Mazatlan

Mazatlán lies on the Pacific coast of northwestern Mexico, where a sheltered harbour faces the Gulf of California. The surrounding coastal plain was inhabited by Indigenous peoples before Spanish conquest, with settlements near rivers, estuaries and marshes. Its anchorage gained importance as maritime connections along the coast expanded. During the eighteenth century ships increasingly used the port, linking the coast with other parts of New Spain. After Mexican independence Mazatlán opened to foreign navigation in 1826. Commerce through the harbour grew, drawing merchants into exchanges that extended inland toward Durango and other northern regions.