Mazatlán

Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa; the surrounding municipio (municipality) for which the city serves as the municipal capital is also called Mazatlán. It is located at  on the Pacific coast, just across from the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula.

Mazatlán is a Nahuatl word meaning "place of the deer."  The city was started in 1531. By the mid-1800s a large group of immigrants had arrived from Germany. These new citizens made Mazatlán into a successful commercial seaport, importing equipment for the nearby gold and silver mines. It served as the capital of Sinaloa from 1859 to 1873.  They also influenced the music, banda, which is an form of Bavarian folk music, and also started the Pacifico Brewery on March 14, 1900.

Mazatlán, with a population of 352,471 (city) and 403,888 (municipality) as of the 2005 census, is the second-largest city in the state (after Culiacán) and Mexico's largest commercial port. It is also a popular tourist destination, with its beaches lined with resort hotels. A car ferry across the Gulf of California from Mazatlán to La Paz, Baja California Sur exists. The municipality has a land area of 3,068.48 km² (1,184.75 sq mi) and includes smaller communities such as Villa Unión, La Noria, El Quelite, El Habal and many other small villages.

Mazatlán is served by Gral. Rafael Buelna International Airport.

Sister towns
12px Hamm,  since 1978
Santa Monica, California 
Seattle, Washington 
Puntarenas, 
Grande Prairie, Alberta 

Cityscape
 Communities and neighborhoods 
 Communities of Mazatlan Bugambilias
 Casa Blanca
 Centro Histórico
 Cerritos
 Colonia Lazaro Cardenas
 El Cid
 El Dorado
 El Estero
 El Toreo
 El Venadillo
 Flamingos
 Flores Magon
 Gaviotas
 Infonavit Playas
 Juarez
 La Alameda
 La Ciudad Perdida
 La Ferrocarrilera
 La Joya
 Lomas de Mazatlán
 Lomas del Ebano
 Lopez Mateos
 Los Mangos
 Los Olivos
 Los Sauces
 Mediterraneo
 Montuosa
 Nuevo Mazatlan
 Olas Altas
 Palos Prietos
 Paseo de los Olivos
 Playa Sur
 Real del Valle
 Sabalo
 San Jorge
 Villa Florida
 Villa Galaxia
 Villa Marina
 Villa Verde
 Villas del Rey
 Zona Dorada

Beaches and parks
Viejo Mazatlan & Centro area:
 Olas Altas
 Playa Norte
 Los Pinitos
Zona Dorada (Golden Zone):
 Gaviotas
 Sabalos
 Playa Camaron
Nuevo Mazatlan area:
 Cerritos
 Playa Bruja
 El Delfin
 Marmol

 Isla de la Piedra:

Gallery

References
Spanish
Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005  INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
Sinaloa  Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México

Other websites
Mazatlán Map 
Open Directory Mazatlán Business 
Official websites
Instituto de Cultura
Carnaval of Mazatlan 
Ayuntamiento de Mazatlán 
Spanish
Mazatlán History in the XIX Century 

Category:1531 establishments in Mexico
Category:Cities in Mexico
Category:Settlements in Sinaloa