Mazatlán is a gorgeous, coastal, Colonial city in Mexico, with miles of beautiful beaches, a thriving year-round cultural scene, fantastic fresh seafood, and a friendly community of local people and expats. We were considering this for a place to settle down, however the locals told us that it can get to 120° F in the summer. Omgosh no thank you, we will just visit.
Mazatlan means “place of deer” in Nahuatl. It was populated by Totorames Indians, who hunted, gathered fruit, grew crops and fished. Strong evidence suggests their presence in the region for over 1,000 years. Scientists have found petroglyphs on off shore islands that date back as far as 10,000 years.
Spanish explorer Nuño de Guzmán founded a settlement here in 1531, but it was not successful. Sailors called the place the Islands of Mazatlan because of the many hills, lagoons and natural harbor.
Gold was being mined on the Pacific Coast and French and English Pirates hid in the hills of Mazatlán, so they could rob the Galleons. Colonial government took action against the pirates in 1800, but the legends of buried gold persists until today.
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