TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A husband and wife from Arizona found themselves sheltering in place in Guadalajara, Mexico, after cartel-related violence broke out during what was supposed to be a short trip to celebrate a wedding.
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Pedro and Maria Elias were asleep in their Guadalajara hotel room when much of the widespread violence began, and first learned of the unrest through news coverage.
READ MORE: Mexican army kills leader of powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel
"It started around seven in the morning, right? Around dawn, Sunday dawn was when it started," Pedro said.
"It was really bad, they were burning shops, trucks, cars, that is, everything they found in their path, they burned everything," Maria said.
Their hotel was located in a popular area of Guadalajara. When they stopped seeing people on the streets, they knew things got even worse.
"Everything was empty. The streets were empty, no cars passed by, there were no people, everything was closed, all the stores, everything," Maria said.
The couple says even hotel staff left.
"They went to evacuate with their families, so there was no longer any room service and they also closed the restaurants. That's when we were left without food," Pedro said.
The couple did not know when they would have another opportunity to eat, until a stranger shared a sandwich with them.
"He gave it to me, thank God. We split it and that afternoon we ate. Thanks to him, we didn't go to bed without eating," Pedro said.
With a "Code Red" in effect, they were told not to leave. By Monday, traffic slowly began returning, and so did their hope of getting home.
Pedro and Maria left for Guanajuato, their home state, with other family members who had also been in Guadalajara for the wedding.
"We were a small caravan of six cars," Pedro said.
Even then, they say the drive was not simple.
"Something was still burning—a blockade. And then we all had to turn back, all the traffic had to turn back," Pedro said.
Forced to take a detour, the family was unsure of what they might encounter next.
"We were afraid, but thank God we arrived safely," Pedro said.
The couple says staying safe in Mexico starts with being aware of your surroundings.
"Just stay in the busy places, don't walk in isolated areas, do what you are going to do and take care of yourself," Pedro said.
Pedro and Maria say they are spending more time with family in Guanajuato before flying back to their Arizona home in about a week.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
