Guanajuato:
I spent a week in Guanajuato in December. The locals said there were no problems with the drug cartels there.
I really enjoyed my stay in Guanajuato--I would like to go back there, and I recommend it as a possible tourist destination to others. Guanajuato is a lovely town of 70,000 people--many colonial era buildings remain. The central "old" part of town looks more European than anything else. Guanajuato appears reasonably prosperous, and seemed very safe. Due to its colonial history and also its prominent role in the Mexican revolution, Guanajuato is frequently visited by Mexicans, but it appears to be off the main path of international visitors. Not much English is spoken there. They have a reasonably well known annual art/music/theater festival.
All-in-all, I think you can rest easy about Guanajuato. It's not on any route that would be useful for drug smugglers, it is too small to be a large drug market, and it doesn't seem to have the slums that breed drug use.
JWB
