Mazatlan

History of Mazatlan

The recorded history
of Mazatlan
begins in 1531 when the Spaniards originally settled there. Before the
Spaniards arrived, the area was inhabited by a native Indian people called the
Totorames. These Indians were hunters and fishermen and were adept at making
clay vases and figures.

When the Spaniards
arrived, they wiped out the native Totorames. A crazy Spaniard named Nu?o de
Guzman, who was intensely jealous of the Spanish explorer Cort?s, slaughtered
the Indian people in the Mazatlan area,
supposedly for ?the greater glory of Spain.? When the Spaniards settled
in Mazatlan, it was very useful for them and
became a significant port and village on the Pacific coast of Mexico.

The next major event
in Mazatlan’s history was when Franciso de
Ibarra, another Spanish conquistador, discovered gold and silver nearby in the
hills above Mazatlan.
This was a major attraction to pirates in that time, which began dominating the
waters around Mazatlan
in 1603. Spanish galleons loaded with gold and silver from the Copala mines
(just outside Mazatlan)
were a very tempting target!

The city of Mazatlan was officially
incorporated in 1806, and it began to grow as a seaport in the 1830’s when a
municipal government was established. A considerable amount of immigration from
Germany contributed to the
growth of Mazatlan
as a seaport, and trade with other countries blossomed. The German immigrants
had a significant influence in Mazatlan.
German names are still common, and some of the residents of Mazatlan actually speak German as a second
language.

Being an important
trading port actually brought Mazatlan some
unwanted attention in the following years, when it became the target of attacks
during some wars that Mexico
was involved in. In 1847 the US Army took over and closed the port during the
Mexican-American war. Mazatlan also came under
attack in 1864 when the French bombarded the port during their invasion of Mexico.

With the return of
peace, Mazatlan
was able to continue developing. Among other things, it now has one of the
largest tuna and shrimp fishing fleets in the world. It has also developed into
a world class tourist resort, due to the attraction of more than 17 miles of beautiful
beaches. Mazatlan
now offers a wide range of activities for all types of tourists, as well as a
wealth of resorts and hotels for all preferences.

J.U.

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