American tourists in Mexico share their experience after cartel leader's death

Americans visiting a Mexican resort city share what they're seeing and experiencing following the killing of a powerful cartel leader.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

We go next to Jalisco, Mexico, several days after Mexican security forces killed the powerful drug lord El Mencho there. The government's killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes touched off a wave of violence in several parts of the country. Cartel members blockaded roads, set cars and buildings on fire, also set off explosions. Now schools and businesses are reopening, and some Americans who got stuck are figuring out how to return home.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Yeah. Flights were initially canceled. And on Monday, the U.S. Embassy advised Americans in multiple Mexican states to shelter in place.

JULIANA WYNKOOP: In general, the vibe I'm picking up here is just a lot of nervousness, anxiousness, fearmongering, a lot of discussion of politics.

FADEL: Juliana Wynkoop was in Puerto Vallarta, a popular resort destination in the state of Jalisco. Wynkoop was visiting from Northern California. Her husband is Mexican and was visiting family in Mexico City.

WYNKOOP: I called him, and he was shocked when he pulled up the news - said that he'd never heard anything like this happening there or seen it to this extreme.

MARTÍNEZ: Kelly Banks (ph) from New Orleans was vacationing with friends in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday when they heard explosions.

KELLY BANKS: And then it just basically continued throughout the day. There were a few breaks in time, like, for an hour or a couple of hours, and then they would start again. And we could see the smoke and the explosions all around us, surrounding us. There was gunfire in the streets, and it was, well, scary.

MARTÍNEZ: Eventually, she says, they were able to go out and get food and supplies. They plan to leave tomorrow.

BANKS: Although the situations are not the same, it is a very similar feeling to being in New Orleans after a major hurricane. The community in general is trying to help each other.

FADEL: And Wynkoop hopes that this won't permanently damage Puerto Vallarta's image.

WYNKOOP: There is so much kindness and so much good here. And I do hope this situation resolves itself because the majority of people here in this country are great, and I don't want this to change anybody's perception.

FADEL: On Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy said most roads are fully opened, flight schedules return to normal and many airlines planned extra flights for leaving Puerto Vallarta.

(SOUNDBITE OF CHAYNS' "LIVE WITH THE MOON")

Copyright © 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.