NCL Mexican Riviera Cruise Day 4: Mazatlan, Mexico

We booked a horseback riding tour for Mazatlan. Met our guide at the port. Then went to the ranch by truck, boat, then truck again. The taxi at Mazatlan was small truck with seats on the back. It was the first time I sat on the back of the truck like that with no seat belt. Dangerous, but fun in a way. Mazatlan is not as touristy as Cabo San Lucas. The small and rustic town was quite charming. Lots of horses and tractors on the road. Many households had pets that can also be... food. Chicken, duck, goat, and pig. Lots of skinny and friendly dogs running around as well.

I'll give you a little history of the town with my pictures.



Mazatlan is the northernmost link in the Mexican Riviera Resort Chain.  Mazatlan sits on a small peninsula nearly 1,000 miles south of the border with the U.S.  The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortes converge offshore.  Several steep hills border the otherwise flat city.




Mazatlan is not as flashy as some of the other resort towns to its south along Mexico's coast, but continues to maintain its Mexican character.  Mazatlan offers guests the things that they came for: relaxation and entertainment in a pleasant seaside setting.  In a single visit you will be able to experience the glitz of modern resorts and the flavor of a Mexican city.



Spanish explorers used Mazatlan as a port in the 1600's.  It was developed as an Asian Commerce Port, and got rich when silver was discovered some years later.  The 1960's brought on the boom that continues on to this day largely on the initial fame of trophy fishing and beautiful beaches.



First hotels were built along Playa Olas Atlas, just blocks from the historic Zocalo or heart of downtown Mazatlan.  Since then, resort development has stretched north along the coast called the Golden Zone.



German immigrants arrived in the 1800's and incorporated Mazatlan in 1806.  Many of the buildings in Old Mazatlan date from the Golden Era of the 1800's, when the bustling port and the silver mines made the city rich.  The historic sights of Old Mazatlan are near the Plazuela Machado, a small tree lined square with a wrought iron kiosk in the center.  The Teatro Angela Peralta is an 1800's restored theatre treasure and is surrounded by artist's studios, galleries and restaurants.



Mazatlan is blessed with a magnificent 10 mile long ocean front highway and beachfront boardwalk known as the Malecon.  Off of the Malecon, take a stroll through Olas Atlas and experience the old plazas and residential streets filled with tropical vegetation.  A number of structures remain from the 1800's and early 1900's when Olas Atlas was the city's center.



Located in the Old Mazatlan neighborhood, you'll find a great variety of shopping opportunities and Mazatlan's endless beaches, stretching north from the Old City for more than 14 miles.  They include nearly every type of surf-and-sand experience, ranging from romantic, secluded coves to umbrella-packed expanses.



There are no private beaches in Mexico.  All shoreline is federal property.  Playa Sabalo, a stretch of beach alongside the center of Zona Dorada or the Golden Zone attracts the largest number of sunbathers and is the best beach for swimming and sunbathing.



Fresh seafood is Mazatlan's main dish.  You will enjoy fin fish, clams, oysters, marlin, shark, squid and more varieties of shrimp than you can shake a lime wedge at.  Also beef from the cattle-raising region in nearby Sonora is excellent.  Local menus also feature the popular traditional Mexican specialties.  For the sweet tooth folks in the crowd, try a Toni-Col, a vanilla soft drink and a Jericalla which is a dessert similar to flan that is covered with chocolate instead of caramel syrup.

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