Sunbathers in Acapulco, Mexico appear to be getting used to dead bodies being washed up on the beach.
Acapulco used to be a glamorous tourist attraction, but that notoriety has declined due to violence from drug cartels.
Nowadays, a visit to the gorgeous beaches of Acapulco may include a washed-up body attached to a cement block.
Shocked tourists and local beach-goers took cell phone videos of the dead bodies of men who were butchered and tortured, and were washed up on a popular beach, Playa Condesa.
Once again, a pleasant day in the sun includes a frightening reminder of the violence from brutal Mexican drug cartels in the Mexican state.
Online images and videos show that on Saturday, one corpse was sprawled on the sand with its face up as tourists stood nearby staring, and others continued their day in the water and sun as if nothing strange was happening.
Another victim was found on the Condesa beach with its hand and foot attached to a cement block, in classic mafia or drug cartel style.
Tourists alerted police and the bodies were removed, but authorities kept the beach open.
A third man’s body was discovered on Sunday at a nearby beach. Navy agents discovered it a couple of miles from Icacos beach, which is close to a military base. The victim had been shot multiple times in the back of his neck.
Acapulco is one of the oldest beach attractions in Mexico, and it was once a thriving tourist destination. From the 1940s and through the 1960s, it was a vacation spot for many celebrities, including Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and Brigitte Bardot, who stayed in Acapulco’s fashionable hotels.
Today, Acapulco’s glamorous reputation is a thing of the past as the city has become a stage for drug cartel violence. In 2019, Acapulco was considered one of the deadliest cities in the world, coming in at number seven.
In 2016, 918 murders were recorded in Acapulco, making it the city with the highest homicide rate in the world.
Between January and April 2022, the city recorded 120 murders.
Last year, the US issued a travel advisory regarding the Mexican state of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located, warning American citizens that the state had huge levels of crime and violence.
The ‘Do Not Travel’ advisory by the State Department stated that armed gangs continued to operate in most of the state, often putting up roadblocks, and have been violent and threatening towards travelers. It specifically warned Americans not to travel to Acapulco, among other areas in Mexico.
Murders and violence in Acapulco are so common that locals and visitors have become accustomed to going on with their day, practically ignoring murdered corpses.
Because of the high homicide rates in the city, fewer international tourists are flocking to Acapulco these days.
