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Mazatlán is a city in the Mexican
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 state
States of Mexico

The Mexico are a federation made up of thirty-one "free and sovereign states". These states constitute one federated State or Union. The federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over the Mexico City, a territory which does not belong to any state but to all, as well as the islands, atolls and reefs that do not belong to any stat...
 of Sinaloa
Sinaloa

Sinaloa is one of the 31 mexican state of Mexico....
; the surrounding municipio
Municipio

Municipio and munic?pio are terms used for subnational entity. They are often translated as municipality....
 (municipality) for which the city serves as the municipal seat is also called Mazatlán. It is located at on the Pacific
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
 coast, just across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula
Baja California Peninsula

The Baja California peninsula, in English the Lower California peninsula is a peninsula in western Mexico. It extends some 1250 km from Mexicali, Baja California, in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, in the south, separating the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California ....
.

Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning "place of the deer." The city was founded in 1531. By the mid-1800s a large group of immigrants had arrived from Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
.






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Encyclopedia


Mazatlán is a city in the Mexican
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 state
States of Mexico

The Mexico are a federation made up of thirty-one "free and sovereign states". These states constitute one federated State or Union. The federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over the Mexico City, a territory which does not belong to any state but to all, as well as the islands, atolls and reefs that do not belong to any stat...
 of Sinaloa
Sinaloa

Sinaloa is one of the 31 mexican state of Mexico....
; the surrounding municipio
Municipio

Municipio and munic?pio are terms used for subnational entity. They are often translated as municipality....
 (municipality) for which the city serves as the municipal seat is also called Mazatlán. It is located at on the Pacific
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
 coast, just across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula
Baja California Peninsula

The Baja California peninsula, in English the Lower California peninsula is a peninsula in western Mexico. It extends some 1250 km from Mexicali, Baja California, in the north to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, in the south, separating the Pacific Ocean from the Gulf of California ....
.

Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning "place of the deer." The city was founded in 1531. By the mid-1800s a large group of immigrants had arrived from Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. These new citizens developed Mazatlán into a thriving commercial seaport, importing equipment for the nearby gold and silver mines. It served as the capital of Sinaloa from 1859 to 1873. They also influenced the music, banda
Banda music

Banda is a brass instrument-based form of traditional Music of Mexico. Bandas play a wide variety of songs, including rancheras, corridos, cumbias, ballads, and boleros....
, which is an alteration of Bavaria
Bavaria

Bavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is a region located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest States of Germany of Germany by area....
n folk music, and also started the Pacifico Brewery
Pacífico

Cerveza Pac?fico Pacifico Clara is a Mexico pilsner -style beer. It was first was brewed in 1900 when three Germans opened a brewery, the Cerveceria del Pac?fico in Mazatl?n....
 on March 14, 1900.

Mazatlán, with a population of 352,471 (city) and 403,888 (municipality) as of the 2005 census, is the second-largest city in the state (after Culiacán
Culiacán

Culiac?n is a city in northwestern Mexico, the largest city in the state of Sinaloa as well as its capital and capital of the municipality of Culiac?n....
) and Mexico's largest commercial port. It is also a popular tourist destination,with its beaches lined with resort hotels. A car ferry plies its trade across the Gulf of California
Gulf of California

The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexico mainland. It is bordered by the States of Mexico of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa....
 from Mazatlán to La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz, Baja California Sur

La Paz is the capital city of the Mexico States of Mexico of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2005 census population of 189,176 persons, but it can be considered that it roughly reaches 200,000 persons because of its surrounding towns like "el Centenario", "el Zacatal" and "San Pedro"....
. The municipality has a land area of 3,068.48 km² (1,184.75 sq mi) and includes smaller outlying communities such as Villa Unión, La Noria, El Quelite, El Habal and many other small villages.

Mazatlán is served by Gral. Rafael Buelna International Airport.

History

Until the early 19th century, Mazatlán was a humble collection of huts inhabited by indios whose major occupation was fishing, according to Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars
Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars

Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars was a France naval officer important in France's anexation of French Polynesia.He was born at the castle of La Fessardi?re, near Saumur....
, a French explorer. In 1829 a Filipino banker named Machado arrived and established commercial relations with vessels coming to Mazatlán from far off places such as Chile
Chile

Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
, Peru
Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, and the Asia Pacific. By 1836 the city had a population of between 4000 and 5000.

The city has seen some turbulent times. During the Mexican-American War (1846-48) the U.S. Army took the city and, in order to avoid the shelling of the city, the Mexican army
Mexican Army

The Mexican Army is the land branch and largest of the Military of Mexico services; it also is known as the National Defence Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle Mondrag?n in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue weapons, in 1910....
 abandoned it. Almost twenty years later, on the morning of November 13, 1864, a French man-of-war fired on the city twelve times but there were no casualties; Mazatlán then became part of the Mexican Empire
Mexican Empire

The Mexican Empire was the name of Mexico on two non-consecutive occasions in the 19th century when it was ruled by an Emperor....
 under Maximilian
Maximilian I of Mexico

Maximilian I was a member of Austria's Imperial Habsburg-Lorraine family who was Emperor of Mexico. With the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on 10 April 1864....
 (vestiges of French influence may still be found in the architecture of many buildings in Centro Historico). On November 13, 1866, the Mexican general Ramon Corona expelled the imperialists from Mazatlán.

On June 18, 1868, William H. Bridge, captain of HMS Chanticleer, blockaded the port and threatened to shell the city on June 22. The captain had taken umbrage after local Customs Authorities seized 23 ounces of gold from the paymaster of the ship.

The City of Mazatlán has the dubious distinction of being the second city in the world after Tripoli
Tripoli

Tripoli is the largest and Capital city of Libya.Tripoli has a population of 1.69 million. The city is located in the northwest of the country on the edge of the desert, on a point of rocky land projecting into the Mediterranean Sea and forming a bay....
, Libya
Libya

Libya , officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , is a country located in North Africa. Bordering the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Libya lies between Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, to suffer aerial bombardment (although the local historical display at the plazuela affirms that Mazatlán was the first). During the Mexican revolution of 1910-17 General Venustiano Carranza
Venustiano Carranza

Venustiano Carranza Garza was one of the leaders of the Mexican Revolution. He ultimately became President of Mexico following the overthrow of the dictatorial Huerta regime in the summer of 1914 and during his administration the 1917 Constitution of Mexico of Mexico was drafted....
 (later president), intent on taking the city of Mazatlán, ordered a bi-plane to drop a crude bomb of nails and dynamite wrapped in leather on the target of Neveria Hill adjacent to the downtown area of Mazatlán. The crude bomb landed off target on the city streets of Mazatlán, killing two citizens and wounding several others.

Mazatlan El Faro 1
During the Gold Rush
Gold rush

A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of gold.Eight gold rushes took place throughout the 19th century in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States....
, fortune hunters from the United States East Coast sailed from New York Harbor
New York Harbor

New York Harbor, a geographic term, refers collectively to the rivers, bays, and tidal estuaries near the mouth of the Hudson River in the vicinity of New York City....
 and other Atlantic ports to Mexican ports in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
. Debarking, the aspiring miners travelled overland for weeks to Mazatlán, where they would embark from the port to arrive in San Francisco in another four to five weeks.

Mazatlán's lighthouse
Lighthouse

A lighthouse is a tower, building, or framework designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens or, in older times, from a fire and used as an aid to navigation and to Maritime pilot at sea....
 (El Faro) began to shine by mid-1879. The lamp had been handcrafted in Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
, containing a big oil lamp with mirrors and a Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens

A Fresnel lens is a type of lens invented by France physics Augustin-Jean Fresnel. Originally developed for lighthouses, the design enables the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the weight and volume of material which would be required in conventional lens design....
 to enhance the light. Since the light was static, in the distance it was often mistaken for a star. By 1905 this lamp was converted to a revolving lamp. Today, the 1000 watt bulb can be seen for . Near the lighthouse shore, famous "divers" (called this even by the Spanish speaking inhabitants of Mazatlán) perform daring jumps off high rocks into the Pacific Ocean for tips from onlooking tourists.

Angela Peralta
Ángela Peralta

?ngela Peralta was an opera soprano of international fame and a leading figure in the operatic life of 19th century Mexico. Called the "Mexican Nightingale" in Europe, she had already sung to acclaim in major European opera houses by the age of 20....
 (1845-1883), a Mexican opera diva famed throughout the world, died of yellow fever
Yellow fever

Yellow fever is an acute Virus disease. It is an important cause of hemorrhage illness in many African and South American countries despite existence of an effective vaccine....
 in Mazatlán shortly after her arrival in the port. Legend has it she sang one last aria from her hotel balcony overlooking the Plazuela Machado. Her memory is held dear by Mazatlécos to this day, and the restored Teatro Angela Peralta by the Plazuela keeps her memory alive.

Mazatlán is also the hometown of Pedro Infante
Pedro Infante

Jos? Pedro Infante Cruz , better known as Pedro Infante, is perhaps the most famous actor and singer of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema and was the idol of the Mexican people, together with Jorge Negrete and Javier Sol?s, who were styled the Tres Gallos Mexicanos ....
, one of the most popular actors and singers of the golden years of the Cinema of Mexico.

Mazatlán was well regarded by film stars such as John Wayne
John Wayne

John Wayne was an Academy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning United States film actor. He epitomized rugged masculinity and has become an enduring American icon....
, Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper

Frank James ?Gary? Cooper was an Cinema of the United States film actor and iconic star. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, individualistic, emotionally restrained, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Western movie he made....
, John Huston
John Huston

John Marcellus Huston was an United States film director and actor. He was known for directing the films, The Maltese Falcon , The Asphalt Jungle , The Treasure of the Sierra Madre , Key Largo , The African Queen , The Misfits , and The Man Who Would Be King ....
, and others of their generation as a sportfishing mecca. The hotels along Olas Altas flourished during the 40's, 50's and 60's supporting this vibrant trade.

In the 70's, tourism in Old Mazatlán declined as other, newer venues opened on the expanses of beach to the north of the city. As an example of Mazatlán's tourism expansion, one of the largest timeshare
Timeshare

A timeshare is a form of ownership or right to the use of a property, or the term used to describe such properties. Timeshare properties are typically resort condominium units, in which multiple parties hold rights to use the property, and each sharer is allotted a period of time in which they may use the property....
 providers in Mexico, Mayan Resorts was founded in 1975 with the inauguration of Paraíso Mazatlán (Mazatlán Paradise). This time also saw the expansion of the Hotel Playa Mazatlán and the construction of many others, a trend that continues to this day.

As the 21st Century begins, the Centro Histórico has been rediscovered by newcomers and locals alike, spurring a renaissance of restoration and entrepreneurial endeavors. Once-fine homes that had fallen into literal ruin have been restored to their former glory and house families and boutique businesses. The city has assisted in upgrading infrastructure, such as better water, sewer and electrical services.

Demographics


Sister towns

  • Hamm
    Hamm

    Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany. It is located on the Lippe River, in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849....
    , since 1978
  • Santa Monica
    Santa Monica, California

    Santa Monica is a city in western Los Angeles County, California, California, United States. Situated on Santa Monica Bay of the Pacific Ocean, it is completely surrounded by the City of Los Angeles ? Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood, Los Angeles, California on the north, West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California on the northeast...
    , California
    California

    California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
     
  • Seattle
    Seattle, Washington

    Seattle is the most populous city in the US state of Washington and the Northwestern United States. The encompassing Seattle metropolitan area is the 15th largest in the United States, and the largest in the Pacific Northwest....
    , Washington
    Washington

    Washington is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute....
     
  • Puntarenas
    Puntarenas

    Puntarenas, which means "Sandy Point" in Spanish, is the capital and largest city in the province Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica, at the Pacific coast....
    ,
  • Grande Prairie
    Grande Prairie, Alberta

    Grande Prairie is the main city in the northwestern part of the province of Alberta in Western Canada. It is located on the southern edge of the Peace River Country ....
    , Alberta
    Alberta

    Alberta is one of Canada Canadian Prairies Provinces and territories of Canada. It became a province on September 1, 1905.Alberta is located in western Canada, bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S....
     


Cityscape


Communities and neighborhoods



Beaches and parks


  • Olas Altas
  • Playa Norte
  • Isla de la Piedra
  • Gaviotas
  • Sabalos
  • Cerritos
  • Playa Bruja
  • El Delfin
  • Marmol
  • Playa Camaron
  • Los Pinitos


Culture and contemporary life

Mazatlan is home to the Teatro Angela Peralta, located on the Plazuela Machado. Originally built from 1869 to 1874, the Teatro, completely restored from 1987 to 1992 to its 19th-century splendor, houses a concert hall, galleries, an art school and a highly regarded conservatory of music and dance.

Artists such as classical musician Enrique Patron de Rueda and the Machado Orchestra perform regularly. The Sinaloa Symphony, local productions and a diverse program of touring artists keep the Teatro busy throughout the year.

The Plazuela Machado, located in Centro Histórico, serves as the cultural hub of the city featuring open air restaurants, pageants, public art exhibits, a weekly craft fair and nightly entertainment. Calle Constitución, the only through street, is closed to vehicle traffic in the evenings from Thursday through Sunday.

Mazatlán hosts one of the largest celebrations of Carnaval in the world. Culminating on Fat Tuesday, this weeklong bacchanal attracts visitors from all over the world with its parades, cultural events and partying.

Transportation

Mazatlan is served by Gral. Rafael Buelna International Airport with flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Denver, Houston, Minneapolis, Mexico City, Guadalajara, La Paz and San Jose del Cabo B.C.S., Tijuana B.C., and Puerto Vallarta. In addition, numerous bus lines provide transportation to all points in Mexico and to the United States. There is also ferry service to La Paz B.C.S.

Trivia

In 2005, Mazatlán hosted and won the "Serie del Caribe" (Caribbean Series), which is an annual baseball
Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport of nine players each. The goal of baseball is to score run by hitting a thrown Baseball with a baseball bat and touching a series of four markers called base arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond. Players on one team take turns hitting against...
 tournament with teams from Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a Autonomy Territories of the United States of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands....
, Venezuela
Venezuela

Venezuela , officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a country on the northern coast of South America.The country comprises a continental mainland and numerous islands located off the Venezuelan coastline in the Caribbean Sea....
, and the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are List of divided islands, Saint Martin being the other....
.

Gallery




Spanish

  • INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
  • Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México


External links


Official websites


Spanish