~ History of: Mazatlan, Mexico: ~
In pre-Hispanic times Mazatlán
(which means 'place of deer' in Náhuatl) was populated by Totorames, who lived by hunting,
gathering, fishing and agriculture. A group of 25 Spaniards led by Nuño de Guzmán officially
founded a settlement here on Easter Sunday in 1531, but almost three centuries elapsed before a permanent colony was established
in the early 1820s.
The port was blockaded by
US forces in 1847, and by the French in 1864, but Mazatlán was little more than a fishing village for the next
80 years. 'Old' Mazatlán, the traditional town center, dates from the 19th century.
Tourists started coming in
the 1930s, mainly for fishing and hunting, and some hotels began to appear along the Playa Olas Altas, Mazatlán's
first tourist beach, in the 1950s. Thus began a period of grwoth that continued steadily
through the 1960s. From the 1970s onward, a long strip of modern hotels and tourist facilities
has spread north along the coast.
With a population well in excess of half a million, Mazatlan
continues to grow. Much of the momentum is generated by international tourism. The municipal government, dominated in recent times by the centre-right PAN, has implemented a civic beautification
program in an attempt to respond to the tourist industry's increasing emphasis on ecological attractiveness. Nevertheless, part of Mazatlan's charm is that it's not just a tourist town.
![Mazatlan, Mexico! [south view] Click to Enlarge!](/imagelib/sitebuilder/misc/show_image.html?linkedwidth=actual&linkpath=http://www.virtual-travel.info/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/mazatlan_south-view.jpg&target=tlx_new)
