This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Linda Armijo, a 70-year-old who lives in Carson City, Nevada. It has been edited for length and clarity.
My husband and I have been visiting Puerto Vallarta regularly for about twenty-five years. We used to go to Cabo, but after taking a cruise that landed in Puerto Vallarta, we realized it’s a better place to come.
We really enjoy the city, its atmosphere, its people, its things to do, and especially its food.
We arrived on January 1st for a three-month stay. We used to own a timeshare here, but now we stay in AirBnbs. This year, we’re in an eight-story condo building in the city’s Marina Vallarta district. Many of our neighbors are Canadians doing extended stays, with some Americans who come for a week or two at a time.
I noticed fires yesterday morning
My husband, Anthony, has a standing massage appointment on Sunday mornings at 10. While he’s there, I go shopping — my favorite thing to do here — and then we meet for lunch.
Yesterday (Feb. 22), his massage therapist texted him that roads downtown were blocked. She didn’t provide any more information, so I went to the rooftop of our building to look out over the city. I could see about five to six plumes of smoke. Smoke is not entirely unusual because controlled burns are common, but this was more than I would typically see.
I came down to our condo and told Anthony, “There’s something going on, there are fires everywhere.” We started to go outside, but instead turned to a social media group run by a longtime expat in Puerto Vallarta. That’s when I learned that cartels were blocking transportation in the city.
I heard explosions, and our water was turned off occasionally
Throughout the day yesterday, we could occasionally hear the pop of an engine exploding when a car was set on fire. My neighbors and I were watching from the rooftop. There weren’t too many fires around us — the closest was about eight blocks away.
A worker for our apartment building came to lock the doors. Other than that, there hasn’t been much communication from the building. Yesterday, our water was interrupted occasionally. We have bottled drinking water on hand, but I filled pots and pans for washing and cleaning.
I met two girls from L.A. who are renting a condo upstairs. They were meant to fly out yesterday, and threw away all their food and supplies before learning their flight was canceled. I shared some water with them. A building worker said she wasn’t concerned about people who needed to stay longer in their accommodation.
I’m worried about the workers not getting their wages
I’ve never, ever felt scared or anxious in Puerto Vallarta. Some of that might be the way I look — like I could belong here — and the fact that I speak Spanish.
Still, that hasn’t changed, even today. I really don’t think fear is necessary. I feel safe in my building, and we have plenty of food and water. It’s a minor inconvenience not being able to leave, but my biggest emotions are sadness and concern for the people of Puerto Vallarta.
The public bus system is one of the reasons I love this city. We use the buses to get everywhere, but getting the system back up and running will take time because many of them have been burned. I know of at least two cruise ships that were supposed to arrive in port early this week but aren’t. It will likely be weeks before they’re comfortable coming here again. Our favorite restaurant is closed until further notice, and I feel for the workers who aren’t being paid.
I still feel safe
At one point yesterday, a neighbor showed me a picture of a burned church. I was so sad for the city and the people who go to services there. But later that afternoon, when I looked closer, I realized the photo was clearly AI-generated.
There’s a lot of confusion and misinformation out there, so people — myself included — need to be cautious about where they’re seeing, watching, and listening to.
From my understanding, the cartels weren’t targeting people, but destroying property as a show of retaliation. For the most part, people are safe.
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