About Mazatlán

 

by Bob Brooke

netplaces.com

Mazatlán, a vibrant city, where mariachis will strike up the band in a parking lot and people will start to dance on the beach, sits at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains. It doesn't need tourism to survive, so the atmosphere remains laid-back and less touristy than other Mexican beach resorts.

With its natural bay and sheltered harbor, Mazatlán covers much of a fifteen-mile peninsula in the state of Sinaloa. The original settlement and port area, called Mazatlán Viejo (Old Mazatlán), stands at its southern tip. A small zócalo and a cathedral highlight El Centro, Mazatlán's downtown area. To the north lies La Zona Dorada (The Golden Zone), stretching from Punta Camarón (Shrimp Point) north to the Costa de Oro (Gold Coast), visited by more than a million tourists a year. A palm-lined malécon (beachfront promenade), the longest in Mexico, connects the two areas.

Once the home of the Totorames Indians, Mazatlán, based on the Nahuatl word Mazatl, which means “Place of the Deer,” goes back thousands of years.

FAST FACT

Mazatlán was the second city in the world after Tripoli, Libya, to experience aerial bombardment. During the 1910 Revolution, General Venustinano Carranza ordered a biplane to drop primitive bombs on the El Cerro de la Nevaría (Icebox Hill), but it missed its target and hit the city.

Today, this city of 600,000 supports the largest shrimp-fishing fleet in Latin America, shipping tons of frozen shrimp to the United States daily.

Best Time to Go

Mazatlán, unfortunately, has developed a reputation as the Spring Break Capital of the West. During March and April, thousands of students descend upon the city, so it's best to avoid it during those times. Otherwise, Mazatlán's warm tropical climate, with high temperatures in the low 80s in January and the low 90s in August, keeps the resort refreshingly comfortable most of the year. While it does get hot in the summer, the temperature and humidity aren't nearly as bad as at spots further south. It does rain on summer afternoons, but afterwards the humidity drops.

Cuisine

Fresh seafood tops the list of good things to eat in Mazatlán. Succulent camarón (shrimp), Mazatlán's specialty, comes anyway you like it, followed by langosta (lobster) and caracól (conch). Or perhaps you'd prefer sierra (mackerel) prepared zarandeado (split in half and charcoal-grilled). Or maybe fresh ostiónes (oysters), piled high on a street cart. And don't forget to try tacos de mariscos (seafood tacos), filled with marlin, shrimp, or oysters, often served capea-dos (deep fried). You can satisfy your sweet tooth with a churro, a foot-long doughnut covered with cinnamon sugar. And as the home of the Pacifico Brewery, you'll enjoy Mexico's best cervezas (beers) — Pacifico, Corona, Modelo, and Negro Modelo — served ice cold.

Cautions and Safety Concerns

Mazatlán is safe if you stay in the major tourist areas and along the malécon downtown. In spring and summer, abundant jellyfish on beaches north of the Zona Dorada can be especially annoying.