Last week the United States told its citizens not to visit five violence-ridden Mexican states, placing them on the same warning level given to war-torn Somalia, Afghanistan and Syria.
The State Department's newest travel advisory for Mexico included "do not travel" warnings for the northeastern border state of Tamaulipas and the Pacific coast states of Colima, Guerrero, Michoacan and Sinaloa. The advisory gave the states its highest-risk Category 4 warning, the same classification the U.S. has given conflict-racked nations such as Libya and Yemen.
Violence has been on the rise across Mexico in recent years. Last year, the nation recorded more homicides than in any year since the government began releasing statistics in 1997. But the bloodshed has been concentrated in certain areas.
Here is a breakdown of what is happening in each of the five Mexican states on the State Department's list _ and why the U.S. thinks citizens should stay away.
