MAZATLAN
MAZATLAN
Mazatlán (Mah-Saht-LAHN) is a destination with a split personality. Despite the importance of its visitor industry, Mazatlan remains very much its own city. It nicely balances its double indentity as México´s largest commercial port while being one of the country´s most popular beach resorts.
Mazatlan is Mexico´s second largest coastal city (after Acapulco), with nearly 600,000 inhabitants. It has the largest port facility between Los Angeles and the Panama Canal, and is home to Latin America´s biggest fleet of commercial shrimp vessels (over 800 boats). Nearly 40 tons of shrimp are processed each year, making Mazatlan “the shrimp capital of the world”.
Mazatlán always has surprises in store. Its multiple, complex nature make boredom impossible. Wandering through the city and its historic center, sunbathing on its magnificent beaches, traveling to the islands using every imaginable form of transport, and gazing at the horizon from hills such as El Faro and El Cerro de la NeverÃa, enjoying one of the most elaborate regional seafood cuisines, participating in the carnival, sailing or sport fishing are some of the things that have made Mazatlán famous the world over.
Just south of the Tropic of Cancer, Mazatlán is the most important port on Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Full of contrasts, this city is one of the country’s oldest tourist resorts and the site of one of the world’s three major carnivals, comparable only to those in New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro. But that’s not all. Mazatlán is an attractive, hospitable city that has everything: excellent cuisine, extensive beaches with state-of-the-art water sports facilities and an unusual degree of cultural and architectural richness for a coastal resort.
During the colonial era, Mazatlan was a major port from which ships laden with gold set off for Spain on long journeys round Cape Horn. The early 19th century saw the arrival of Germans, Italians and North Americans that gave the city a cosmopolitan spirit that it has preserved to this day. Despite being overrun by pirates, gold prospectors and invaders, Mazatlán managed to retain both its pride and its hospitality.
Mazatlán, located in the south of the state of Sinaloa, on the Pacific Coast, is a city with a 17 km shoreline under a brilliant sun, with a rainy season in summer followed by a long dry period. Its marine fauna and sea birds make Mazatlán ideal for nature lovers.
The islands facing the wide bay and Crestón Island, the site of the world’s highest lighthouse (157m above sea level) are two of Mazatlán’s distinctive symbols, together with its spectacular sunsets.
FESTIVALS
One of the largest and most traditional carnivals in the world, comparable only to that of RÃo de Janeiro and New Orleans is held annually in Mazatlán. The tradition began in 1898 with a parade of carriages and decorated bicycles. Since then, several other activities have been incorporated and the floats have developed beyond all recognition.
The Carnival
According to a popular expression, in Mazatlan time is measured from one Carnaval to the next. And in fact, this is the case. The Carnaval celebrations are the most awaited in this port city and constitute a century-old tradition that is revived every year as it is transmitted from generation to generation.
Each year, the city gets ready to enjoy its maximum fiesta, considered one of the major such celebrations in the world. Carnaval Mazatlan is unique for many reasons. It represents a mix of artistic expression with the beauty of its queens, the diversion and splendor of its pageants with the intelligence and refinement of art and culture. This particular combination is found in the contrasts of the city itself: the 19th-century nostalgia of its Historic Center and its contemporary life as a beach resort. And perhaps it is a touch because the people of Mazatlan are just a little below the Tropic of Cancer that they are known for their good humor and hospitality. To be precise, the warmth of this town — and its happiness to share it — along with the enthusiasm of its visitors were the inspiration for the theme of this Carnaval, a Carnaval created by the warmth of the people.
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