A recent robbery of a U.S. citizen in Mexico City is a reminder that hailing taxis on the street can be unwise here. The man and his girlfriend left a restaurant in the La Condesa district and were followed by a car full of young men. They hailed a Volkswagen “beetle” taxi, which then was stormed by two of the young men. The taxi driver was an accomplice and the victims were robbed at knifepoint of all possessions before being dumped 45 minutes later on the other side of the city. Whenever possible, phone for a taxi or use only officially licensed cabs.
In Chiapas, the threat of a second Zapatista uprising is in the air because a constitutional amendment enacted Aug. 15 was so watered down before passage that it failed to adequately address the Zapatistas’ main concerns about autonomy and rights over land and natural resources. Tensions are growing in the area.