As Mexico saw July 2017 as its deadliest month in decades, tourist destinations including Cancún, Playa del Carmen, and Los Cabos have witnessed a recent uprising in cartel violence. In result of the extradition of infamous drug lord Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as “El Chapo”, to the United States, cartels have been constantly clashing with one another over control of territory, seemingly, affecting areas that had once remained peaceful amongst the rest of the nation.

This year Mexico saw a 4% increase in international travelers compared to a total 35 million in 2015, the state of Quintana Roo has already recorded 134 homicides. In some of the state’s most tourist attracted cities, such as Cancún and Playa del Carmen, homicides recorded have very much surpassed those of last year. By the end of June, in the Cancún included Benito Juárez municipality, 95 murders were carried out, exceeding 2016’s total of 89 murders. In January, upscale resort town Playa del Carmen witnessed a drug cartel-related gunfight at the Blue Parrot nightclub resulting in a death toll of five, those including an American teenager and a Canadian bodyguard. Even after such occurred actions, no caution to travelers has been issued for the state of Quintana Roo in the U.S State Department’s Travel Warning.

The tourist attracted state of Baja California Sur has also been a victim of the rising cartel violence. Baja has been popularly known as a getaway place for many, especially around Spring Break. Throughout all of 2016, the state saw 225 homicides, while in the first six months of 2017, 252 homicides have been recorded. As of the first week of June, 19 people were found slain, followed by the discovery of a mass grave including 18 bodies. Such actions were reported to be carried out under the orders of Dámaso López Núñez, high-level leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. August 6th saw a rather incident also in Los Cabos where gunmen claimed the lives of three people. With this, in Los Cabos alone, at least 230 murders have been reported as of this year.

Much of this newly aroused turmoil has begun since the capture and extradition of most wanted drug-lord El Chapo, head of the Sinaloa Cartel, to the United States. Infighting between leaders of the cartel has been the biggest cause for the rising violence. Those such as Guzmán’s sons, Jesús Alfredo and Iván Archivaldo, Guzmán’s partner, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada García, former right-hand man of Guzmán/ rumored successor of Guzmán, Dámaso  “El Licenciado”López Núñez, and Dámaso’s son/ Guzmán’s godson, Dámaso “El Mini Lic” López Serrano, have constantly been clashing amongst each other (The Dámasos vs. Guzmán/ El Mayo) for control over smuggling routes leading into the United States.

Much of the violence has also fallen into the hands of Rubén “El Mencho” Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, head of the recent Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). With the Sinaloa Cartel’s infighting going on, the CJNG under El Mencho have been making an effort into taking control of such plazas, those mainly in the states of Baja California Sur and Baja California.

With tourism being Mexico’s “fourth largest source of foreign exchange”, many are worried that the violence will continue to grow. Many also worry that just maybe, “next time, [they] will not come back”.