Well....these systems of driving are used elsewhere in the world as well, not just Latin America. To some extent they include the shared understanding--shared by everyone but us foreigners--that motorcycles, like bicycles and pedestrians, really just need to take full responsibility for their own safety. That means if a truck, bus or taxi want to pass they'll often do so even when that means taking up the same space in the roadway that I'm currently occupying. My responsibility is to make this possible for them, or to understand that I'm likely to pay the consequences. My choice, freely taken.

In parts of Africa it's far more extreme. There, the assumption is that the bike or pedestrian will dive off the road into the bushes if necessary to allow oncoming traffic to pass at will. No one even considers for an instant the possibility that I might not like this, or that oncoming traffic might chose otherwise. Think I'm exaggerating? Uh Uh. I've been pushed off the road--actually I was once even knocked to the ground by a bus which came up behind me--but no one but myself seemed to think I had any reason at all to get offended. Why didn't I get out of the way? Don't I know how to drive?

In Latin America it's generally more benign; for the most part people pass only when they think there's room for me to squeeze by. For the most part, in fact, they're correct and there really IS room....provided I'm willing to pass within inches at closing speeds which I find terrifying. On the other hand, contrary to Mike's assertion they sometimes assume that I can use a ribbon of soft shoulder to do so, like the tiny, slow-moving local bikes do. They don't really get the fact that I'm going far to fast to hit a soft shoulder at speed. But mostly they're just trying to do what it takes to get along, helping each other out whenever possible.

I still don't find Latin American drivers as bad as they're often portrayed; they're far more cooperative about their driving than, say, American or Canadians. Plus I sure do miss being able to pass at will, use both sides of the road, lane split, ride on sidewalks, and in other respects fully utilize the unique capabilities of my bike.

As to the OP's situation, I often found closed roads in Central and South America. If I worried about robbery and fled the country every time I hit a crudely-indicated desvio I'd have died of adrenal stress long ago. But I wasn't there, don't know what the vibe felt like, and I try not to second guess too overtly. I sure have backed out of situations which didn't feel right to me, and I'll sure do it again when that feels like the right thing to do. Just don't let it become the model for your entire trip.

enjoy,

Mark

edit to add: I agree with Michelle (as usual) that on local roads other drivers do not expect us to be able to move at high speed. They are accustomed to little overloaded mopeds and Chinese pieces of junk, not great big gringo bikes. For me, the key has been to never ACT like a little moped or a Chinese piece of junk. I do not ride on the far right, and I keep my headlight on. Facing oncoming traffic, I weave a bit, and I make a point of taking up my whole lane; I want to establish for everyone's benefit that I'm not what they might think I am, that I don't fit the ordinary categories, that I'm probably not going to act the way they might otherwise assume I will. This helps more than you'd think.