by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:15 AM ET, Wed April 22, 2026
Following the shooting that occurred on top of one of the pyramids at Teotihuacan in Mexico, the government of Mexico is stepping up security at tourist sites as the nation prepares to host part of the FIFA World Cup in less than two months.
The shooting occurred on Monday at the UNESCO World Heritage Site near Mexico City, killing a Canadian tourist and injuring a dozen more tourists from several countries. According to ABC News, the perpetrator, who was Mexican, was inspired by American mass shooting events.
The government was quick to respond, with President Claudia Sheinbaum saying, “Our obligation as a government is to take the appropriate measures to ensure that a situation like this does not happen again. But clearly, we all know — Mexicans know — that this is something that had not previously taken place.”
Mexico’s Security Secretary, Omar García Harfuch, told reporters he was taking measures to increase security around archaeological sites and major tourist destinations, including the presence of the Mexican National Guard.
Mexico was recently in the news back in February for another incident in which gang-led violence made global headlines. Following that incident, the country deployed 100,000 security forces across the country, with heavy presence in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, where the FIFA Cup will be held.
Some experts, however, wonder whether Mexico’s security forces are stretched thin ahead of the global event.
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