The latest travel warning for Mexico, issued by the U.S. State Department on July 12, contained no essential changes or surprises from the last warning that was issued on Nov. 20, 2012.

Still exempt from any warnings or advisories are the tourist destinations of Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, San Miguel de Allende, Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City, the Riviera Nayarit, Oaxaca, Huatulco, Puerto Escondido, Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, Riviera Maya, Tulum, Merida, and Chichen Itza.

As before, the warning continues to caution against nonessential travel to specific areas within 19 of Mexico's 32 states due to continued narcotics-related violence, particularly in areas near the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Pacific coast state of Guerrero continues to deal with problems on its northern and southern borders and travelers are warned away from those areas. The warning cautions visitors to remain within the tourist areas of Acapulco, Ixtapa, Taxco and Zihuatanejo.

The same holds true for Mazatlan in the state of Sinaloa. As in the previous warning, travelers are advised to stay within the Zona Dorada and the historic town center, but to defer nonessential travel within the rest of the state.

Likewise, the State Department said travelers should "exercise caution" in Monterrey and defer nonessential travel to the rest of the state of Nuevo Leon.

The State Department's language followed the same specific style with warnings as targeted as in the November 2012 advisory.

Cities and areas that U.S. citizens should avoid or be particularly vigilant in include Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, Ensenada, Chihuahua City, Torreon, Saltillo, Piedras Negras, Ciudad Acuna, towns in the eastern portions of the state of Mexico, the eastern edge of Sonora, Veracruz and Zacatecas.

Follow Gay Nagle Myers on Twitter @gnmtravelweekly. 

http://www.travelweekly.com/Mexico-Travel/Updated-Mexico-travel-warning-again-excludes-major-tourism-areas/