During the cartel crime wave, investment continued in Juarez and trade increased.

FORBES: Why Is Mexico's Murder City Attracting Investors?

The most dramatic part of the story unfolded over the last dozen years, as the caviar cartel collapsed and poachers, entrepreneurs and organized crime rushed in to fill the void.

FORBES: Caviar Emptor

"If I pitted Chicago's traditional organized crime group against Guzman and the Sinaloa Cartel, it wouldn't be a fight, " Riley said.

CNN: Chicago's new Public Enemy No. 1: 'El Chapo'

But after more than six years of continuous anti-cartel operations, the traditional strongholds of the embattled organized crime groups have become the most violent and least stable parts of the country.

FORBES: Connect

Mexico's government uses evidence at the crime scene such as decapitations or a sign left by an alleged cartel to distinguish crimes linked to the drug gangs from common murders.

WSJ: Mexico Drug Violence Shows Decline

With kidnappings, drug cartel shootouts and other violent crime pervasive in parts of Mexico, the tourism industry has taken a hit, although popular destinations like Cancun are so well-protected that problems are rare.

NPR: Woman's Jailing In Mexico Highlights Tourist Risks