When I went to Mexico in the seventies, and eighties, it was great! I mostly went to the Yucatan, this is the far eastern part of Mexico, the peninsula in the Caribbean.
We would stay, way out in the country, on the beach. Rented a little pelapas hut. This had a stone foundation about 3 feet high, had a stone and concrete floor. The walls and roof were made of sticks, the roof thatched with palm leaves.
Only 200 feet from the ocean, the cool ocean breezes made it cool at night.

You could buy wonderful hammocks there made of cotton. Strung your hammock up and it was sweet dreams at night. Got the light of a candle and a cold Superior beer at your side.
Wake up at 9 am and go to the restaurant right there, order some huevos rancheros. Scrambled eggs with bacon and Mexican spices, cost about $1.20. Great food.
At noon, went skin diving in the crystal waters of the Caribbean.
At dinner time, went to the restaurant and ordered Ceviche. This is the meat of a conch shell, roasted over a mesquite grill. Wonderful fresh food, with a nice cold Superior, Mexican beer. Cost about $1.50.

I have travelled all over Europe, and Canada. Man, the living was easy then in Mexico, good food and beer, and really cheap. Ten times cheaper than Europe.

At night, there in Tulum, there was a Maya pyramid right on the cliff above the ocean. We climbed up there, it was about 100 feet high.
About six of us Gringos would be up there, drinking wine and having a smoke. Under the full moon you could see the bottom of the ocean, 200 yards out to sea. Really a wonderful and magical way to spend some time on God's Green Earth. I loved it.

Back then, 40 years ago, of course there was lots of drug activity in Mexico. Lots of marijuana and some cocaine, but it was all 2,000 miles away! Up on the border at Juarez, and Nuevo Laredo, and Tiujana. No heroin back then.

Sadly, today, there is still the pot and the coke, but also all kinds of heroin, being shipped to the US.
Back then, the drug cartels were all in Columbia.
Today, the violent drug cartels have taken over Mexico. And, there is even major drug activity, shootouts with AK47s etc, right there in the Yucatan. Insane.

So, no, today I would not go back to Mexico. But I had some good times there back in the good old days.