Beckie Menzie landed in Puerto Vallarta Saturday night before making her way to an AirBnB in Zona Romántica, ready for a week in Mexico of teaching music to eager students from multiple cities.
But she woke the next morning to what sounded like gunshots that were firebombs being thrown into empty cars as smoke rose in several spots across the city. By the afternoon, she and others had to dash across the street to shelter in another building as more bombs went off, torching a nearby mattress store.
“We were sheltered in place, we couldn’t leave,” Menzie said.
She was among many Chicagoans visiting Mexican cities that were jarred by cartel violence over the weekend who now have hope of returning home as road blockages are cleared and airport operations resume.
The unrest in the state of Jalisco comes after the Mexican Army killed the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” led to at least 48 hours of lockdowns and uncertainty.
Videos on social media showed foot and car traffic returning in some cities and towns on Tuesday as residents assessed damage and tourists made plans to leave.
Menzie said hundreds of people had reached out to check on her, though she said she was fine aside from the fright induced by helicopters circling overhead. But on the other side, she said she had seen lots of disinformation circling on social media, making it difficult to discern what was actually happening or find accurate information on shelter in place orders.
“The good thing about social media is we were able to stay in contact,” Menzie said. “The bad thing is you couldn’t get away from it, and some of it wasn’t true.”
The U.S. State Department confirmed late Monday that roads closed because of the violence — or blocked by cars burned by cartel members — were reopening, save for some between Guadalajara and the tourist town of Puerto Vallarta. Government officials also said multiple airlines had resumed operations at the Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta airports.
Five flights to Chicago were among 100 canceled from Puerto Vallarta on Sunday and Monday after videos posted to social media showed chaos at the airports, according to the tracking website FlightAware.
A United Airlines flight from Puerto Vallarta left Monday afternoon and landed in Chicago in the evening. An airline spokesperson said full operations resumed at that airport and in Guadalajara on Monday.
American Airlines said it planned to resume its operations at both airports Tuesday with four extra flights between Puerto Vallarta and the United States with 750 additional seats. One American flight was scheduled direct to Chicago on Tuesday afternoon.
Both United and American travelers would be allowed to change their flights without charge to get back into the United States, the airlines said. AeroMéxico, VivaAeorbus and Volaris flights in and out of Guadalajara, including flights to the United States, were also operating normally Tuesday.
The State Department still advised Americans to seek shelter and minimize unnecessary movements, as well as to confirm that flights are on track for departure before heading to the airport.
Menzie’s flight is scheduled to leave Friday, and with the airport open, she said she doesn’t expect any issues. She walked around the city’s main thoroughfares and went to markets Tuesday, and while she encountered long lines, she said there was never a sense of danger.
“We’re watching our flights,” Menzie said. “I felt pretty darn safe today. … I feel strongly we will be out on Friday.”
