Americans used to flock to the city, but now largely avoid it. In 2005, a banner year for tourism, some four million people visited Tijuana.  Last year, the number dropped to around 400,000. Residents, too, are fleeing in fear. 

Worldfocus correspondent John Larson, producer Bryan Myers and field producers Megan Thompson and Ivette Feliciano explore Tijuana, beginning in a hospital that not only treats the victims of drug violence, but that operates in fear that its own people will get caught in the battle.

While many Mexicans would be revolted by the grisly murders, there is also a popular subculture that celebrates this sort of violence.

Worldfocus correspondent John Larson, producer Bryan Myers and field producer Ivette Feliciano report on “narco” culture. Megan Thompson shot the piece.

One Tijuana business owner who refuses to be named, pictured or recorded without voice modification tells the story of how he was kidnapped by organized crime and ransomed to his family.

There is also the growing problem of people simply vanishing. Known as the “disappeared,” Mexico’s kidnapping victims are often never heard from again — 97 percent of the country’s kidnapping cases go unsolved by police.

Worldfocus correspondent John Larson, producer Bryan Myers and field producers Megan Thompson and Ivette Feliciano report from Tijuana.

Teodoro Eduardo García Simental, “El Teo,” is a major player in Tijuana’s drug war, a larger-than-life figure who has escaped the law and left gruesome corpses in his wake.

Worldfocus correspondent John Larson, producer Bryan Myers and field producers Megan Thompson and Ivette Feliciano spend five days in Tijuana, where life in El Teo’s reach is surrounded by death.

Police search bags for drugs and weapons in Mexico.

Mexican drug trafficking organizations represent the “greatest organized crime threat” to the United States, according to a recent government report [PDF]. Traffickers wield influence in the U.S. drug market and are working increasingly with U.S. drug gangs.

Last week, an American security consultant was kidnapped in Mexico.

Drug-related violence has killed more than 5,300 people so far this year in Mexico. KPBS and TijuanaPress.com recently launched “Border Battle,” an interactive Web feature on drug violence on the U.S.-Mexico border and its impact on San Diego.

Blogger “Jim Baca” of New Mexico argues that Mexico’s problem is also America’s and encourages U.S. action.

Earlier this month, the U.S. released $197 million in anti-drug aid as part of the $1.3 billion “Merida Initiative” package.

Citizen journalist “Lewis Guess” writes about Mexican victims treated in Texas hospitals, and argues that Mexico — not the U.S. — should be more aggressive in dealing with violence.

The “Harvard International Review” blog says that Mexico has three options: Negotiating with the drug cartels, decriminalizing drugs or increasing military presence in Mexican society.

The “Stairs to Nowhere” blog writes from Tijuana that crossing the border is more nerve-wracking than it used to be, as the federal military has begun checking cars.

Read our previous coverage of drug violence in Mexico.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Prometeo Lucero under a Creative Commons license.

Over 300 people have been killed in the border city in just three months, marking an upturn in violence. Rival drug cartels have turned Tijuana into their battleground.

Rodolfo de la Garza of Columbia University joins Martin Savidge to discuss the risks of using the military to fight the drug war, corruption in the Mexican government and the role of the U.S. in combating the violence.

Below, read what bloggers in Tijuana and elswhere had to say about the city’s turn for the worse.

A blogger at “Stairs to Nowhere” writes from Tijuana about her efforts to retain normalcy amid the violence.

Blogger Deborah Bonello of “Mexico Reporter” writes that in addition to cartel members and police, journalists have been targeted.

The “Across the Border” blog speaks with conflict photographer Eros Hoagland who compares and contrasts violence in Baghdad to that in Tijuana.

In Iraq, it’s estimated that 148 civilians were killed last month, while in Mexico, some 700 people were killed last month.

Blogger “Hugh Hewitt” says that while Iraq is moving towards stability, Mexico is moving away from it, deploring the lack of media coverage of Tijuana.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Brymo under a Creative Commons license.

Crosses commemorate victims of violence — some left unidentified — in Mexico.

On Sunday, seven were killed and three wounded in Tijuana, Mexico – the latest in a chain of deaths from drug-related violence. In the past two weeks, nearly 80 people have been killed in the city — a sign that the drug war is growing.

Many of the victims were members of the Arellano Felix cartel, which dominated the drug scene in Tijuana during the 1990s. Now, rival gangs are competing for control of the city — leaving a trail dead bodies.

Tijuana was once known as a tourist destination for its cheap alcohol and black market for prescription medication. Earlier this month, President Felipe Calderon deployed 20,000 troops in Tijuana, but Mexicans feel no more secure.

Kinsee Morlan, a writer for alternative news Web site “San Diego Citybeat,” is a Tijuana resident living near the site of the latest killings. She writes about the climate of fear surrounding Tijuana in her blog, “Stairs to Nowhere.”

The dead of Tijuana

Violence. Violence. Violence. And more violence in the city where I’ve chosen to live.

And the media reports aren’t nearly as frightening as the reports coming from neighbors and friends.  I don’t think I even want to go into those, but let’s just say I’m officially afraid for the first time. Last night, I got home from Las Vegas at around 11 p.m. and I drove by what I had always considered one of the happiest places in Tijuana, a seafood restaurant called Negrolandia.  The road was blocked off and federal police with their Hummers and machine guns were surrounding the area.  I still have no idea what went down, but I’m sure it was more violence, maybe a few more deaths.  When I pulled up in front of my house, I kept thinking, “What if a cartel caravan drives by, or what if the police chase the cartel up my street?”

All the murders so far seem to be obviously drug related. The dead are reportedly victims of a power struggle between different factions.  I’ve been told it’s the cartel from Sinaoloa trying to take over the drug trade in TJ since the Arellano Felix Cartel has been weakened due to arrests of top members.  I have no idea if this is really what’s happening, as I’m partly going off what I’ve heard and partly relying on what little I’ve allowed myself to read (if I get too caught up in reading about the violence, my ability to sleep at night will vanish).

Truth is, I don’t want to know too much about the cartel, and after this post, I don’t think I want to write about it at all.

So what can I say?  I’m not going to put my tail between my legs and leave just yet.  I’ll stick it out and hope that the violence mellows before my family comes to celebrate Thanksgiving in Ensenada. What else can I do?

See the original post.

The views expressed by contributing bloggers do not reflect the views of Worldfocus or its partners.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user pies cansados under a Creative Commons license.