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World Cup co-host Mexico ramps up security at tourist sites after shooting

Mexico’s government said it was bolstering security at tourist sites after a man opened fire on tourists at pyramids outside Mexico City less than two…

By Samantha Johnson / April 22, 2026

Mexico’s government said it was bolstering security at tourist sites after a man opened fire on tourists at pyramids outside Mexico City less than two months before the Fifa World Cup.

The Monday shooting, carried out by a lone gunman on top of one of the Teotihuacan pyramids – a Unesco World Heritage Site and one of Mexico’s most frequented tourist attractions – killed one Canadian tourist and injured a dozen more.

It also set off a flurry of questions the next morning by reporters to Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum about what security protocols her government was taking ahead of the sports competition, which Mexico would jointly host with the United States and Canada over the summer.

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The unexpected act of violence came as Sheinbaum’s government had gone to great lengths to project an image of safety ahead of the football competition, following a surge of cartel violence in February in the World Cup host city of Guadalajara.

On Tuesday, Sheinbaum acknowledged that the archaeological site lacked security filters to prevent the attack in part, she said, because the shooting “was an isolated incident” that has not occurred before in such a public space.

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While Mexico suffers from cartel violence, especially in strategic and rural areas, mass shootings in public spaces were rare in Mexico compared to the US, where it was much easier to legally obtain a gun.

The gunman who opened fire on tourists on Monday. Photo: Barak Hardley via Reuters
The gunman who opened fire on tourists on Monday. Photo: Barak Hardley via Reuters

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