| We took a bus from the campsite to the old town (about
10 miles - 5 pesos) The Plaza Machado is at the centre of the old town. This
hotel/bar/restaurant is on the north side. |  |
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A bit further on is the cultural centre of the town. This is the Angela
Peralta Theatre. Built in 1874, it was named as a place of national heritage
in 1990. But is was closed as part of the flu restrictions on meetings in
public places. The museum was another place closed for the flu which we
would have liked to visit. |
| An alternative to double glazing and air conditioning
is to use shutters to keep the sun out and let the breezes blow through. This is a common
architectural feature particularly on the older houses. This pretty house
also features a nice collection of blue china plates and medallions sunk
into the exterior plaster - this way everyone can admire your collection. |  |
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.As with any city it has a cathedral. This is an impressive building which
has undergone much renovation It was started in 1856 but was
interrupted by reform laws implemented by President Benito Juarez.
Construction was completed in 1899. |
| It is certainly an impressive building and the equal
of any we have seen in Europe. The high vaulted ceilings never fail to
impress me. |  |
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The amount of effort and money which goes into the centrepieces of these
churches must have been enormous. Although I appreciate their splendour I
can't help but feel that the simple chapels such as at Posada Barrancas are
more appropriate. |
| There are fine statues outside the cathedral at each
of the four corners. This one must have had local meaning. |  |
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We walked onto the end which we thought was the fishing port but turned out
to be the ferry terminal for the ferries to La Paz in Baja California. You can have any
sort of pickup you like so long as it's white. |
| To the left is the cruise ship terminal, but we went
to the right towards the Cerro de Creston lighthouse which is on the top of this hill.
It is one of the highest (not tallest) lighthouses in the world at 500ft above sea level. |  |
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There are two large mound type hills in Mazatlan. The first is Lookout Hill
which we are now walking round. |
| There are some spectacular looking houses perched on
the top, although given that this is on the San Andreas fault, I'm not sure
I would want to live there, whatever the view. This is a restaurant - you
would certainly have a good appetite for dinner if you climbed all those
steps up from this side. |  |
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Most of the rock here is a dark brown but Two Brothers Islands out in the
bay just off Lookout Hill shine bright white in the sunlight and are very striking. |
| As we came round Lookout Hill we looked at the first
bay and Icebox Hill on the next headland. |  |
 | This
is where most of the aerials for the area are mounted. No warnings here
about the dangers of living in proximity to transmitters. |
| Or of living in a house suspended over the rocks
below. It is to be hoped they made it with good concrete and reinforcing
struts. |  |
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The monument has two mosaic shields. On the right is the one for the
province of Sinaloa, on the left is the one for the town of Mazatlan. |
| This is the Deer monument. Mazatlan means the 'land of
deer' in the original native language. |  |
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This is the stylish window of the Tourist Office. Jan liked the pattern of
the grille work. We sat in the hotel just
across from here and had a coffee while we contemplated what to do next. |
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