Mexico This Month Of December

Mexico this month - December

Tony Borton

During the month of December . . .

U.S. CONGRESS TO FRANCE: WITHDRAW!
BIRTH OF A GREAT MURALIST
FORTUNE HUNTER EXPLORES THE WEST
AWARD FOR FOREIGNERS
RED SHIRTS MASSACRE CHURCH-GOERS
December 1, 1810
José María Mercado, a priest supporting Father Hidalgo's call for independence from Spain, attacks the Pacific coast port of San Blas, capturing it in a few hours.
2, 1546
Hernán Cortés, leader of the Spanish Conquest of Mexico, dies in Spain. His body is subsequently brought back to Mexico and laid to rest in Mexico City.
3 1533
The name Guadalajara is officially adopted for the new settlement formerly called the town "of the Holy Spirit in New Galicia". The name Guadalajara was in honor of the birthplace (in Spain) of Nuño de Guzmán, the city's founder.

U.S. CONGRESS TO FRANCE: WITHDRAW!

5, 1866
The U.S. Congress asks France to withdraw her troops from Mexican soil.
5, 1953
Jorgé Negrete (born 1911), ranchero singing idol and movie star, dies in Los Angeles, California. Negrete was a founder of the Movie Actors' Union.
6, 1810
In the city of Guadalajara, Father Miguel Hidalgo, "the Father of Mexican Independence", decrees the abolition of slavery and of the tribute system. This predates by many years similar decrees in the U.S. and Britain.
6, 1865
Although asked by Emperor Napoleon III of France to recognize Maximilian's government in Mexico, the U.S. government refuses, claiming that the French, by invading Mexico, have attacked a government they "profoundly respect".
7, 1877
Talks are held between Guatemala and Mexico in an effort to settle a long-standing border dispute.
8, 1714
The town of Guanajuato is elevated to city status. Guanajuato, an important silver-mining center during colonial times, is now a lovely tourist city; its annual international Cervantino arts festival attracts culture-lovers from all over the world.

BIRTH OF A GREAT MURALIST

8, 1886
Diego Rivera is born in Guanajuato. Rivera becomes one of the country's most prolific artists, famous for his colorful murals, which adorn several Mexico City buildings including the National Palace.
11, 1881
The principal streets of Mexico City get street-lighting for the first time. 12, 1794 The liberal theologian Servando Teresa de Mier gives an irreligious sermon about the Virgin of Guadalupe for which he is arrested and sentenced to 10 years exile in Spain.
12, 1881
Tomás Rogers and Ignacio Alas are awarded the concession to build and operate a railroad across the Altar Desert between Sonora and Baja California.
12, 1884
Nayarit finally achieves separation from Jalisco and the right to be an independent state.
14, 1887
President Porfirio Díaz issues a decree by which the peninsula of Baja California is divided into two territories.
14, 1906
Unrest and strikes begin among the textile workers of Puebla, Tlaxcala and the Orizaba region of Veracruz. The unrest eventually results in the landmark Río Blanco strike of January 7, 1907.
17, 1790
The original "Aztec calendar", a massive basalt slab weighing 25 tons and carved with elaborate symbols, is unearthed in downtown Mexico City. Representations of the calendar are widely used today on souvenir items.
17, 1885
The decree is signed establishing the School for Primary School Teachers, which later becomes the National Teachers' School. The school opens February 24, 1887.
17, 1963
The U.S. Congress finally agrees definitive restitution to Mexico for the 333 hectares of territory known as El Chamizal.
18, 1865
President Juárez establishes his government in Paso del Norte (known today as El Paso) in the state of Chihuahua. He leaves the city the following June.
18, 1866
French troops begin to board ships in Veracruz to return home, greatly reducing the strength of support for Maximilian.
19, 1833
Antonio Caso is born in Mexico City. Caso, a distinguished philosopher, sociologist and literary figure, becomes Director of the National University. He dies in March 1946.

FORTUNE HUNTER EXPLORES THE WEST

20, 1529
Seeking fame, Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán takes a leave of absence from the first Governing Council of New Spain and sets off to conquer the west. His explorations carry him through the states of Michoacán, Jalisco and Nayarit to as far north as the Yaqui River.
20, 1827
The government of President Guadalupe Victoria orders the expulsion of all Spaniards from the country. The order is never carried out, but many Spaniards, complete with their wealth, decide to leave anyway.
20, 1918
One of the leaders of the Cananea Strike of 1906, Lázaro Gutiérrez de Lara, is executed in Sáric, Sonora. He was a journalist, poet and lawyer.
21, 1720
For their own protection, convoys of merchant ships, leaving Veracruz for Spain, are accompanied by fleets of warships as far as the Canary Islands. Once there, other fleets escort them to Spain.
21, 1828
The city of Valladolid, capital of the state of Michoacán, changes its name to Morelia, in honor of José María Morelos, born there in 1765.
21, 1954
Francisco Castillo Nájera, an outstanding military doctor, writer, poet and diplomat, dies in Mexico City. He founded the Mexican Society of Biology and the Franco-Mexican Medical Society and represented Mexico at numerous international conferences.
22, 1815
José María Morelos, hero of the independence movement, is executed by Royalist forces in San Cristóbal Ecatepec on the outskirts of Mexico City. In the words of Napoleon III, "With a general like Morelos, Mexico could have conquered the world".
22, 1975
The Consumer Protection Law, establishing the Federal Consumer Protection Agency, is published in the Diario Oficial (Oficial Gazette).
23, 1888
Heraclio Bernal dies in Cosalá, Sinaloa. Born in Durango, Bernal fought in defence of miners' rights, prior to starting a new career as a mine assailant! In 1880, Bernal temporarily gained control of the plaza of Mazatlán. By 1887, a substantial price had been put on his head by the Sinaloa state governor.
24, 1816
Manuel Tolsa, architect responsible for numerous outstanding buildings including the Mining Palace in Mexico City, and the Cabañas Institute in Guadalajara, dies in Mexico City. Tolsa's equestrian statue (El Caballito) of Charles IV is one of Mexico's finest monuments.
25, 1888
Artemio de Valle-Arizpe is born in Saltillo, Coahuila. A lawyer, diplomat, linguist and historian, he becomes the official chronicler of Mexico City, where he dies in 1961.
29, 1859
Venustiano Carranza is born in Cuatro Ciénegas, Coahuila. Carranza becomes President in 1914 and promotes the new constitution which takes effect in 1917.

AWARD FOR FOREIGNERS

29, 1933
The government creates the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest award given to foreigners who have performed exceptional service for Mexico.
30, 1853
The Mutual Society of Mexican Writers and Publishers is founded in Mexico City to promote book publishing.

RED SHIRTS MASSACRE CHURCH-GOERS

30, 1934
Seventy-five anticlerics known as the "Red Shirts" open fire on people leaving a mass in Coyoacán, an upmarket district in Mexico City. The Red Shirts are believed to be following orders from the federal Agriculture Minister, Tomás Garrido Canabal.
31, 1899
Silvestre Revueltas, the distinguished violinist and composer is born in Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango. Revueltas composes symphonies, ballets, songs and theatrical compositions. He dies in Mexico City in 1940.
31, 1900
The general census reveals that the nation's population totals 13,545,462. In December, 2001, it is believed to be about 101,000,000.
31, 1951
The northern part of Baja California, declared a territory in 1888, is elevated to the category of state.


History of Mexico Time-line
The main source for this series is:
Efemérides Mexicanas by Noé Solchaga Zamudio and Luisa A. Solchaga Peña,
published in two volumes by Editorial Avante, Mexico City, 1983.

El Fuerte In Sinaloa 292 Milles From Mazatlan Sinaloa, Mexico, Was Once the Capital Of Arizona

El Fuerte in Sinaloa, Mexico, was once the capital of Arizona

Tony Burton

Prior to the founding of San Juan de Carapoa (later renamed El Fuerte de Montesclaros) by Francisco de Ibarra in 1564, relatively little is known of the early Indian peoples living in the Fuerte valley. They probably harvested wild plants, farmed small gardens, fished and hunted for their survival. They appear to have had few links to other tribes outside the region.

By the end of 1530, an exploratory group of Spaniards, led by Nuño Beltran de Guzmán (the founder of Guadalajara), had reached the area south of Mazatlán but had not ventured much further north. In the following years, Beltran de Guzmán organized follow-up expeditions. As far as we know, the first white man to set foot on the shores of the El Fuerte river (then known as the Zuaque) was his nephew—Diego de Guzmán—in September 1533. The river was so close to overflowing that it put a temporary halt to their plans to continue any further north. A year earlier, a ship sent by Hernán Cortés (in an effort to leapfrog his dominions over and beyond those of Guzmán) had been wrecked in a storm off the Sinaloan coast and the entire crew killed by Indians.

An amazing journey and astonishing encounter

One of the most remarkable encounters in history took place just 20 kilometers from El Fuerte, in 1536. The Spaniards found four survivors of a much earlier expedition which had set sail from Cuba and been shipwrecked off the coast - of Florida! Alvaro Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, Alonso del Castillo Maldonado, Andrés Dorantes de Carranza and a black slave named Estebanico, had spent 18 years traversing on foot through what today are the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Chihuahua, Sonora and Sinaloa. In Sonora, they saw a Yaqui Indian who had, etched on his collar, the clasp of a sword. Realizing that they must finally be close to other white men, they set a forced march until they met up with four Spaniards on horseback, near what is today the Los Ojitos ranch.

The Seven Cities of Gold

From the Indians he had encountered, Cabeza de Vaca had heard plenty of rumors of a large province to the north called Cíbola, said to have seven walled cities with large houses and lots of gold and silver. Another rich kingdom, Quivira, was supposed to be nearby. The first organized attempt to prove that Cíbola really existed was made by Fray Marcos de Niza, with Estebanico as guide. Reaching Arizona and the lands of the Pueblo Indians, Estebanico was killed. Unwilling to admit defeat, Marcos de Niza returned with exaggerated tales of what he had seen and heard. As a result, in 1540, a second expedition was organized, this time led by the redoubtable Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. Coronado's expedition, with 250 horsemen, 60 soldiers and 1000 Indians, traveled way north, finding the Grand Canyon (Pedro de Tovar being credited with its "discovery"), as far as the 40th parallel and the Arkansas river. Finding nowhere that matched the lyrical descriptions of Cíbola and Quivira, Coronado returned to the Viceroy in 1542 and the Seven Cities of Gold became yet another of the many fabulous myths associated with the Spanish quest for New World riches.

El Fuerte de Montesclaros

Shortly after the founding of San Juan de Carapoa in 1564, it was destroyed by Mayo Indians. A Jesuit mission was established here in 1590. Following repeated Indian uprisings and the martyrdom of a Jesuit priest named Gonzalo de Tapía, a rectangular, adobe-walled Fort (hence the town's new name of El Fuerte) was built between 1608 and 1610 by Capt. Diego Martínez de Hurdaide to prevent further Indian uprisings. The fort, roughly 100 meters by 100 meters, and criticized at the time as being far too expensive, became a frontier post, controlling the routes into Indian territory much farther north. The town subsequently became a trading post (gold and silver-mining) and for almost three centuries was the most important commercial center of a vast frontier area: north-western Mexico.
Every one of the expeditions to colonize Arizona and California passed through El Fuerte and even in the 1848 California gold-rush, many of those seeking their fortune originated here - so many went north that the region suffered a marked drop in population. The rush north was offset somewhat by mineral discoveries closer to home and in the Copper Canyon region.

Capital of the Western State, including Arizona

In the nineteenth century, El Fuerte was (briefly, from 1824 to 1826) the capital of the Western State, the interim state of Sinaloa-Sonora (which included part of Arizona, stretching as far north as the Grand Canyon). The capital was then moved to Alamos, before moving to Copala. The Western State was subsequently divided and two new states - Sonora and Sinaloa - became independent in 1831. Indian conflicts (eg the Yaqui war) smoldered on until 1936. The name Sinaloa, incidentally, is thought to derive from cinaro (pitaya or cactus).
While nothing is left of the original fort, El Fuerte town today has a pleasant, partially restored center with typical provincial colonial-style buildings. The town (population about 30,000; altitude about 190 meters) is proud of its traditional Sinaloan culture. Brass and drum bands play tamboras sinaloenses, a German-Mexican musical blend peculiar to Sinaloa. Evening activities focus on the shady plaza.

Map from “El Fuerte en la Historia” by Lic. Roberto Balderrama Gómez (undated)

Just off the main plaza, on the slopes of the hill where the fort was originally (nothing visible remains today), construction began in 1903 of the Almada mansion, now the Posada Hidalgo hotel. Rafael Almada, who later became the Mayor of El Fuerte, was born in Alamos in 1861 and married his cousin, Rafaela, there in 1897. Two years later, they moved to El Fuerte and set up a trading business. In the style of the times, whenever Rafaela went to church, she insisted on being taken in her four-wheeled carriage (calash) rather than walking! The Almadas spent 5 years and 100,000 gold pesos on constructing their mansion, though Rafael died suddenly, barely two years after its completion. His funeral carriage can still be seen in the hotel. The wooden trim, 285 pine beams and much of its lavish antique furniture were brought by boat from San Francisco and unloaded at Topolobampo during the time of Albert K. Owen's colony. Ironwork was brought from Mazatlán. In its heyday, Almada's house was the finest building in the town. In 1913, for example, Venustiano Carranza (later president of Mexico) stayed here. President Carlos Salinas de Gortari also stayed here, in May 1991, but that's another story... It is worth exploring the recesses of this hotel since in some respects it is a living museum with entrance mural, antique furniture, sepia photographs and aging mementoes of earlier decades.
According to some, the spirit and ghost of Rafael Almada live on in the hotel, so be prepared for strange noises in the night and for the ancient pianola sometimes bursting into tune all by itself. Equally, it used to be said that vast quantities of gold and silver lay buried under the floors and in the garden, but you can probably rest assured that any such treasure was dug up and invested elsewhere when Almada's mansion was extensively remodeled into the present hotel.
El Fuerte is a pleasant town to stroll around. Narrow streets, many lined by fine stone buildings, converge on the plaza. The church (with the tomb of Esteban Nicolás de la Vega y Colón de Portugal, the man who singlehandedly paid for its entire construction) is reputedly eighteenth century but many townhouses are likely to be considerably older. For example, Casa de los Alvarez (Constitución, almost on the corner with Juárez) has walls over a meter thick! Casa de los Constituyentes (# 6 on map) is also very old; this was the first House of Congress for the Western State. The rear part (on Constitución) of Casa de los Portales (# 11 on map) is old but the front, on the plaza, has been remodeled. # 10 on the map is the former Casa de la Bóveda, and former jail, now the Casa de la Cultura. Next to the Mansión de don Aurelio Ibarra (# 15) is don Aurelio's old, two-storey mercantile building, built at the end of the last century. The interior courtyard of the municipal palace (1903-1907) is out of all proportion, designed apparently for a much larger town, and built when Rafael Almada was Mayor and Political Prefect of the district. Most commercial activity is not on the plaza but down the side streets. As for cuisine, El Fuerte is famous for fresh largemouth bass (from nearby reservoirs) and for agua de cebada, a mixture of barley, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.
Even after its heyday at the turn of the century, El Fuerte still had an important part to play in national (revolutionary) history. In November 1915, in the middle of the Mexican Revolution, Carranza fought and defeated the legendary Pancho Villa here -- the defeat marked the beginning of the end for Villa's División del Norte.
From El Fuerte, side-trips can be arranged to visit the Máscara mountains with their petroglyphs (a short hike on the other side of the Fuerte river), Isla de los Pájaros (Bird Island), and to Mayo Indian missions like Tehueco (Blue Sky), founded in 1648 and Baymena. Another Indian village, noteworthy for its rustic earthenware pots and pans, is Capomos. An unpaved secondary road, formerly a stagecoach route, links El Fuerte to another former mining town, Alamos (90 kilometers away; allow 3 hours) which in recent years has become a popular destination for Americans and Canadians. Many restored stone mansions have been turned into small hotels and bed and breakfast establishments.

Source:

“El Fuerte en la Historia” by Lic. Roberto Balderrama Gómez (undated).
www.tibesarealty.com.mx
www.tibesarealty.com.mx/wordpress/

Easy Living In Mazatlan, Mexico, The Pearl Of the Pacific

Easy living in Mazatlan, the Pearl of the Pacific

Thom McDonald

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Recently, a number of books, magazine articles, web sites and Internet forums have begun to include discussions among surprisingly large numbers of Americans and Canadians about the possibility of retiring in Mexico. When specific locations are discussed, a few areas seem to dominate the conversations, specifically those areas where sizable "enclaves" of North American retirees already reside, namely: Guadalajara and Lake Chapala, San Miguel de Allende, Cuernavaca, and Puerto Vallarta. Mentioned occasionally are Oaxaca, Morelia, Guanajuato, and even Mexico City.
It has always seemed strange to me that Mazatlán would be overlooked by so many as a possible retirement destination. After talking with several retirees who live there and several visits to different areas in Mexico, in addition to many wonderful vacations in Mazatlán, I have concluded that it certainly deserves more careful consideration. In my opinion, it has several advantages over other potential retirement sites further to the South.

Location and Climate

Mazatlán, (pronounced “maz-it-LAWN”, with the stress on the last syllable), means “place of the deer” in the Nahuatl (Aztec) language,. It is a city of around half a million people, located on a long, flat stretch of the Pacific coast of Mexico, just to the south of the Tropic of Cancer and due east of the tip of the Baja peninsula. It is here that the cool waters of the deep Pacific meet those of the warm, shallow Gulf of California. You might think of Mazatlán as having one foot in the tropics and the other in the dryer, dessert climate to the north.
The summer months can be hotter and more humid than residents of the western US and Canada are accustomed to, but for much of the year, Mazatlán enjoys perfect weather with milder temperatures and lower humidity when compared with Puerto Vallarta, Zihuatanejo, Acapulco, or Cancun. On many days, a refreshing breeze blows in from the Pacific in the afternoon to keep the midday heat under control. I am told by some folks who should know, that even in the middle of summer, it is generally less uncomfortable than Houston, St. Louis or Miami.
I guess they all must hide in the “winter” when we visit Mazatlán, because we have yet to meet the local insect population. While we have heard that some of our six-legged friends do appear during the summer rainy season, the kinds of insect problems that plague many other beach areas in Mexico are, for some reason, mostly absent here.
Even before it became a major tourist destination, Mazatlán was famous for its superb sport fishing. Eight fleets of charter boats haul in about 8,000 to 9,000 marlin and sailfish each year. The ocean is great for swimming and surfing too. The sunsets are fabulous and for those of us who enjoy long walks, the beaches go on and on for miles, both to the North and to the South of the city. On most days, one can find completely deserted, palm tree-lined, golden strands only a short drive or long walk from the city center.
There are also many more, interesting things to do within a short distance. The rugged peaks of the Sierra Madre Occidental are clearly visible to the east. Tropical plantations, mountain jungle and mangrove swamps for wildlife viewing, are all close by, as are a couple of idyllic colonial pueblos. In one nearby town, artisans specialize in hand-crafted furniture which they sell at very reasonable prices. Local bus service to all surrounding areas is frequent and very inexpensive. Even though you can find just about anything you need in Mazatlán, big-city shopping and conveniences in Guadalajara are also only a short day’s drive to the South.
Mazatlán is easily accessible from the western US by air and by car or bus. Among Mexican destinations, it represents one of the shortest and least expensive flights from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver with daily service available from several airlines. Those preferring to drive or ride in the incredibly inexpensive and comfortable (Primera Clase) Mexican buses, will find a 4-lane freeway (Maxipista) from the border at Nogales all the way to Mazatlán. The 743 miles can be covered in one long or two easy day's drive. There are a number of RV parks, (some right on the beach), that fill up with American and Canadian “snowbirds” every winter.

Two Different Cities for the Price of One

While Mazatlán is indeed a major tourist resort, it is not an artificial "Mega-Resort" designed by the government specifically for foreign vacationers like. Cancun, Ixtapa and Huatulco, nor does it have the large permanent expatriate colony that one finds in the Guadalajara area. The few hundred or so Canadian and American expatriates who call Mazatlán home tend to spread out and integrate to some degree with the local population.
There are a few multi-national corporate-owned chain hotels, but most of Mazatlán’s hotels are owned by local Mexican families. World class accommodations and restaurants are abundant, but a fair amount of the vacationers who visit Mazatlán are Mexican nationals from the interior cities, except during Carnaval when the whole world converges on what is said to be Latin America's second largest Mardi Gras celebration.
Mazatlán is also a "real" Mexican city. The working part of Mazatlán, Mexico's largest Pacific port and bustling commercial center, is separated from the resort hotel area — the Zona Dorada, or Golden Zone — by a 13 Km long beach and malecón, (ocean front promenade). "Old Mazatlán" is far enough awayfrom the tourist area, and has a large enough permanent population that it has thus far been able to escape the artificial resort atmosphere and high prices, that are so pervasive in many of Mexico's ocean resort cities.
Here one can relax over a cool Pacifico beer, at one of the shady sidewalk cafés surrounding the lush, tropical Plaza Machado, and watch local children as they scurry around the gazebo bandstand. The discos in the tourist zone may belt out a steady beat until the small hours of the morning, but the slower pace of Old Mazatlán is only a short ride away on the incredibly inexpensive public buses or with one of the fun pulmonías or open-air taxis that are unique to this city.
Of importance to a potential foreign retiree, Mazatlán offers the conveniences of a mid-sized Mexican city with several large supermarkets, department stores, a Sam's Club and a familiar suburban-style shopping mall, along with excellent, modern and inexpensive medical facilities. Many other amenities popular with retired Americans and Canadians are also available.
There is a new marina, two world class golf courses, tennis courts and swimming pools. There is a beautifully restored, 150-year old opera house which hosts numerous cultural events, movie theaters, a champion hometown baseball team, bull fights, an aquarium, and, of course, a gated community with a lots of other North American retirees, many of whom organize and or participate in various local, English-speaking organizations and group activities.
The mazatlecos — Mazatlán’s people — are incredibly friendly, are surprisingly courteous behind the wheel and, because of the importance of the local tourist industry, many of them speak at least some English. Of course for those who are bold enough to learn a little Spanish and merge to some degree into the local economy, Mazatlán can also be a very inexpensive and much more interesting place to live the good life.
For much of the year there is excess capacity in tourist facilities and, as previously mentioned, many of the vacationers in Mazatlán are Mexicans. These two factors help keep prices down and competition for tourist dollars and pesos fierce. Real estate prices are low compared to other resort areas, and grocery prices and other living expenses are also lower on average than in many other areas popular with North American retirees.

Housing

There is an abundance of housing for sale and/or for rent throughout Mazatlán. Prices are very low when compared to like properties in the western US or Canada. Notices for rental housing can be found on the free bulletin boards at the Soriana supermarket where many North Americans shop. Longer term rents run from a few hundred dollars per month on up.
For those looking to buy, there is an infinite variety of housing options. Near the high end, the gated El Cid housing development is home to a good sized group of expatriate Americans and Canadians as well as many wealthy Mexicans.
Most houses and condos in this neighborhood are either on the golf course or on the marina, and prices depend on size and degree of luxury. US and Canadian license tags can also be seen on many vehicles parked in neighborhoods surrounding the El Cid development. There are several English-speaking Mexican realtors and even a few knowledgeable, well-established US and Canadian real estate agents who can help a potential buyer through the infamous Mexican real estate red tape jungle.
Very comfortable houses in a nice upper-class neighborhood, within two or three blocks of the beach, with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, double carports, and private walled patios could be found for US $50,000. to $100,000 a few years ago. Many condominiums in the same neighborhoods, as well as houses in the older part of town were available for substantially less. We have also seen ocean front condominiums in a development just north of the Marina for sale at very accessible prices.

Mazatlán Has Great Food

Mazatlán is home to the largest fishing and shrimp fleets on the west coast, and the Shrimp and other fresh seafood are not to be believed! We never thought it possible to be served too many shrimp, but when faced with a platter full (one kilo) of the biggest, sweetest, jumbo shrimp we had ever seen, two of us were able to finish it only with great difficulty. While not the bargain they were a few years ago, they are still considerably less expensive than they would be in a US restaurant.
While restaurants in the hotel zone can be somewhat pricey by Mexican standards, in the fondas, or small food stalls at the central mercado, a hot meal of fish or shrimp will cost only a few dollars, and restaurants frequented by locals offer many types of cuisine for only slightly more. Orange juice is always fresh squeezed and the melons, pineapples and papayas are sweet and luscious.
You can easily find fresh produce from small-scale local farmers that tends to be more or less organic by default because they cannot afford artificial fertilizers, pesticides, etc. Tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables are vine-ripened, fresh and flavorful. I am told that early risers can buy fish and shrimp directly from the returning fishermen on the beach near the Fishermen's Monument. Most local meat comes from livestock who have more than likely never been exposed to commercial feed and forced-fed hormones and antibiotics.
Domestic cheeses are exceptionally flavorful and Mexican beer tastes like it should cost twice as much as Budweiser, not half as much. If your drink is whiskey, bring it with you, but if you like rum or tequila, or cold drinks made from fresh fruit, “licuados”, you're in luck. A word of warning: the margaritas here are larger and much stronger than those served up North.

Healthcare

In addition to several US-trained, English speaking doctors, Mazatlán boasts several modern hospitals and clinics. The Sharp Hospital is widely regarded as one of the most modern and well-equipped hospitals in the country outside Mexico City. A few years back, on one of our annual winter vacations, I developed a serious case of the flu — which I was exposed to before leaving home — and ended up in the emergency room at the Sharp Hospital. The attention and care that I received was exceptional and the entire cost of my visit, including a thorough examination, injection and medication, worked out to be less than my insurance co-pay would have been at home. Now maybe you Canadians won’t find that so surprising, but anyone who has had the misfortune to end up in the ER of a typical US hospital without adequate insurance coverage, will recognize the incredible bargain here.
It is my understanding that Medicare coverage does not extend outside the US at this time, but the out-of-pocket costs for Mexican health insurance, prescription medications, live-in nursing arrangements and dental care are all substantially less than in the US.

Learning Spanish and Dealing with Immigration Red Tape

I have met Americans and Canadians living in Mazatlán who get along just fine with little or no Spanish at their disposal. Still, learning some Spanish is not only useful, it can greatly increase an expatriate’s sense of belonging and their enjoyment of their new home. There are several language schools in Mazatlán where you can learn Spanish at your own comfortable pace. A good place to start is the Canadian Institute of Modern Languages, just two blocks from the shore.

In Conclusion

All things considered, I think Mazatlán is a great place for Americans and Canadians to visit or to retire. Canadians may be interested to hear that, after the Mexican nationals, the next most abundant group of vacationers, in winter anyway, seem to hail from Western Canada. The word on Mazatlán has apparently been out for some time in Vancouver!

For More Information

If you would like to get "plugged into" a group of people, both Gringos and Mazatlecos, who know a lot about Mazatlán, I recommend tuning into the MazInfo discussion group which you can join at http://www.mazinfo.com/ Most of the participants on this forum actually live in Mazatlán, at least part-time, and are very helpful and friendly. There is always someone there who is happy to answer specific questions.
While not specifically about Mazatlán, far and away the best book for foreigners who want to get to know Mexico, Mexicans, and "things Mexican" is The Peoples Guide to Mexico by Carl Franz and Lorena Havens. The whole book is packed full of information that is useful for people who are considering living or just traveling in Mexico and is available at any well-stocked bookstore. In addition to the book, they also have a newsletter that they publish periodically, the People's Guide Travel Letter.
A small travel agency which specializes in low cost vacation packages from west coast points of departure to Mazatlán is Tom Reaney's Mazatlán Connection. Another travel agency which offers low cost packages to Mazatlán is Aventours,  “The Mexico Experts.”
Mazatlán's English language newspaper, The Pacific Pearl covers the tourist and expatriate beats.

Below are some more links that you may find useful:

Visiting Mazatlán on a Budget Steve has some good advice and some nice pictures of “Old” Mazatlán.
An Exceptional Bed & Breakfast – Dorothy and Captain Moe love Mazatlán and will do everything to make you feel at home.
Outside Mazatlán - the Real Sierra Madre

Official State Tourism Deptartment city guide

¡Buena suerte y nos vemos en Mazatlán!

www.tibesarealty.com.mx
www.tibesarealty.com.mx/wordpress/

Water Parks Mazatlan Mexico

Acuario .mazatlan, Mexico

Mazatlan's Light Festival - www.mazatlan.travel

Deer Island Kayak Tour, Mazatlan, Mexico

2010 PGA Canadian Tour, Mazatlan, Mexico