Whack-a-mole drug war vs. ¡Viva México!: Anglo Expats unfazed by Mexico's encroaching drug war

A look at how U.S. and Canadian expats living in Mexico view the drug war. The journalist talks to some of the 20,000 in Lake Chapala in Jalisco state. This expat editor lives near Lake Pátzcuaro, in Michoacán state, a  few hours drive southeast of Chapala. In the Pátzcuaro area there are maybe 200 or so expats spread around the countrysides. Conversations with our acquaintances indicate that they hold pretty much the same range of opinions reflected in this article. 

Anglos unfazed by Mexico's encroaching drug war - USATODAY.com: Ajijic (pronounced Ah-hee_HEEK), Jalisco, Mexico"John McWilliams traded a Victorian home in Galveston, Texas, 13 years ago for a bed-and-breakfast in this village of cobblestone streets and later a three-bedroom abode overlooking Lake Chapala, where an estimated 20,000 U.S. and Canadian expatriates — split roughly equally between the two nationalities — reside during the winter months.

He also traded insecurity for tranquility, having suffered three robberies back in Texas. Even with Mexico's organized-crime violence now encroaching on the region, McWilliams and his partner of 40 years, Earl French, maintain, 'We feel safer here than there.'

McWilliams and French formed part of a foreign relocation wave in which retirees began moving to Mexico, taking advantage of the cheaper prices, idyllic climate and welcoming local culture."