The advisory's own wording for the capital is that both violent and non-violent crime occur throughout the city, and that extra caution is warranted at night outside the tourist areas where police patrol more. The State of Mexico, which surrounds the capital, is also Level 2 and adds kidnapping to its reasons, which is why pilgrims are advised to stay within the city proper. The threats a pilgrim actually meets are pickpocketing on crowded Metro cars, phone snatching, overcharging by unlicensed taxis and, less often, express kidnapping from a street-hailed cab.
The Villa de Guadalupe sits in the Gustavo A. Madero borough north of the center, a working-class area; the basilica precinct is policed and busy from the 6:00 a.m. opening to 9:00 p.m., and the streets of stalls around it are safe in daylight. Walk inside the atrium and the main avenues, Calzada de Guadalupe and Calzada de los Misterios, not the side streets after dark. The Metro to La Villa-Basílica (Line 6) or Deportivo 18 de Marzo (Line 3) is fine by day; the earlier page on visiting the basilica independently covers that route.
Practical rules: carry a copy of the passport and leave the original in the hotel safe; use ATMs inside banks; drink bottled water; register in STEP for embassy alerts; and keep valuables out of sight on the Metro. Altitude, 7,350 feet (2,240 m), tires visitors more than crime does. Avoid the Villa on December 11 to 12 unless the crowd is the point. The advisory changes; check travel.state.gov before departure.