Mexico
Ciudad Juarez: City of Death or Victim of the Sensational American Press?
By Ron C. Mears
Nov 13, 2005, 00:37

Warning: The information in this article is still pertinent and should be useful to anyone who must travel to Juarez.  Right now, however, a war between two rival drug organizations is raging at the same time the Mexican government has placed over 2500 soldiers in the city and mobilized law enforcement to battle the cartels.  Violence is spilling into the street with multiple execution style murders occuring on an almost daily basis, and innocent bystanders have been caught in cross fires.  Now, sadly, is not a good time to visit Juarez, but we should always keep in mind the millions of hard working people there who are caught up in events totally beyond their control.  Juarez is still a good place in my mind because of them, but right now don't go unless it's totally necessary.  --  Ron Mears, 7/19/2008.

Ciudad Juarez has been much in the news in the United States because of its problems with drug gangs and a string of serial killings of young women which has plagued the city for the past 10 years.  Tourism has been severely crippled.  Nevertheless, the city is perfectly safe for tourists, and you will find the people of Juarez to be friendly, helpful, and eager to have your business. 

Many of those who really know Juarez will tell you that the coverage in the American press regarding the city is totally unbalanced.  This writer thinks it might even border on being a crime against humanity,  considering the millions of tourism dollars which have been lost, not to mention the injustice of labeling an entire population of two million good people as "The City of Death". 

If you are in El Paso, you should definitely go downtown and walk across the bridge at the end of El Paso street. As you descend the bridge you will find yourself on Avenida Juarez.  The next half a mile is a dizzying array of shops, bars, restaurants, casas de cambio (money exchange), music stores, and pharmacies.  The sound of Mexican music and the smell of spicy food fills the air.  All of your senses will come alive at once.  Need a pair of glasses?  You can get a pair there for as little as $60 including eye exam.  Even a pair with transitional lenses will only be about $120.  Contact lenses are comparably priced. Bridal gowns are sold for as little as $250-$450.  Hungry?  You will see the world famous Martino restaurant on your right soon after you cross the bridge, but don't overlook the small mom and pop stands if you just want a delicious burrito and a coke for less than $4 or Tacos Lucas at Ignacio Mejia and Ave. Juarez, a nice little nothing fancy restaurant which serves delicious dinner plates for about $5.  Leather goods are a great buy --- anything from boots to belts to purses.

Eventually, you will come to Avenida 16 de Septiembre, which marks the end of the Avenida Juarez commerical district.  Across the street on the southeast corner you will see a red brick building which now houses the Museum of History, which is free to visit.  For years this building was the Customs House, but it has a much richer history than just the collecting of tarrifs.  It hosted the first meeting between Mexican and American Presidents on October 16, 1906 when Presidente Porfirio Diaz hosted a banquet for President William H. Taft in the Central Hall.  Also, not many people know it, but the final battle of the Mexican Revolution was fought on these streets, and in May, 1911, the treaties giving victory to the revolution were signed here.  The legendary Pancho Villa played a large role in the seige of the city.

If you look to the right at this intersection you will see the Catedral and, beside it, the Mission de Guadalupe.  In front of them is a small park which is full of people of all ages every day.  The older people come to visit, and the younger people come mostly to flirt or meet their novios y novias (boyfriends and girlfriends).  Everyone comes to people watch.  Friends have told me Billy the Kid liked to girl watch there on Sunday mornings when he was in town, back when Juarez was just a big village.

If you walk to the left about four blocks on Ave. 16 de Septiembre you will come to the City Market, a large two story building full of every kind of Mexican craft and artwork you can imagine.  The merchants pine for the "old days" when the market was so crowded on weekends with tourists one could barely move around.  Now, sadly, it is almost never crowded.  There are four or five good restaurants in front of the market and the ever present strolling musicians.  Visitors usually take the opportunity to enjoy a beer or two at this point.  If you are a little tired by now, there are taxis there to take you back to bridge for only $5. 

El Paso with it's 750,000 people and Ciudad Juarez with its population of a million and a half form the largest border community on earth.  Juarez offers the visitor great restaurants, good shopping values, and a chance to experience a vibrant Mexican culture just across the bridge from the US.  Don't be frightened by the bad press. Unless you have come to corner a piece of the cocaine market or to indulge in some other shady endeavor, there is nothing to fear in Ciudad Juarez.  For more information you can visit the Juarez Tour Guide web site.