Sinaloa

Sinaloa(Spanish pronunciation:[sinaˈloa]), officially theEstado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa(English:Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along withMexico City, compose theFederal EntitiesofMexico. It is divided into18 municipalities, and its capital city isCuliacán Rosales.
It is located in northwest Mexico and is bordered by the states ofSonorato the northwest,Chihuahuato the north andDurangoto the east, both across theSierra Madre Occidental; andNayaritto the southeast. To the west, Sinaloa facesBaja California Sur, across theGulf of California. The state covers an area of 58,328 square kilometers (22,521 sq mi) and includes the islands of Palmito Verde, Palmito de la Virgen, Altamura, Santa María, Saliaca, Macapule, and San Ignacio. In addition to the capital city, the state's important cities includeMazatlánandLos Mochis.
Sinaloacombines two words from theCahita language:sina('pithayaplant'), andlobola('rounded'); "sinalobola" was shortened to "sinaloa".This most popular etymology is attributed toEustaquio Buelna. Another etymology attributed to Pablo Lizárraga is Mexicacintli('dry corn and cob') andololoa('to pile up'), and to locative, "where they pile up or store corn on the cob." Yet another etymology from Héctor R. Olea combinsa Cahiasinawith the locative "ro" from thePurépecha languageand "a" from Aztecatl('water'), thus "place of pithayas in the water.
Sinaloa belongs to the northern limit ofMesoamerica. From theFuerte Riverto the north is the region known asAridoamerica, which includes the deserts and arid places ofnorthern Mexicoandsouthwestern United States. Before European contact, the territory of Sinaloa was inhabited by groups such as theCahitas, the Tahues, the Acaxees, the Xiximes, the Totorames, theAchiresand the Guasaves.
In 1531,Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán, with a force of over 10,000 men, established a Spanish and allied Indian outpost at San Miguel de Culiacán. Over the next decade, the Cahíta suffered severe depopulation from conquest, smallpox and other diseases brought by Europeans.
The Spanish organized Sinaloa as part of thegobiernoofNueva Galicia. In 1564, the area was realigned: the area of Culiacán andCosaláremained in control of Nueva Galicia, while the areas to the north, south and west were made part of the newly formedNueva Vizcayaprovince, making the Culiacán area an exclave of Nueva Galicia. The first capital of Nueva Vizcaya was located inSan Sebastián, nearCopala, but was moved toDurangoin 1583.
Starting in 1599,Jesuitmissionariesspread out from a base at what is nowSinaloa de Leyvaand by 1610, the Spanish influence had been extended to the northern edge of Sinaloa. In 1601, the Jesuits' movement into the eastern part of Sinaloa led to theAcaxeegoing to war. The Spanish eventually managed to reassert authority in theSierra Madre Occidentalregion and executed 48 Acaxee leaders.
After theMexican War of Independence, Sinaloa was joined with Sonora asEstado de Occidente, but became a separate, sovereign state in 1830.ThePorfiriatoera was marked by the administration of Francisco Cañedo, who served multiple non-consecutive terms from 1877 to 1909. After theMexican Revolution, infrastructure projects and land reform consolidated the agrarian sector, which led to the state being named "the granary of Mexico".
The coastal plain is a narrow strip of land that stretches along the length of the state and lies between theGulf of Californiaand the foothills of theSierra Madre Occidentalmountain range, which dominates the eastern part of the state. Sinaloa is traversed by many rivers, which carve broad valleys into the foothills. The largest of these rivers are theCuliacán,Fuerte, andSinaloa.
Sinaloa has a warm climate on the coast; moderately warm climate in the valleys and foothills; moderately cold in the lower mountains, and cold in the higher elevations. Its weather characteristics vary from subtropical and tropical, found on coastal plains, to cold in the nearby mountains. Temperatures range from 22 °C (72 °F) to 43 °C (109 °F) with rain and thunderstorms during the rainy season (June to October) and dry conditions throughout most of the year. Its average annualprecipitationis 790 millimetres.
Numerous species of plants and animals are found within Sinaloa. Notable among the tree species is the elephant tree,Bursera microphylla.
According to the 2020 census, Sinaloa is home to 3,026,943 inhabitants, 60% of whom reside in the capital city ofCuliacánand the municipalities ofMazatlánandAhome. It is a young state in terms of population, 56% of which is younger than 30 years of age.
Other demographic particulars report 87% of the state practices theCatholic faith. Also, 1% of those over five years of age speak an indigenous language alongside Spanish; the main indigenous ethnic group residing in the state is theMayoor "Yoreme" (Cáhita language) people. Life expectancy in the state follows the national tendency of higher rates for women than men, a difference of almost six years in the case of Sinaloa, at 74.2 and 68.3 years respectively.
In ethnic composition, Sinaloa has received large historic waves of immigration from Europe (mainly Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy and Russia) and Asia (namely China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Armenia, Lebanon, and Syria). The last two countries also make up most of theArab Mexicancommunity in the state. In recent years, retirees from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and South America have arrived and made Sinaloa their home.
There was also a sizable influx ofAshkenaziandSephardi Jewsin the first decades of the twentieth century.
Greeksform a notable presence in Sinaloa, where one can find local cuisine with kalamari and a few Greek Orthodox churches along the state's coast.
According to the 2020 Census, 1.39% of Sinaloa's population identified as Black,Afro-Mexican, or having African descent.
Sinaloenses have moved to the United States in large numbers since 1970; a large community lives in the twin towns ofIndio, CaliforniaandCoachella, Californiaabout 40 km (25 miles) east of the resort city ofPalm Springs, Californiain the Colorado Desert ofSouthern California.
The main economic activities of Sinaloa are agriculture, fishing, livestock breeding, tourism andfood processing.Sinaloa has on its license plates the image of atomato, as the state is widely recognized for harvesting this particular fruit in great abundance from Los Mochis in the North to Culiacán in the central region of the state. Agriculture produce aside from tomatoes includecotton,beans,corn,wheat,sorghum,potatoes,soybeans,mangos,sugarcane,peanutsandsquash.Sinaloa is the most prominent state in Mexico in terms of agriculture and is known as "Mexico's breadbasket". Additionally, Sinaloa has the second largest fishing fleet in the country.Livestock produces meat, sausages, cheese, milk as well as sour cream.
In terms of education, average schooling reaches 8.27 years; 4.2% of those over 15 years of age are illiterate, and 3.18% of children under 14 years of age do not attend school.
Institutions of higher education includeUniversidad Autónoma de Sinaloa,Mexico International University,TecMilenio University,Universidad Autónoma de Durango,Universidad Autónoma de Occidente,Universidad Autónoma Indígena de México, andUniversidad Casa Blanca.
The currentgovernor of SinaloaisRubén Rocha Moya.The state is represented in theMexican Congressby threeSenatorsin theupper houseand fourteenfederal deputiesin thelower house.
Sinaloa is divided into18 municipalities. Each municipality has acity council, headed by the municipal president. The aforementioned positions have a duration of three years.
The state's major cities include the capital and largest city,Culiacán;Mazatlán, a famous tourist resort and destination; andLos Mochis, anagriculturalhub in Northwestern Mexico. Other cities includeGuasave,Guamúchil,Escuinapa,El Fuerte,Sinaloa de Leyva,El Rosario,San Ignacio de PiaxtlaandChoix.
Culturally, Sinaloa is part ofNorthern Mexico. Famous entertainers from the state include actorPedro Infante, born inMazatlán; singerAna Gabriel, born inGuamúchil; singer and actressLola BeltránfromRosario; Cruz Lizárraga, the founder ofBanda el Recodo; baseball playerJorge Orta, from Mazatlán; actress/comedian/singerSheyla Tadeo, born inCuliacán; actressSabine Moussier; actress/singerLorena Herrera, from Mazatlán; and singer-songwriterChalino Sánchez, from Las Flechas,Culiacán.
The state is known for its popular styles of musicbandaandnorteño.Banda was established in the early 1920s, influenced by the organological style of the Europeanfanfare, and incorporating traditionalsones,ranchera,corrido,polka,waltz,mazurkaandschottischepredominate, as well as more contemporary genres such ascumbia.
The first bandas were formed by members of military and municipal bands who settled in theSierra Madre Occidentalduring theMexican Revolution, and were influenced by traditional Yoreme music.
Its rich cuisine is well known for its variety particularly in regard tomariscos(seafood) and vegetables. Famous dishes includeChilorioandAguachile.Sinaloan sushiis a popular dish.
Newspapersof Sinaloa include:El Debate de Culiacán,El Debate de Guamúchil,El Debate de Guasave,El Debate de los Mochis,El Debate de Mazatlán,El Sol de Culiacán,El Sol de Sinaloa,La I Noticias para Mí Culiacán,Noroeste (Culiacán),Noroeste de Mazatlán, andPrimera Hora.
Sinaloa is one of the few places where the ancientMesoamerican ballgameis still played, in a handful of small, rural communities not far fromMazatlán. The ritual ballgame was central in the society, religion andcosmologyof all the greatMesoamericancultures including theMixtecs,Aztecs, andMaya.The Sinaloa version of the game is calledulamaand is very similar to the original.There are efforts to preserve this 3500-year-old unique tradition by supporting the communities and children who play it.
The state is home to severalbaseballteams such asTomateros de Culiacán,Venados de Mazatlán,Cañeros de Los MochisandAlgodoneros de Guasavewhich take part in theMexican Pacific League.
The powerfulSinaloa Cartel(Cártel de SinaloaorCDS) has significantly influenced the culture of Sinaloa.The cartel is reportedly the largestdrug trafficking,money launderingandorganized crimesyndicate in the Americas; it is based in the city ofCuliacán, Sinaloa.