MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities announced stepped-up security at tourist attractions after a lone gunman opened fire on visitors atop one of the pyramids at Teotihuacan on Monday, killing a Canadian tourist and injuring about a dozen others.
The shooting took place at the UNESCO World Heritage Site roughly an hour from Mexico City, raising fresh safety concerns less than two months before Mexico co-hosts the FIFA World Cup with the United States and Canada. Teotihuacan had been expected to draw many World Cup visitors; local officials had recently advocated resuming a nighttime light show on the pyramids that was suspended during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
President Claudia Sheinbaum said the archaeological site lacked screening measures that might have prevented the attack and described the incident as unprecedented in such a public and historic space. She said investigators believe the shooter was influenced by events outside Mexico, citing the 1999 Columbine massacre as an example.
Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch ordered an immediate increase in protection at archaeological zones and major tourist destinations. Planned measures include a larger National Guard presence, tighter security checks at key sites and enhanced surveillance intended to detect and prevent threats to residents and visitors.
The attack undermines government efforts to present Mexico as increasingly safe ahead of the World Cup. Sheinbaum has pointed to falling homicide figures and the removal of several cartel leaders as signs of progress. Still, a surge in cartel‑related violence in Guadalajara in February following the killing of a top cartel boss heightened domestic and international concern about Mexico’s ability to guarantee safety for tournament spectators.
Authorities already plan major security deployments for the World Cup, promising some 100,000 personnel concentrated in host cities including Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, supported by military vehicles, aircraft, drones and secure perimeters around stadiums and airports. FIFA declined to comment on the Teotihuacan shooting, noting it generally does not address incidents away from tournament venues.
Security analyst David Saucedo said the attack will amplify negative perceptions of safety in Mexico and could undermine the government’s narrative of improving security. He cautioned that concentrating forces on high‑profile tourist areas for the World Cup risks diverting resources from other violence‑plagued regions and could overstretch public safety agencies.