Washington: Avoid Chiapas. (Breves).

The U.S. State Department at the end of January issued a travel warning to Americans to exercise caution while traveling in the conflict-ridden state of Chiapas.

"There have recently been disturbing incidents involving violence and threats of violence against foreigners and establishments catering to foreign tourists in remote areas," the U.S. government said.

The warning came in the wake of the latest in a string of disturbing land disputes, in which local villagers sympathetic to the National Zapatista Liberation Army (EZLN) blockaded a ranch run by a pair of middle-aged Idaho natives in an attempt to force the former Peace Corps volunteers off their land. The couple's Rancho Esmeralda has been described by one prominent travel guide as one of the top-10 places to visit in Mexico, but it now appears to be headed toward oblivion.

Such strongarm tactics unfortunately have been exercised with impunity in the southernmost state, in which the governor, Pablo Salazar, has been widely criticized for his ineffectual administration and placating stance toward the Zapatista rebels and their supporters.

Salazar described the mild U.S. warning as a "tantrum," and such leftist media as La Jornada has painted a rosy picture of the rebel sympathizers, who beat one staff member, refused interviews and threatened visiting reporters with rocks.

Despite the heavy-handed moves by rebel sympathizers in this case, the question of land redistribution remains a valid issue in Chiapas, which is the poorest state in the republic. Since the EZLN uprising on New Year's Day 1994, Zapatista sympathizers have taken over hundreds of ranches and other privately held estates around Ocosingo, which is close to Rancho Esmeralda.

"In many parts of Chiapas, there is no effective law enforcement or police protection," the State Department warning said.