Mexico: Mazatlán: Authentic Experience of Mexico’s Culture and Beauty

Mazatlán may receive less attention than its highly touted neighbors, Cancún and Cabo, but travelers looking for an authentic experience of Mexico’s culture and beauty should use that to their advantage. The lack of hotel chains and distractions just makes it easier to revel in Mazatlán’s breathtaking beaches and sunsets and, perhaps most importantly, to savor its renowned shrimp. (In fact, the locals love this briny crustacean so much that shrimp omelets are a specialty at a popular restaurant, the Shrimp Bucket.) Settled by Spain in the sixteenth century, the town is now home to 500,000 inhabitants and owes much of its recognition as a destination to Hollywood actors of the forties who flocked there for vacations.

Mazatlán still proves an ideal spot for today’s vacationers. Like all good cities, it features a fine pedestrian pathway, the ten-mile Malecón, a boardwalk that lines the Pacific Coast. Here you can jog, ride bikes, or just watch the stream of people flow past. Open air taxis guide visitors on scenic jaunts into the old part of town, where they can enjoy a concert or dance recital at the Angela Peralta Theater, named for a famous local opera singer, or hear live traditional music in the Plaza República. The main market there sells Mexican jewelry, pottery, and other decorative items in case you’re looking for a handmade souvenir of your trip.

Daytrips within an hour of Mazatlán include picturesque villages like Concordia and Copala, as well as Rancho las Moras, a nineteenth-century ranch with a pool, horseback riding, and farm animals. The Sierra Madres provide a backdrop against which to plan your next visit to Mazatlán, a hidden treasure.