Oaxaca/Chiapas situation - Important
 

As of this morning, Thursday, June 30th, here is the situation. There is little, if any fuel available, not even through illegal black market sales, in most of Oaxaca and much of Chiapas. The refinery in Salina Cruz, Oaxaca is idle and all the fuel transport trucks are parked. Yesterday, refueling of Pemex stations in Chiapas via the refinery in the south of Veracruz was a failure as the trucks could not pass the highway roadblocks. Major routes have been blocked for quite some time and the situation is critical in supermarkets. Local markets always have food, locally grown produce and meats, fish, etc... available, however big commercial outlets are not stocked. Tapachula, Chiapas had only one Pemex still operating last night at 11pm but it likely is now closed.
Though you might be able to thread your way into this part of Mexico, you will at some point be faced with some major problems.
First, emergency services either do not have fuel and are conserving what little they have.
Second, if you do not speak or understand even passable Spanish, you are at a disadvantage to staying up to date with the local and state situations.
Yesterday, the Mexican Secretary of Government Osorio Chong, clearly stated the threat of using military action to clear the roadblocks if the ongoing dialogs are not providing solutions. This was quickly interpreted as a "sangre y fuego" situation (blood and fire) and the polemics of the events have now been ramped up, considerably.
The next two to three days are going to be crucial in the talks in Mexico City and the states of Oaxaca and Chiapas at the roadblocks. The situation is much more complex than is being reported, local information I get paints it as much more volatile and difficult situation. The military also need to have their plan and supply chains in place before going in or they will be stuck and isolated. Numerous deaths have already occurred and more use of deadly force is a definite possiblity.
I am not being an alarmist, it's that people outside of Mexico and people who are not tapped into Mexican media in Spanish are not getting the full picture.
Food basics are now being offered by the government in order to break the roadblocks but that can also further exacerbate the crisis.
Resupply of fuel to Pemex outlets and restocking stores will be a priority and will take a good 48-72 hours. Traffic, if roadblocks get opened, will be very heavy, mostly transport trucks. There has been no bus service to Oaxaca for days, now.
If you are planing on visiting these areas, give it at least 2 days for things to stabilize once the roadblocks are opened. Depending on how the roadblocks are opened and how much force is used, you might also be best advised to stay away for a week.

Thanks Mike. I've passed the link to your post on to another relevant forum

Ok, great. Thanks. The situation is also deteriorating somewhat in both Guerrero and Michoacan. There are new roadblocks there but fuel and food are ok in those two states for the time being. Military is flying Hercules aircraft into Oaxaca and something will likely happen before Sunday.

Thanks for this info. I have been stuck in Tecun Uman, Guatemala on the Mexican border near Tapachula/Ciudad Hidalgo for the past five days. All the borders beween Guatemala and Mexico have been closed in both directions by Mexican authorities during that time. It appears that they are in the process of reopening now. At the main Ciudad Hidalgo crossing there are perhaps 800 trucks waiting to cross from Guatemala into Mexico.

Thank you all for the info. Diana and I are in Orizaba Ver. and planing to go through Chipas en route to Guatemala. Perhaps we should tour the Yucatan and then into Belize? Hurricanes and monsoons sound better than "Sangre y fuego".

The problems you'll have are carrying enough fuel to get through Oaxaca and Chiapas, knowing the routing via secondary and dirt roads through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. It will be very difficult to get through. You will run the risk of getting stranded without easy access to food and water at some point. Government state stores have been restocked by military airlifts and delivery. But no fuel is available still in Oaxaca and much of Chiapas. Since the state stores were restocked, the government now seems reluctant to take the blockades by military force. This could change quickly, however. I live in Veracruz if you need anything.

Mike Stone: If you can route back around via Belize you can thread your way north along the Gulf coast but Tabasco could become another trouble spot.

The CNTE have now opened some of the roadblocks across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec but only on a limited and timed basis. Traffic is moving slowly through the Isthmus but fuel remains very, very difficult, along with the Guatemalan border. Most of the state run small stores in Oaxaca are carrying basic foodstuffs again, after the military airlift into Oaxaca. This has relieved some of the pressure on the federal government to open the blockades by use of military force. It now could become a waiting game of the government turning public opinion and public force against the CNTE and militants, which could then lead to a massive use of force to "restore" public order. The use of military force against the blockades, however, remains the government's trump card in the whole situation and could be played at any time.
One thing I have found is how little people outside of Mexico understand about this current situation, what is provoking it, and what is really happening. There has been some very good quality reporting in English on the BBC, but it is limited. Most of the quality reporting, balanced and objective reporting, is only available in Spanish.
Suffice to say, there is much more than most people understand about this situation. If anyone is interested, read up on the critiques of the Mexican federal government's educational reform initiative and the other so-called "reforms". The view here, from inside the country, is markedly different from what is often being reported.

We were planning on taking 150D out of Orizaba to 145D to Coatzacoalcos and then on around Yuactan towards Cancun and then Tulum towards Belize. Our TVIP expire late August so we have to keep moving but don't need to hurry. Would holing up in Orizaba for a week be a better idea?

Not neccesarily. Isthmus of Tehuantepec traffic is now open but very, very slow. Mexico-Oaxaca is good to go right through to Oaxaca City. Fuel is the problem. Fuel will likely be moving out of Salina Cruz sometime this week. This is the latest info I have, things can change quick either way. If you go, plan your fueling very carefully and avoid having to buy black market gas. That is a fool's paradise at the best of times. Not sure what the situation is for overlanders at the moto-camp at the moment.

Road conditions in southern Veracruz are bad. Be very careful. Watch for weather patterns "ondas del este" moving through the south via the Yucatan. Extremely hot and humid, fuel is no problem at all. Watch for wheel bending potholes. Coatzacoalcos is more of a sht hole than usual these days, very high crime rate, ask the locals.

Chiapas
 

I just returned yesterday from a 4 day trip up to san Cristobal de las Casas.

On my way up , we had to cross 2 roadblocks : one right after the border . We had to wait for 25 minutes and then we were allowed to pass through , along with all other private vehicles and busses .
The second one was right after Comitan , 10 minutes of waiting and again we were allowed to pass .
Almost all the gas station were closed and the very few open ones, had hundreds of vehicles standing in line .

On my way back south yesterday , there were still the same 2 roadblocks , but no waiting this time .
And most of the gas station were open and working normally .

Veracruz teacher protests anyone might have seen in the news are limited primarily to Xalapa and are regarding the state government and not (yet) related with the Oaxaca situation. Xalapa traffic is headache and pothole filled anyways and you can bypass via Coatepec-Las Trancas or the excellent, but pricey, toll cuota libramiento bypass.

News is carrying reorts of a threatened 3 day blockade beginning at 6am, tomorrow Wednesday, at Minatitlan, Veracruz. Heads up if you are heading south here. Also, heavy rains have created a few more pavement problems.