A Message About Recent Events in Jalisco

Greetings from Jalisco! Everyone at Experience Agave is quite well, and we hope that you are too, wherever you may be.

As a team, we would like to address the civil unrest and widespread arson that occurred in Jalisco on February 22, 2026. We’re aware that there is a lot of misinformation and misunderstanding about what did and did not occur that day, as well as understandable fear and apprehension about visiting Jalisco and Mexico.

In response to the capture (and subsequent death) of the world’s most powerful organized crime boss, his organization unleashed chaos throughout the country, and images from Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta were particularly shocking. 

It was a scary day for those of us who experienced these events up close. Hundreds of people were forced off buses and out of their cars, which were then burned as barricades. Hundreds of businesses (almost all national chain stores) were burned. It was traumatic, and the relative lack of injury or death was in part due to good fortune. But it is relevant that civilian life, homes, and local businesses were never targeted. Of the sixty-plus fatalities, all but one were members of the criminal organization or military. This is, of course, a tragedy unto itself, but it is also different than many of the fictitious narratives circulating. 

Life was largely back to normal in both Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta two days later, after most businesses remained closed for one day. There was, of course, significant property damage to clean up. As during other crises we’ve lived through (the COVID shutdown, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.), our communities have pulled together to make our cities whole again. (We should also mention that our lives and operations in Oaxaca and Colima were entirely unaffected.)

Experience Agave has been working closely with our clients who have tequila tours scheduled this season to accommodate their preferences (continue as planned, reschedule, etc.).

We have been operating our educational agave spirits tours for 17 years, and that experience counts for a lot. While we have never had a single safety or security incident in all those years, we have safety and contingency plans in place for a range of emergencies and eventualities, including civil unrest. In the worst-case scenario, our tour operator insurance policy provides for emergency evacuation. The safety of our guests and staff is always our top priority, and we have weathered crises in the past. We remain committed to working with our current and potential clients to ensure that their experience in Jalisco, whenever it occurs, meets the high standards for which Experience Agave is known.

If you have questions or concerns about the advisability of visiting Jalisco in the near future, we would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you, as people who happily live and work here full-time, without fear or apprehension. Thanks for taking the time to read this. 

Saludos,

Clayton Szczech, Kami Kenna, Estrella Juárez, and Lucie Canuel

Experience Agave