A friend of mine moved to Mexico. She wanted me to come down and told me one day “It’s really safe, there are guards every where”.
Sorry but I am not convinced.
Same situation here
My son came to me a couple of years ago and said he was going to go with some friends to Mexico and then travel to Brazil for the World Cup - I gave him a hug - he asked what I did that for I said “Well there’s a good chance you won’t come back so I though I would get as many hugs in as I can”. - He didn’t end up going - one of his friends did but it was a corporate trip paid by his boss - my boy couldn’t afford that!
Your intuition is working well; trust it.
Between 1993 and 2000 I would go to Cabo San Lucas once or twice a year.
In 2000 I chose never to go back.
What persuaded me?
I am fluent in Spanish, but don't "look it" and my English has no hint of any foreign origin.
And everywhere I went, I heard stuff hostile to Americans, getting worse each year.
Plus, the few local professional friends we made kept telling us about murders, rapes and abductions of Americans never reported in the local "tourist" press.
No Thank you.