NUEVO PROGRESO — It was a regular afternoon in Mexico for Armando Saldana. He got his boots shined, a hair cut and had lunch with friends over the weekend.
Despite warnings from the U.S. government not to travel in certain parts of Mexico, Winter Texans and area residents still feel safe in Nuevo Progreso.
“I went to go visit my aunt that has a store and bought some stuff,” said Saldana, a Mercedes resident.
Saldana said the city was packed with a lot of tourists on Saturday.
Saldana walked across the border with friends.
“I saw soldiers walking around with machine guns down the street,” Saldana said. “That kind of freaked me out.”
Tourists continue to travel into the border town to eat, shop and have a good time — all with the Mexican military on guard.
On Sunday, Winter Texans staying in San Benito were in Nuevo Progreso celebrating a birthday.
They were line dancing and enjoying their visit, having a good time.
But 50 miles east in the border town of Matamoros, Mexico, a series of gun battles had occurred.
Over the weekend, eight people including a 13-year-old girl were killed in a string of shootouts between gunmen and security forces. The gun battle caused panic in the border city across from Brownsville, authorities said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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