Tourists bask on a battlefield as drug gangs fight over Mexican resort town

Bright yellow police tape fluttered in the breeze outside a restaurant just off the main strip in the Mexican resort town of Tulum, as the lights of a nearby police truck flashed blue and red.

The attack made headlines around the world. But within days, the scene on Centaura Sur Street was back to normal: on a recent evening, restaurants were packed and the aromatic smell of the copal incense burned by street traders filled the air.

The violence is not restricted to Tulum. Last month, guests at a resort 100km up the coast near Canc?n rushed for cover after masked gunmen stormed a hotel beach by boat and opened fire, killing two suspected rivals.

Tourists still flock to Tulum, drawn by its yoga retreats and Instagram-friendly white sand beaches and ancient Mayan ruins. The town, which in 2017 declared itself the world yoga capital, is also a fixture on the global DJ circuit.

A US firefighter was kidnapped from a resort and killed in July, while two Mexicans were killed and an American woman was wounded in June when gunmen opened fire from jet skis. Visitors from Spain, Belize and Uruguay have also been killed.

Tourists appear mostly oblivious to the rising strife, as they often do not stay for long, but locals describe an atmosphere of fear and mistrust.

Hoteliers have blamed growing demand for narcotics on a boom in festivals and parties, which continued throughout the pandemic.

One bar worker said establishments face a choice of paying protection money, permitting drug sales on their premises, or shutting down