Mazatlan Coast

The coast of Mazatlán faces the entrance to the Gulf of California, with islands offshore and mangrove-lined estuaries along the mainland. In 1820 the port was opened to ocean-going navigation, and the anchorage shifted to a southern cove named Ortigosa after a merchant who worked to improve it. Growing trade brought a customs office to Mazatlán in 1828. The harbor's position connected the coast of Sinaloa to ships arriving from across the Pacific and beyond.