. (Before someone comments, I’m aware that there are probably plenty of cities in the US that had more murders than Zihuatanejo over the weekend.)

Part of the legacy of over 70 years of PRI rule is that they essentially allowed local police forces to simply be the mayor's bodyguards and henchmen. Locals totally lost respect for and trust in local police. So we don't have professional local police looking out for us, and instead the local authorities leave everything to the state and federal governments. But experience and common sense have taught me that public security begins in the community, not in offices of outsiders hundreds of kilometers away. People from outside can't be expected to know our community better than we do, or to police it better than locals.

Recently a few more security cameras were erected, but they aren't even operated locally. The ones that are have proven to be useless.

Since each mayor's term is 3 years, they spend all their time trying to look after themselves and don't even bother with long range plans that they don't believe will benefit them. So we're still living 50 years in the past. Part of the promise of the Morena party is to change things like this, but we have a long way to go.

We have to look out for ourselves and each other here. I never ever count on police protection. Even the tourist police are basically useless. We walk to the pier frequently. Fishing is supposed to be banned there, but it is fortunately tolerated, and I have no problem with that, but especially the end of the pier smells like urine. Why men don't simply pee in the water I can't imagine. I can only guess that women are also peeing on the pier. But it's symptomatic of the lack of seriousness by the municipal government to take care of our brand new pier that is already showing signs of deteriorating. I hate seeing my taxes wasted. And I hate corrupt and unserious politicians.

Are there any details about the murder in La Ropa? That is a bit of a shocker, to say the least. Was it a robbery gone bad? Or maybe a fight between acquaintances that got out of hand?

This is all that's been make public.
https://www.vozihuatanejo.com.mx/hombre-muere-a-balazos-en-camino-a-la-ropa/

Sunday morning started off warm. The rain that had been predicted never arrived, and the day only got hotter, a situation not helped by all the cement poured mostly in the past 7 years that raises the ambient temperature quite noticeably. This evening while walking along the downtown waterfront my wife and I couldn't help but notice the breeze was relatively refreshing on the sandy part of the beach, but just a few meters away the heat rising from the cement totally annulled it. A damn shame that our local government has done this to our beautiful town by putting their economic interests first (the current mayor's spouse, who was the previous mayor for 6 years owns a cement company).

It's also a damn shame that a person was shot and killed on the La Ropa road near the monument to corruption known as the Partenón. As we say locally, our police shine brightly for their absence, though they always accompany the mayor. A situation that unfortunately seems to only get worse with each successive municipal administration.

Lots of visitors were here today. Mostly families. Beautiful scenes everywhere of families smiling and having fun, proud parents playing with their children, many families represented by 3 or more generations. And on Zihuatanejo's downtown beach they are permitted to enjoy themselves like at no other beach, dancing to music, enjoying family picnics, some with their furry family members, enjoying themselves the way it used to be on all our beaches before the stupid Blue Flag was imposed on the community against our will. Hopefully when a new mayor is elected in a couple years we'll be able to ditch the stupid Blue Flag and remove a lot of the excessive cement that's been unnecessarily poured, especially along the beachfront and in former green areas including Plaza Kioto and Plaza del Artista. We want trees and shade, not painted cement!

Tucked away in a lovely gardened property less than a block from the beach at Playa La Ropa is another one of our hidden jewels with a French flair named Casa Iguana. Six luxurious bungalow suites with A/C, cable TV, Internet connection, kitchenettes, and garden terraces with living and dining areas. An absolutely perfect place for relaxing and losing track of time.
Zihuatanejo Hotels, Posadas & Inns

Dolores "Lola" Vazquez en Plaza del Artista en Zihuatanejo con sus obras de arte en venta.