Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - On January 9, 2014, the US State Department updated its July 2013 travel warning to Mexico, making few essential changes but in an extremely detailed rundown getting even more specific about what to worry about where.

The good news for tourists is that, as in past warnings, most popular vacation destinations - including Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit, Cancun, the Riviera Maya, Mexico City, Los Cabos, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Merida, Chichen Itza, Huatulco, and Oaxaca - 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 that "millions of US 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 makes a considerable effort to protect US citizens and other visitors to major tourist destinations, and there is no evidence that Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) have targeted US visitors and residents based on their nationality. Resort areas and tourist destinations in Mexico generally do not see the levels of drug-related violence and crime reported in the border region and 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. Crime and violence remain serious problems throughout the state of Chihuahua, particularly in the southern portion of the state and in the Sierra Mountains, including Copper Canyon. U.S. citizens do not, however, appear to be targeted based on their nationality.

3. Defer non-essential travel to the state of Nuevo Leon, except the metropolitan area of Monterrey where you should exercise caution.

4. Mazatlan is exempt from the travel warning for its state, Sinaloa, but the State Department advises Americans to "exercise caution particularly late at night and in the early morning... We recommend that any other travel in Mazatlan be limited to Zona Dorada and the historic town center, as well as direct routes to/from these locations and the airport."

5. Matamoros, Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo, and Ciudad Victoria have experienced grenade attacks in the past year, as well as numerous reported gun battles.

6. In Acapulco, defer non-essential travel to areas further than 2 blocks inland of the Costera Miguel Aleman Boulevard, which parallels the popular beach areas. In general, the popular tourist area of Diamante, just south of the city, has been less affected by violence.

7. Defer all non-essential travel to areas of Zacatecas near the border with other Mexican states. Extreme caution should be taken when traveling in the remainder of the state. Of particular safety concern are casinos, sportsbooks, or other gambling establishments and adult entertainment establishments.

To read the U.S. Department of State's full Mexico Travel Warning Report, issued on January 9, 2014, click HERE.