Fires burned through Puerto Vallarta as Jalisco New Generation cartel members responded after Mexican special forces killed their leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho," in a drug operation on Sunday morning.
"It was a great day for the good guys yesterday, because the Mexican president finally took it to them," said former Drug Enforcement Administration Deputy Administrator Jack Riley.
The operation led to the deaths of at least 70 people, most in the Mexican state of Jalisco, where "El Mencho" was taken down. Supporters across the country created chaos and fear by blocking highways and setting fire to vehicles, gas stations and banks from the northern border to the southern one.
The operation was carried out entirely by the Mexican armed forces, but with intelligence help from the United States. The U.S. Embassy ordered Americans vacationing in certain parts of Mexico to shelter in place.
"What happened yesterday is good news for communities on both sides of the border," said Consul General of Mexico Ambassador Reyna Torres Mendivil.
Riley, who was involved in the 2016 capture of Sinaloa cartel kingpin "El Chapo," who is now in U.S. custody, offered his insight.
"For the next couple of days, it's going to be a little dicey," Riley said. "His organization, much like Chapo and Sinaloa, really had tentacles everywhere and cells everywhere, and that's why you saw it light up."
Former Illinois state representative's rental vehicle burned
Former Illinois state Rep. Yoni Pizer is in Puerto Vallarta and says on Sunday morning, he, his husband and their two friends had their rental vehicle set on fire after they were ordered out at gunpoint.
"A young man was running towards us, and my friend in the backseat yelled, 'He's got a gun! He's got a gun!'" Pizer said.
As the area descended into chaos, Pizer said, they ran and he made it out and into a stranger's car.
"The driver yelled out in Spanish, 'Get in the car!' And so, he just threw open his car door. I hopped in," Pizer said.
ABC7 producer in Puerto Vallarta amid violence
ABC7 producer among Chicagoans witnessing cartel violence in Mexico
ABC7 producer John Klein is on vacation in Puerto Vallarta and says he feels safer on Monday, because most of the city is shut down now.
"And I've been coming to Puerto Vallarta for, gosh, 10, 15 years now. And nothing like this has ever happened before here," Klein said.
All of the airports in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara are open as of Monday evening, but passengers said it was an ordeal to get out.
Antonio Flores managed to get back to Chicago on Monday after the violence caused delays and forced airlines to cancel many flights.
"It was so scary. It was so scary. We had a family party yesterday, and everything was canceled," Flores said.
Chicagoans scramble to get home as chaos causes travel delays
Mexico tourists scramble to get home to Chicago amid cartel violence
Burned-out buses were left abandoned on Puerto Vallarta roadways, as helicopters hover over the popular tourist destination.
Heriberto Ibarra was stuck in traffic behind a burning bus for 10 hours as he tried to get to the airport on Sunday.
"It was a very chaotic 36 hours for us, because we left Puerto Vallarta in the morning. We feel blessed and lucky. I want to go home and hug my kids," Ibarra said.
Gerardo Cavada was able to make it back to Chicago on Monday afternoon after many hours waiting at the airport.
"We are so happy to be here again, because we were stuck in Guadalajara Airport for 24 hours. No place to go," Cavada said.
Brookfield native Jennifer Keltner took pictures from her hotel window in Puerto Vallarta on Sunday.
Video from Keltner shows dark plumes of smoke among what is normally the picturesque western coast of Mexico.
Keltner described what the unrest has been like as suspected cartel members torched buses and businesses and blocked highways.
"I woke up to gunfire and bombs," she told ABC7. "I thought it was cloudy, but I looked over, and there's sun in some parts, and I looked, and there was just fire everywhere. It's just frightening. I even saw them pull people out of cars and throw bombs in there and everything so it's a little frightening."
Keltner's flight back to Chicago was scheduled for 3:10 p.m. Monday to return to Chicago. Her main concern has been how she would get to the airport.
Aside from being a major vacation destination for Chicagoans, Puerto Vallarta is also home to a number of former Midwesterners who got tired of the cold winters.
Armando Almendarez moved there from Chicago several years ago, when he retired. He says he has never seen anything like this.
"There's, hey, significant loss of income. Destruction of property. People being dragged out of cars and buses set on fire," Almendarez said.
ABC7 has also spoken with a number of people who had vacations planned for Puerto Vallarta and other Mexican destinations. Many of them are reconsidering right now.
"We just kind of looked at each other and just thought about it, like, we just don't want to take the chance of maybe it not being OK, and then we're really stuck paying for a trip that we can't go on," said Dionna Plywacz, who canceled her plans.
Chicagoans forced to cancel Guadalajara wedding
Kaity Bucaro and Robbie Morris, of Chicago's River North neighborhood, had to cancel their wedding, which was scheduled to take place in Guadalajara on Friday.
"One-hundred and fifty people are about to get on a plane in the next two, three days. Our flight was tomorrow morning," Bucaro said.
The couple now needs help to marry in Chicago on Friday.
"All we really need is a place to do that, and so we can be surrounded by our friends and family," Bucaro said.
At Chicago O'Hare International Airport, flights to Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara were delayed on Monday morning. But as of Monday evening, Windy City Travel said flight schedules have begun to normalize, and barring further violence in Mexico, there should be fewer cancellations from here on out.
"Peace has been restored in many many places. There are no more road blockades for example. Airports are operating. Some of them, like the one in Jalisco partially, but they are expecting it to be fully operating for tomorrow," Mendivil said.
The ambassador also cautioned people from paying too much attention to social media, saying the cartels are actively engaged in a campaign of misinformation. Mendivil directed anyone with concerns about the situation in Mexico to official sources.
The crisis hotline by the Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago is 1 (888) 755 5511.
The U.S. State Department's 24/7 crisis hotline is 202-501-4444. If you need to reach them from within the U.S. or from Canada, call 888-407-4747.