Mexico - May 2026

Mexico is known worldwide for its archaeological sites. One of its most famous, the Teotihuacán pyramids and ruins, hit the headlines for the wrong reasons on 20 April, when a gunman opened fire on tourists, killing one and injuring over a dozen more. The attack, seemingly perpetrated by a lone assailant without apparent links to established criminal groups, is highly unusual in a country that more often suffers from widespread drug cartel violence. The incident has raised questions around the security protocols in place at Mexico’s major tourist attractions, coming just months before the country is set to welcome over 5m tourists for the Fifa football World Cup in June.

A lone gunman opened fire from atop the Pirámide de la Luna, Teotihuacán’s second-largest pyramid, killing a Canadian tourist and injuring 13 other foreign tourists. As of 21 April, eight of those injured had been discharged from hospital while five were still receiving medical treatment. Local authorities confirmed that the gunman, identified as Mexican national Julio César Jasso Ramírez, had killed himself after being pursued and injured by the national guard (GN).

Despite Mexico’s high levels of violence, the shooting stands out given it was not carried out by cartels but perpetrated by a lone gunman unaffiliated with established criminal groups. Authorities have reported finding materials related to the notorious Columbine school shooting, which took place in the US state of Colorado on 20 April 1999, exactly 27 years prior to the Teotihuacán attack. Recent months have seen other lone wolf style attacks in Mexico, one in a school in Michoacán state and another in a school in Mexico City (CDMX). While a potential rise in imitations of this style of attack would be a concern, these kinds of incidents remain very rare in Mexico.

Of greater concern, perhaps, is what the attack says about security at Mexico’s archaeological sites and tourist attractions more widely. In a statement released on 22 April, the union of art restorers (Sinar) of the national anthropology and history institute (Inah), the government institution in charge of Teotihuacán and other archaeological and cultural sites, stated that budget cuts had resulted in a reduction of security personnel and equipment at such sites. “What happened yesterday is not an isolated incident, it is the consequence of years of budgetary inattention to the cultural sector,” said Sinar about the shooting.

The Inah rejected Sinar’s claims. It said that resources dedicated to security at archaeological sites and museums had in fact increased this year. According to Inah, M$296.7m (US$16.9m) is now available for surveillance services at such sites, which it said was more than the previous year. It added that Teotihuacán received investment of M$30m to improve infrastructure for visitors this year, including the installation of metal detectors at the site’s five entry points. On 22 April, Inah announced that Teotihuacán had reopened to the public and received 1,500 visitors – 75% of typical visitor numbers for the day. It said that bag inspections and security patrols were also taking place.

Concerns around tourist safety are particularly high given that Mexico is due to host 13 World Cup matches in June. Both President Claudia Sheinbaum and her public security minister, Omar García Harfuch, have insisted that the safety of those attending the World Cup is “guaranteed”. This is not the first time that the government has had to assuage concerns about Mexico’s hosting of the World Cup, with violence following the death of a major drug kingpin in February, which centred on one of the host cities, sparking similar worries [SSR-26-04].

Survivors

All those injured in the attack were foreign tourists – six US nationals, three Colombians, one Brazilian, one Russian, one Dutch, and one Canadian. Two children, aged six and 13, were among those injured.