History

Mazatlan has a diverse and unique history reaching back more than 400 years, when the city name was for the first time noted in the historical records. Before the Spanish conquered Mexico, Mazatlan area was inhabited by indigenous people called Totorames. The Totorames were hunters, who were particularly skilled in making pottery. Their civilization ceased 200 years before the arrival of Spaniards and unlike other ancient civilizations of Mexico, Totorames did not leave behind any outstanding architectural or arty works.

Drawing of Mazatlan by J. R. Bartlett - 1854

In the 1500's the Spaniards conquered Mexico, subdivided the country and established permanent residence for themselves. The name "Mazatlan" was first officially mentioned in 1602, where a village of San Juan de Bautista de Mazatlan was located 30 miles south of where Mazatlan is nowadays located. Although, Mazatlan was still not a well-established settlement in the early 1600's, English and French pirates used its sheltered coastline to ambush merchant ships sailing along the shore. In response to the increasing pirate activity, the colonial government started establishing observation posts to be able to monitor the area and increase its marine safety. This was the turning point in Mazatlan's history as this security initiative created a foundation for Mazatlan's port.

In 1821, Mexico gained its independence from Spain and Mazatlan began to prosper as a port city as well as the capital of the state of Sinaloa. In the second half of the 1800's, Mazatlan changed hands multiple times. At first, it was occupied by the US during the American-Mexican war in 1847. In 1864, it was invaded and occupied by the French. On the 5th of May 1862 Mexican forces of 4500 men went to the battle with much more numerous French forces of Napoleon the III. Mexico won the 4-hour battle and declared independence, which event constituted one of the most important and celebrated days in Mexico.

The subsequent years after Mexico gained its independence were noted in the history of Mazatlan as a growth period. In 1879, the lighthouse was constructed and integrated with the rapidly escalating fishing port activity. Furthermore, Mazatlan was connected with Mexican railway system and had multiple infrastructure modernization projects implemented. The prosperity period was interrupted by the Mexican Revolution, which lasted from 1910 to 1917. The Revolution was a social and a cultural movement, which initially started as a rebellion against the Mexican president Porfirio Diaz. The revolution ended with the enforcement of the Mexican Constitution on the 5th February 1917, which has been ever since celebrated in Mexico as the Constitution Day.

The subsequent 10 years after the revolution brought great prosperity through the trade of fishing. However, the 1930's Great Depression and the World War II negatively affected the Mexican economy and were a major impediment to growth and prosperity. Mazatlan began to restore itself in the 1950's with new and improved highways and other infrastructure spreading across the area. This brought on a tourism boom that started in the 1960's and peaked in the 1970's. The opening of Playa Norte brought high rise hotels along white sandy beaches. At the end of the 1990's the population of Mazatlan had grown to over 500,000 with over 1 million annual visitors.

Today, Mazatlan enjoys a healthy and stable economy that is anchored by a variety of industries. The city is still a major fishery and accounts for a significant portion of Mexico's shrimp industry. Other leading products of Mazatlan's strong economy include world-renown Pacifico beer, Marino coffee, and Latin America's largest tuna processing plant.

While Mazatlan has developed over the years to be a tourism Mecca, there still remains a great balance between the old and the new Mexico. This port city is a beautiful blend of old architecture and traditions and modern tourist infrastructure. Luckily, there are still ample real estate opportunities available at a fraction of the cost one would expect to pay in other parts of Mexico or in other countries.