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PinnedUpdated Jack Nicas and Jack Nicas reported from Mexico City.The authorities in Mexico on Monday said they were restoring order to a country on edge after an outbreak of violence that left highways blocked, buildings burned and at least 62 people dead.The nation’s most powerful criminal organization, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, unleashed the chaos across the nation on Sunday after a Mexican military raid killed the group’s leader and the nation’s most wanted cartel boss.Mexico’s defense secretary, Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, said Monday that the authorities located the cartel boss, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, by tracking one of his romantic partners. After Mr. Oseguera met with the partner on Friday, the authorities immediately began planning an operation that they carried out early Sunday morning.That handed President Claudia Sheinbaum — under intense pressure from President Trump to combat the cartels — a momentous decision.Should she attempt to take out Mr. Oseguera and potentially open a new chapter of violence across Mexico less than four months before it co-hosts soccer’s World Cup? Or should she opt to leave Mr. Oseguera at large in a bid to maintain the status quo?Ms. Sheinbaum chose to go after Mr. Oseguera.The Mexican security force operation that left him dead set off a wave of violence that was even wider than expected. In at least a dozen states, Mr. Oseguera’s followers wreaked havoc, attacking security forces, blocking highways and setting fire to supermarkets, banks and vehicles.Airlines and bus companies canceled routes, trapping travelers, including thousands of tourists in beach destinations like Puerto Vallarta. They were told to shelter in place as they watched plumes of smoke rise from the burning city.On Monday, Ms. Sheinbaum said Mexican authorities were operating from a command center to oversee the response. It appeared that the authorities had mostly restored order in cities across the country, though the atmosphere remained tense. Classes and businesses remained closed in some of the hardest-hit areas, and many residents stayed home.Mexican officials said they arrested 70 people and killed 34 suspected cartel members in the chaos on Sunday, while 25 members of the national guard were killed. The dead also included a state prosecutor, a security guard and one civilian, officials said. Local media outlets reported the civilian was a pregnant woman who was caught in a shootout.In a news conference on Monday, General Trevilla said the operation against Mr. Oseguera took place in a forested town of about 20,000 called Tapalpa, which is popular with travelers.Mexican ground forces moved in on Mr. Oseguera’s bunker early Sunday, backed by six helicopters hovering overhead, and immediately took on fire from cartel members, General Trevilla said. Mr. Oseguera and his inner circle fled into a wooded area and Mexican special forces pursued them, he said.“They found him hiding in the brush,” General Trevilla said.Mr. Oseguera’s team opened fire on the government forces and hit a helicopter, he said, forcing it to make an emergency landing at a nearby military installation. Eventually the Mexican forces wounded Mr. Oseguera and two of his bodyguards, he said, and then loaded them on to a helicopter for medical transport, where all three died. Their bodies were later flown to Mexico City.Here’s what else to know:Who is El Mencho? Mr. Oseguera formed the Jalisco cartel just over 15 years ago after he broke away from the rival Sinaloa Cartel. The cartel’s activities include drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and migrant smuggling, and Mr. Oseguera had a reputation for attacks on the security forces and terrorizing communities. The State Department offered a $15 million reward for information leading to his arrest.City on edge: The coastal city of Puerto Vallarta, a popular tourist destination, remained on edge and shrouded in smoke after a day of violence that saw Mexicans and visitors alike huddle inside for safety. At least three cruise ships said they would not make port in the resort city as planned on Monday.Cartel blow: Killing Mr. Oseguera is a major victory for the Mexican authorities, who recently launched a new offensive against drug cartels. It could also help counteract pressure from Mr. Trump, who has threatened military strikes against Mexico if it did not do more to fight cartels.What’s next? The death of Mr. Oseguera dealt a major blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, but few believe it spells the end for the powerful group. The cartel’s survival depends on how quickly it can appoint a successor and close ranks, or if it fragments as internal factions fight for power.Miriam CastilloReporting from Mexico CityMexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday afternoon that there were no reports that any foreigners had been killed or injured during Sunday’s military raid or its aftermath. “Peace and security have been restored in the regions affected by yesterday’s operation in the state of Jalisco,” the ministry said. The U.S. Embassy in Mexico said on Monday that Americans were still urged to shelter in place in Guadalajara, Puerto Vallarta, Ciudad Guzman, Tijuana, Chiapas, and Michoacan until blockades were cleared. The situation has “returned to normal” in Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, and Quintana Roo State, including in the popular tourist destinations of Cancun, Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, the embassy said.David ShortellReporting from Mexico CityJamie Alexander, a Canadian living in the resort city of Puerto Vallarta who works with a vacation rental agency, said he saw groups of people lining up outside small markets and bakeries in the Zona Romántica, the main tourist neighborhood, on Monday morning. “I saw people coming out of the grocery stores with like six loaves of bread,” he said. “What are you doing with six loaves of bread? It’s this sense of urgency that the worst is going to happen.” After the chaos of Sunday, Monday was calm and beautiful — back to normal, Alexander said: “The birds are chirping, the sky is blue, there’s not a sign of any smoke in the sky.” Paulina Villegas VargasReporting from Guadalajara, MexicoMexican authorities were still hauling away charred vehicles from intersections across the city of Guadalajara on Monday afternoon. Most supermarkets, shops and businesses remained shuttered, but a handful of tortilla stores reopened, drawing long lines that snaked down the block. “We are only out here because we have to eat,” said Francisco Martinez, a truck driver, as he waited in line at a tortilla shop. He added that he had not left his home in the past 24 hours, sheltering inside as the violence unfolded.ImageCredit...Paulina Villegas Vargas for The New York TimesMiriam CastilloReporting from Mexico CityMexican officials said that DNA testing on Oseguera’s body confirmed his identity. Other forensic teams have been deployed to Tapalpa, where the military operation to capture him took place, to identify the bodies of other cartel members killed in the raid.ImageCredit...Jose Luis Gonzalez/ReutersAntonio Morales Díaz, the mayor of Tapalpa, the town in a wooded, mountainous area where Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes was found by Mexican special forces on Sunday, said in an interview that he did not know the notorious cartel leader had been staying there. Nor, he said, did he know of Oseguera’s romantic partner, whom authorities had tracked to pinpoint Oseguera’s location.Tapalpa is a tourist destination for those seeking a cabin getaway or hiking in the woods, according to the mayor.“Week after week, we have a large number of visitors who come to this destination,” he said. “And although we know each other very well in the town — the municipality isn’t very big, we’re just over 23,000 inhabitants — we’re used to the presence of strangers and visitors.”Paulina VillegasReporting from Guadalajara, MexicoAt Guadalajara’s city zoo, more than 1,000 visitors from different states were stranded overnight as burning vehicles blocked main roads and violence continued to flare after the death of the leader of a Mexican cartel. Twenty-one buses carrying families and children remained in the lot, guarded by the local police and armed forces as passengers slept inside, unsure if it was safe to leave.On Monday morning, families gathered their belongings and waited for the authorities to escort their buses out of the city. “We came here on an excursion and were left trapped,” said one visitor, Ángeles Martínez. “We were looking at the animals and our phones exploded with news of what was happening outside and it was so scary.”In their initial statement on Sunday, Mexican security forces said that Oseguera and his two guards, all seriously injured in a shootout with authorities, had died en route to Mexico City. But on Monday, Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, Mexico’s defense secretary, offered different details. He said that the men died while being transported by helicopter from Tapalpa, a town in Jalisco state, to a medical facility in Guadalajara. After they died — and to avoid any further violence from Oseguera’s cartel in Guadalajara — Trevilla Trejo said that the military decided to fly the bodies of Oseguera and his two guards instead to Morelia, a city in Michoacán state. From there, a military plane flew them Mexico City.Paulina VillegasReporting from Guadalajara, MexicoGuadalajara woke to an eerie silence on Monday, as if suspended in a tense calm. Most gas stations were shuttered, and normally clogged thoroughfares had nearly empty stretches of asphalt. Schools canceled classes, and most businesses, including supermarkets and convenience stores, remained closed. Along the main highway near the airport, a charred bus lay on its side, its metal frame still smelling of smoke — a silent reminder of the blockades and clashes that gunmen with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel had unleashed across the state after their leader was killed in a military raid on Sunday.ImageCredit...Michelle Freyria/ReutersBlack smoke and burning tires: A tourist city is jolted by violence.ImageFirefighters work to extinguish a bus on fire in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday.Credit...ReutersShasta Townsend, a Canadian who helps foreigners relocate to the Mexican tourist magnet Puerto Vallarta, was driving into the city Sunday morning when she spotted a large column of smoke off in the distance.Several cars along the road had flat tires — and it soon became clear why. As she looked on, she said, two men on a motorcycle pulled up and started scattering spikes on the road.“That was a little heart-racing,” Ms. Townsend said.Hours earlier, Mexican security forces had killed the most powerful cartel leader in the country. Now the cartel was wreaking revenge, blocking roadways and setting shops afire across Mexico. And some tourist towns like Puerto Vallarta, ordinarily spared Mexico’s drug violence, were also in the cross-hairs.On Monday, the coastal city was still shrouded in smoke and unease, but with the violence appearing to abate, people began venturing out onto the streets.The mayor of Puerto Vallarta, Luis Ernesto Munguía, said the city was taking emergency measures to restore order, including restoring public transportation services.A day earlier, the U.S. government had advised stranded Americans to “shelter in place” in parts of the country. Cruise ships quickly recharted their courses, taking a pass on a popular tourist destination now plunged into chaos.But it was too late for some visitors. They were already in the thick of things.Among them was Mitchell Fain, an actor from Chicago. “It’s like, how are we going to get the hell out of here?” he said in an interview on Sunday evening.On Monday Seana Pedelaborde, an American tourist who had taken shelter with her mother, stood among hundreds of people lined up — almost around the block — outside one of the first grocery stores to reopen.Just hours earlier, she said, when commuters would normally have been going to work and students to school, the major highway next to her hotel was almost empty.“It’s just a ‘wait-and-see situation,’” said Ms. Pedelaborde, 59, who lives in California and owns a jewelry company.With the Jalisco New Generation Cartel vowing revenge for the death of its leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, many people across the country, despite assurances from the government, worry about what the next few days, or even hours, might bring.Jamie Alexander, a Canadian living in Puerto Vallarta who works with a vacation rental agency, said he saw people lining up outside small markets and bakeries in the Zona Romántica, the main tourist neighborhood, Monday morning. Some emerged with large loads of supplies.The scenes reminded him of the panic buying during the early days of the pandemic.“I saw people coming out of the grocery stores with like six loaves of bread,” he said. “What are you doing with six loaves of bread? It’s this sense of urgency that the worst is going to happen.”ImageTourists watch columns of smoke in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Sunday.Credit...ReutersEven tourists who were able to leave their hotels to get supplies were not sure what their next move would be.Several airlines have canceled flights, including United, Delta, American and Alaska. The airlines have issued travel advisories for airports in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, waiving change fees for passengers whose itineraries are affected. President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said she hoped flights would be fully restored no later than Tuesday.Ms. Townsend, the Canadian tourist adviser, said that after she saw the motorcyclist spreading spikes on Sunday, she and her husband were able to navigate through the intersection and make it to a Holiday Inn where clients was staying.Multiple fires burned around them, she said, with a bus and motorcycle were set ablaze a block away. Exploding tires sounded like gunshots.But by just after 9 a.m. on Monday, she said, though she could still see smoke from a burning fire, the streets looked calmer. From her hotel window, a few floors up, she could see people walking their dogs and even holding hands as the day began.That, she said, was what normal looked like in Puerto Vallarta.“Within about 24 hours, peace and order have been restored — at least for today,” she said.Ceylan Yeğinsu and Carolina Gómez contributed reporting.By just after 9 a.m. on Monday, Shasta Townsend, who has lived in the Puerto Vallarta area for almost five years, said she could see a stack of smoke from a fire still burning in the popular tourist city. The air was thick and smoggy after the fires. But the streets felt more calm, and she said she could see people walking their dogs and even holding hands as the uncertain day began. “Within about 24 hours, peace and order have been restored — at least for today,” she said. The operators of the three cruise ships scheduled to stop in Puerto Vallarta in the coming days have canceled their planned visits, citing security concerns. Holland America’s Zuiderdam was scheduled to call into the resort town on Monday, and Princess Cruise’s Norwegian Bliss and Royal Princess ships had planned stops on Wednesday. “We are working on reviewing our onward itinerary and will update guests on a potential replacement port,” Princess Cruises said in a statement.Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, Mexico’s defense secretary, said that the authorities had gathered intelligence from Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes’s romantic partner and from some in his close circle. He added that the U.S. authorities provided “a lot of additional information” that helped them identify Oseguera’s location.Cyntia Barrera DíazReporting from Mexico CityAntonio Morales Díaz, the mayor of Tapalpa, the small coastal town where Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes was captured, told a Mexican radio station on Monday that he was surprised when the military moved in. “The operation began very early in the morning, as we realized when we saw helicopters, small planes, and some drones flying overhead,” he said. “We did not know specifically what it was about.”He denied knowing that Oseguera was in the area, saying that the cartel boss was hiding in a heavily wooded area. “The worst is over,” he said, “although people are still sheltering in their homes because of the instructions we have given them and their own fear of going out onto the streets.”In 2020, Omar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico’s top security official, was shot three times in an assassination attempt when he was the police chief of Mexico City. At the time, he blamed the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho.” Six years later, Harfuch helped lead the military operation that killed him.ImageCredit...Rebecca Blackwell/Associated PressOmar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico’s top security official, called the Jalisco New Generation Cartel “the primary party responsible for violence in the country, including homicide, human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and armed attacks against authorities.”That is a step further than the way the authorities had described the group in the past, when they were careful not to highlight its status as one as the nation’s most powerful cartels in Mexico.Omar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico’s top security official, said that the Mexican authorities arrested 70 people in the chaos that unfolded after Oseguera’s killing. The authorities also killed 34 suspected cartel members in that violence. Those numbers do not appear to include the seven cartel members, including Oseguera, who died in the military operation against Oseguera on Sunday.Several major U.S. airlines, including United, Delta, American and Alaska, have canceled flights and issued travel advisories for airports in Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara, waiving change fees for passengers whose itineraries are affected.ImageCredit...Ulises Ruiz/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesPresident Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico said she hopes that canceled flights to Mexico, particularly some to the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta, will be fully restored no later than Tuesday.Omar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico’s top security official, said that authorities had positively identified Oseguera’s body. He died, authorities said, en route to Mexico City after he was wounded in a shootout with Mexican special forces. Asked what would happen to his remains, Harfuch said that “normally family members claim them and they are turned over” to relatives.At least 62 people were killed in the operation against Oseguera and the unrest that followed, according to the Mexican authorities. That includes 34 suspected cartel members, 25 members of the Mexican National guard, one state prosecutor, one security guard and one civilian. Local news media reported that the civilian was a pregnant woman who died after being caught in a shootout.VideoCreditCredit...CEPROPIE, via ReutersGeneral Trevilla Trejo began crying when talking about the authorities who lost their lives in Sunday’s operations, a rare moment for a Mexican general, in uniform, to show such emotion on national television. “They accomplished their mission. What did we show? The strength of the Mexican state” he said. Omar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico’s top security official, said that 25 members of the Mexican National Guard were killed across Mexico on Sunday, as well as a member of the national attorney general’s office.VideoCreditCredit...CEPROPIE, via ReutersGeneral Trevilla Trejo said that that when Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes and his personal security team were surrounded, they tried to flee and special forces cornered him near some undergrowth. The general said that Oseguera’s security team fired back at the authorities and at a military helicopter, resulting in an emergency landing. When the military returned fire, Oseguera was wounded, the general said.