In this article, we will take a look at the 5 most dangerous cities in Mexico. If you want to see more cities in this selection, go to the 15 Most Dangerous Cities in Mexico.
5. Guaymas
Homicide Rates: 143.5
Guaymas is a historical port city in the southwest part of the state of Sonora, in northwestern Mexico. The city boasts both an industrial and shrimp-fishing port, but also maintains a solid historical side that displays colonial buildings with neoclassical and Moorish influences, plazas, monuments, and churches. The city is no stranger to violence. This past year, the Guaymas registered more than 200 homicide cases.
4. Zacatecas
Homicide Rates: 143.7
Located in the center-north of Mexico, Zacatecas is the principal city within the municipality of the same name. In a significant development, Zacatecas state witnessed a distressing milestone as it reported the highest number of police fatalities in 2022, with a staggering 60 officers killed. The state has become a crucial battleground in the violent multi-state conflict involving the CJNG, the Sinaloa Cartel, and their respective alliances.
3. Villa de Álvarez
Homicide Rates: 148.2
Ciudad de Villa de Álvarez, located in the state of Colima, Mexico, serves as the municipal seat of the Villa de Álvarez municipality. Situated adjacent to the northwest side of the state capital city of Colima, these two cities are closely intertwined and can be regarded as “twin cities.” The municipality of Villa de Álvarez registered some of the highest homicide rates in the state after experiencing an increase of 168% following gang-related violence. As a result, Villa de Álvarez registered the third highest murder rates in the country in 2022.
2. Colima
Homicide Rates: 191.7
Colima, the capital city of the eponymous Mexican state, is nestled in a valley just south of the impressive Colima Volcano, close to the scenic central Pacific coast. Situated adjacent to Ciudad de Villa de Álvarez Colima was once considered one of the safest places to live in Mexico. However, things have changed very quickly, with the homicide rate more than tripling since 2015 to reach 191.7 per 100,000 inhabitants. While the MPI puts Colima in second place, after Zamora, the City Council for Public Safety and Justice named it ‘the most violent city in the world’ in 2022.
1. Zamora
Homicide Rates: 200.0
Topping our list of the most dangerous cities in Mexico is Zamora de Hidalgo, a city in the state of Michoacán. Despite notable progress in overall peace, the municipality of Zamora faced a distressing reality in 2022, as it recorded the highest homicide rate among all cities in Mexico. With an estimated 200 deaths per 100,000 people, Zamora has become a focal point of cartel conflicts in the state of Michoacán. Throughout the region, criminal organizations fiercely compete for control over the production of methamphetamines and heroin in hidden laboratories.
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