Mazatlán
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Mazatlán [masaˈtlan] is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio (municipality) for which the city serves as the municipal seat, is also called Mazatlán. It is located at , on the Pacific coast, just across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.
Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning "place of the deer". The city was founded in the 1820s. By the mid-1800s, a large group of immigrants had arrived from Germany. 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 in the music, Banda, which is an alteration of Bavarian folk music.
Mazatlán, with a population of 340,000 as of 2000, is the second-largest city in the state and Mexico's largest commercial port. It is also a popular tourist destination, its beaches lined with resort hotels. A car ferry plies its trade across the Gulf of California from Mazatlán to La Paz, Baja California Sur.
In 2005, Mazatlán hosted and won the "Serie del Caribe", which is an annual baseball tournament with teams from México, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.
Every year, Carnival is celebrated during the week before Ash Wednesday. There are a lot of festivities, including the election of a Queen, parades, and balls. This is the third largest Mardi Gras in the world, behind the celebrations held in Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans.
Mazatlan is served by Gral. Rafael Buelna International Airport
History
By the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Mazatlan was a collection of huts inhabited by Indians whose major occupation was fishing. According to Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars, the French explorer, by 1829 a Spanish banker named Machado had arrived. He established commercial relations with vessels coming to Mazatlan from far off places such as Chile, Peru, the U.S., Europe and China. By 1836, the city had a population of between 4000 to 5000.During the Mexican War, the US Army took the city; in order to avoid the shelling of the city, the Mexican army had abandoned it. On the morning of November 13, 1864, a French man-of-war fired on the city twelve times but there were no casualties; Mazatlan then became part of the Mexican Empire under Maximilian. On November 13, 1866, the Mexican general Ramon Corona expelled the imperialists from Mazatlan. On June, 18, 1868 William H. Bridge, captain of HMS Chanticleer, blockaded the port and threatened to shell the city, June 22, after Custom Authorities seized 23 gold ounces to the paymaster of this ship.
Mazatlan's lighthouse began to shine by mid-1879. The lamp had been handcrafted in Paris, France, and it contained a big oil lamp with mirrors to enhance the light. Since the light was static, in the distance it was often mistaken as a star. By 1905 this lamp was converted to a revolving lamp. Today, near the lighthouse shore, the famous "divers" perform daring jumps into the pacific of high rocks for a tip of a couple pesos.
External links
- [H. Ayuntamiento de Mazatlán]
- [Mazatlan Tourist Information]
- [Mazatlan hotels] attractions, events, city guide, map, nightlife, online hotel reservations.
- [Tours and Activities in Mazatlan]
- [Mazatlan Sportfishing Information]
- [Map of Mazatlán]
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