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Interesting Facts
- Mazatlán is Mexico's largest fishing port on the Pacific coast. In fact, it is the largest port between Los Angeles and the Panama Canal. The shrimping industry is second-to-none, providing the world with over 40 million pounds annually.
- El Faro, or "the lighthouse," located at Cerro Creston just outside of Mazatlán, is the second tallest lighthouse in the world behind the famous structure at Gibraltar. But because it rests atop a 505-foot cliff, it can lay claim to being the world's tallest natural lighthouse.
- Spanish Conquistadors settled a lot of Mexico, and several native civilizations like the Mayans ruled the country for many hundreds of years. However, Mazatlán is unique in that an enterprising band of Germans played a large role in establishing the first real town here around the city's port facilities.
- Proving Mazatlán's strategic location on the Pacific coastline of the Americas, the city has been occupied in different times of crisis by American, French, British, and even Southern states' Confederate troops.
- Mazatlán has the distinction of being one of Mexico's oldest tourist destinations. Travelers started frequenting this area when Cancún and Ixtapa were nothing more than a jungle and a sandbar (respectively, of course).
- Mardi Gras celebrations take place in several cities throughout the world, but Mazatlán has the distinction of hosting the third-largest Mardi Gras party in the world.
- The Nahua Tribes were to first to settle in the region surrounding modern-day Mazatlán. In fact, the city's name is Nahua for "land of the deer." Unfortunately, with over 600,000 inhabitants in the city, not many residents of the once famous deer herds are seen anymore.
- Though it's a dubious distinction, Mazatlán was the first city in the Americas to be bombed by an airplane (and the third in the world behind Tripoli and Libya). The incident took place during the revolution of 1910-1917.
- Mazatlán may be one of Mexico's largest fishing-industry ports, but the city also offers the country's largest port for sport fishing. Between 10,000 and 15,000 marlin and sailfish make it into sport-fishermans' boats each year.
- The Acuario Mazatlán is Mexico's largest aquarium, featuring a vast array of colorful fish exhibits. Purely for their spectacle, the shark and eel tanks are two of the biggest draws for the aquarium.
