Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - On January 19, 2016, the US State Department updated its May 5, 2015 travel warning to Mexico, making a few essential changes in an extremely detailed rundown that is quite specific about what to worry about where.

The good news for tourists and tourism is that, as in past warnings, most popular vacation destinations - including Puerto Vallarta, the Riviera Nayarit, Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Los Cabos, Merida, Chichen Itza, Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Puebla, and Chiapas - are exempted.

You can read the full travel warning on the State Department website, which is designed to "update information about the security situation and to advise the public of additional restrictions on the travel of U.S. government (USG) personnel."

The state-by-state summary opens with a calming statement: "Millions of United States citizens safely visit Mexico each year for study, tourism, and business, including more than 150,000 who cross the border every day. The Mexican government dedicates substantial resources to protect visitors to major tourist destinations, and there is no evidence that organized criminal groups have targeted U.S. visitors or residents based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime that are reported in the border region or in areas along major trafficking routes."

Some cautionary highlights:

1. Exercise caution in border cities such as Tijuana and Mexicali in the northern state of Baja California, particularly at night.

2. Defer non-essential travel to all parts of the state of Guerrero, except for the cities of Acapulco, Ixtapa, and Zihuatanejo. Travel to Acapulco and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo only by air or cruise ship, exercise caution, and remain in tourist areas.

3. In Oaxaca city, United States citizens should avoid hiking around the auditorium and observatory at El Cerro del Fortin, as foreigners are routinely held up at knifepoint & robbed in that area.

4. Defer non-essential travel to the state of Sinaloa except the cities of Mazatlan, Los Mochis, and the Port of Topolobampo, where you should exercise caution.