MEXICO CITY — Mexico said it would strengthen security at tourist sites after a lone gunman opened fire on visitors atop one of the pyramids at Teotihuacan, killing a Canadian tourist and wounding about a dozen others.
The attack occurred Monday at the UNESCO World Heritage Site roughly an hour from Mexico City, raising questions about safety less than two months before Mexico co-hosts the FIFA World Cup with the United States and Canada. Teotihuacan had been expected to be a major draw for visitors during the tournament; local lawmakers had recently pushed to revive a nighttime light show on the pyramids that was suspended during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
President Claudia Sheinbaum faced reporters about security measures the next morning. She acknowledged the archaeological site lacked filters that might have prevented the attack and described the shooting as “an isolated incident” not previously seen in such a public space. She said investigators believe the shooter was motivated by “outside influences,” citing the 1999 Columbine massacre in Colorado.
Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said security forces were ordered to immediately boost protection at archaeological zones and major tourist destinations. Measures will include increasing the presence of the National Guard, tightening security checks at key sites and enhancing surveillance to detect and prevent threats to citizens and visitors.
The incident undercut the government’s recent efforts to project safety ahead of the soccer competition. Sheinbaum has pointed to falling homicide figures since taking office and the removal of several cartel leaders as signs of progress. But a surge of cartel-related violence in Guadalajara in February — after the killing of a top cartel boss — prompted concern at home and abroad, and renewed scrutiny of Mexico’s ability to guarantee security for World Cup spectators.
Officials have already planned extensive security deployments for the tournament, promising 100,000 security personnel concentrated in host cities Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, along with military vehicles, aircraft, drones and perimeters around stadiums and airports. FIFA declined to comment on the pyramid shooting, noting it typically does not address incidents away from tournament venues.
Security analyst David Saucedo said the Teotihuacan attack amplifies negative perceptions of Mexico’s safety and risks undermining the government’s narrative. He warned that concentrating forces on high‑profile tourist areas for the World Cup could divert resources from other crime‑ridden regions and that public safety agencies may be overstretched.