My experience with Mexico began with Cabo San Lucas/San Jose del Cabo in 1994.
We had two things going for us. On was that I am fluent in Spanish and also in the Mexican variant. I do not speak Mexican with an accent, but never spoke Spanish while there except for friends we made, both Americans who lived there year round, and professional families we were introduced to, and became close to for the next 6 years . We went at least once a year, sometimes twice.
The first two or three years we felt very comfortable, even though we were clearly "Americans." I even took hours-long trips into the interior all by myself. For Instance, being an engineer Surveyor, I HAD to visit the Tropic of Cancer on both sides of the peninsula along the perimeter two lane highway.
I wouldn't do that today on a bet. We went to a restaurant one evening off the main highway about 4 miles, deep in the interior and it was pitch black on the way home (there were three of us) we stopped for a half hour marveling at the dazzling display of stars I had not seen since I was a child. I would also not do that today.
Why? during the last two years we visited, 1998 and 1999, I overheard conversations (the locals not knowing I understood, in Spanish by the Mexican service people and street "merchants" that were downright hostile and threatening against Americans.
I also learned from the local year round American residents that small items like "disappeared" American tourists were never published in the local weekly English newspapers. Specially the young drug and alternative life counterculture vagrants.
The New Year of the millennium was celebrated on a dark Jaco Beach on the west coast of Costa Rica. In spite of some great memories in Mexico for those 6 years, I don't expect to want see Mexico again.
The country is beautiful. The urban and commercial environment away from the tourist centers, not so much.
“The country is beautiful. The urban and commercial environment away from the tourist centers, not so much.”
Oh, yes. I’ve been to Mexico six times in the past 20 years, and my experiences were similar to yours. There are places I probably shouldn’t have been, even back then, but I never felt unsafe. (Stupid American, LOL!)
Now, no desire whatsoever to go back, but I do have a migrating bird watching trip to Costa Rica on my Bucket List. ;)