Sinaloa

Sinaloa (seen-a-low-a) is the state south of Sonora. The capital of the state is Culiacan (cool-ee-ah-cahn) with a population of 50,000, a brisk, modern city in many ways, but old and venerated in years because here is where the great Conquest parties were formed for the exploration of what is now southwestern United States. Men, whose names have been glorified in the early history of our land, knew the streets of Culiacan several centuries ago. Despite its modern ways, the centuries have left their marks in the area.Culiacan is situated where the Rios Humaya and the Tamazula meet. From there to the sea they become Rio Culiacan. The Sanalona Dam built on the Tamazula River in 1948 has added stability to the vast agricultural enterprises around Culiacan, assuring a constant supply of water for 200,000 acres of rich farmlands.

When you think of Sinaloa you think of farming. The state is one of the big agricultural states of Mexico, blessed by climate, by geography, by large rivers which have washed rich soil from the mountains to deposit it in the fertile valleys of state, most of which are but a few feet above sea level. Sinaloa has now about 250,000 acres of sugar cane under cultivation with big sugar mills at Los Mochis, Navolato. Costa Rica, and at El Dorado. Sinaloa has under cultivation 250,000 acres of garbanzos (chick-peas), 150,000 acres of cotton, 80,000 acres of winter vegetables and 50,000 acres of linseed and rice plus corn, beans and other basic commodities.

This vast farming industry is built around the area drained principally by the rivers Fuerte, Ocoroni, Sinaloa, Mocorito, Humaya, Tamazula, San Lorenzo, Elota, Presidio, Rosario and Culican. Eventually the largest of these rivers will be brought under control by dams, which will mean even a greater agricultural expansion throughout the entire state of Sinaloa, resulting in more foodstuffs for the Republic, more foodstuffs to be exported to world markets.

Sinaloa is bordered on the west by the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean. The state is long and narrow in shape, hemmed in on the east by the great Sierra Madres of Chihuahua and Durango, a mountain range which gives a liberal runoff and feeds the rivers of the State. The coastal valleys, which form the principal part of Sinaloa, are noted for their mild winters and hot and humid summers. Here is part of the Tierra Caliente (hot country) of Mexico and if you haven't been in the hot country of Mexico you haven't seen summer at her most unpleasant. Unpleasant, of course, for the traveler, but perfect for the farmer. And incidentally, these great rivers we speak of, which form the backbone of Sinaloa's farming, are the detriments to the tourist industry, because before the road can be completed from Nogales to Guadalajara these rivers will have to be bridged, and it will take a lot of time and a lot of money to do that the way it should be done.

The emphasis on commercial fishing in Mazatlan has resulted in a new shipbuilding industry.

The state government of Sinaloa, under the direction of Governor Pablo E. Macias V., is not neglecting its road building program. Work is constantly in progress on various sections of the Nogales-Guadalajara Highway, 378 miles of which will form the north-south highway through Sinaloa. The many rivers which flow east to west from the mountains to the sea through the state will eventually be bridged. Ferry service is provided over the main rivers now. Connecting highways between the larger cities in Sinaloa are being brought up to standard specifications.

Culiacan, 576 miles from Nogales, is a beehive of industry during the vegetable shipping season, November through May. Thousands of carloads of tomatoes roll north each year from Culiacan for consumption in the United States. Pickers and packers jam the fields and sheds, trucks crowd the highways day and night, loaders work around the clock getting the crops in and out during the season. The excellence of Sinaloa tomatoes, selected and packed to meet the rigid standards of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, has in recent years commanded high and profitable prices for the Sinaloa farmer.

Business men in Culiacan are very U. S.-minded as far as winter vegetables are concerned, because the slightest change in the market effects them and their investments. The government and the large cooperatives are conducting extensive statistical studies of the U. S. winter produce market in order for the farmers of the state to plant the best and most profitable winter crops to supply that market.

As one can readily see, Culiacan is a prosperous and progressive city. The construction of the Sanalona Dam a few miles east of the city has been the stabilizing factor to the city's principal business. An extensive system of canals is being built for the orderly dispersion of this stored water for the reclamation of more land and to secure the greatest yield from lands in cultivation. It isn't necessary now for the growers around Culiacan to fret about the vagaries of the weather.

Culiacan is probably one of the most sports-minded cities in the Republic. No one there thinks it strange that the city should have a costly, modern steel-and-concrete stadium with a capacity of 15,000 to seat the crowds supporting the Culiacan baseball team. But Culiacan has such a stadium, just built, and to use a current expression, "they pack 'em in."

Shrimp fishing and the processing of sea products is becoming a major business in port of Mazatlan.

Thousands of acres of tomatoes are harvested in the fertile valleys of Sinaloa for export trade.

The great tourist attraction of Sinaloa is the charming city of Mazatlan on the sea coast. This jewel of the blue Pacific is ideally located on one of the finest harbors on Mexico's West Coast, a harbor protected by islands, a harbor in which great dredges are now working to allow clearance for larger ships necessary to handle the products of the soil of Sinaloa.

This city of sun and sand and palms is 708 miles south of Nogales. Its population of some 35,000 is principally engaged in fishing, shipping, boat building and manufacturing. Here as in the great cities of Mexico is noted the contrast between the old and the new, Along the ocean drive are modern buildings and in the streets is the bustle of traffic. Not far down the shore are the huts of fishermen and small fishing boats moving gentle to the motion of the sea. Where the new airport is being built, to more firmly tie the city to the rest of the Republic, bare footed boys drive their burros into the jungles where bananas grow wild, and one can hear the chatter of parrots. Luxurious yachts rest at anchor in the harbor where small homemade boats carry solitary fishermen spending an afternoon in the sun, wonderfully unconcerned whether the fish decide to bite.

The winters are mild, the summers "muy caliente," and humid as well as hot. Mazatlecos understand the weather very well. The wise ones take it easy in the heat of summer days, stirring about only in the early morning and in the evenings when cooler air moves in from the sea.

The Carnival which takes place the week before Lent is one of the gayest fiestas in all of Mexico. Here one can appreciate the meaning of the word "fiesta." One is very dull or unfortunate who can not lay aside duties and cares to join in the fun and festivity.

Ancient church spires watch over the city undisturbed by the slow passing decades. The gentle winds of the Pacific caress the rich colored flowers hanging profusely from vine covered balconies. Brightly dressed birds are shafts of color moving through the palms. The dredges in the harbor groan as they go about their chores, as if reluctant to be put to such arduous tasks when the natural thing to do is to take it easy in the sun. Such is Mazatlan.

Mazatlan and Culiacan in Sinaloa are served by several modern air lines.

NAYARIT

South of Sinaloa and Mazatlan, the railroad and the highway cross a sandy, jungle-covered plain and approach mountains high and blue against the Mexican sky. The traveler is nearing the state of Nayarit (nie-yar-eat). Those mountains bespeak cool weather, relief from the heat of the coastal "tierra caliente." The jungle plain gives way to gradually rising foothills, thickly covered with tropical growth or with patches of small farms on intricate terraces. The hills are separated by large and small rivers every inch of whose banks feel the discipline of the plow. Further on the mountains become clearer in the blue haze, ranges whose names are like the beat of drums: Sierra Madre de Nayarit, Sierra de Teponanuastla, Sierra de Ixcatan, Sierra de Acatlan. The towns of Acaponeta, Morada, Ruiz, Nachi pass by and then one arrives at the capital of the state: Tepic (taypeek.) have performed miracles in Tepic and Nayarit.

Eight years ago Tepic was described in these pages in this manner: "Tepic is the state capital of Nayarit, one of the most hidden and sequestered states in Mexico. This little city is in the high mountains, and only the railroad connects it with the outside world. Life is unhurried here and the natives do not seem to know of the busy world outside. If they did, they wouldn't care. It has colonial charm and is a refreshing experience for the traveler a little bit tired of the busy hum of modern places. Tepic still possesses much of the quaintness of yesterday."

Since then eight decisive years have left their marks on Tepic and Nayarit to such an extent the traveler returning after that time would scarcely recognize the place.

The man most responsible for these miracles is the able and genial governor, Gilberto Flores Muñoz, an extremely efficient administrator, a visionary who has translated his visions into concrete achievements, the man all citizens of the state contend should be the next president of the Republic. "But, of course," you will be told, "look what our governor has done for Nayarit. Think what he could do for all of Mexico."

The American unfamiliar with the peculiar governmental structure of Mexico finds this strange. The governor of a Mexican state has much more power than the governor of an American state. He virtually becomes the government and is almost free to do as he pleases without restrictions of unwieldy legislatures and confining laws. Governor Flores Muñoz used the power given him by the people to change what was considered the most back-woods state in Mexico to one of the most progressive. And his work is not done, nor has he had too much to work with.

Nayarit is one of the smallest states in Mexico, in size measuring only 16,390 square miles and with a population of 292,343. The state is principally devoted to agriculture, the main crops being corn, beans, rice, sugar cane, bananas, peanuts and tobacco. The state is the "corn basket" of Mexico and a leading producer in the Republic of the crops mentioned. Total value of crops produced in 1949 was 83,572,959 pesos. almost double the crop value in 1946. The administration of Governor Muñoz has built hundreds of warehouses throughout the farming areas to guarantee a surer and more orderly storing and marketing of these crops, of such vital necessity to the inhabitants of the large, crowded cities of the interior.