Centro Histórico de Mazatlán

The Centro Histórico is the old port town of Mazatlán, on the narrow southern end of the peninsula where the city began, between the harbour and the Paseo Olas Altas. In 2001 the federal government declared it a Zone of Historic Monuments, under the care of INAH: a single area of 1.145 km² taking in 180 city blocks. Most of its buildings date from the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th, and mix academic styles with regional ways of building, from tall shuttered doorways to cast-iron balconies.

The district grew rich on trade. In the 1800s merchants and investors from Germany, France, Spain, England, Italy, the United States and other parts of Mexico ran the port's business, and they built their warehouses and homes around the new plazas. After decades of decline in the 20th century, residents, the city and private owners restored much of it, and today the brightly painted façades, cobbled streets and lit-up buildings at night are what draw visitors. Walking tours, food tours and Segway rides through the old town are among the most booked activities in the city.

The main sights are close together. The Catedral Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción faces Plazuela República, next to the Palacio Municipal. A few blocks south-west, Plazuela Machado, laid out in 1837, is ringed by restaurants, cafés, galleries and bars, with the Teatro Ángela Peralta on Calle Carnaval beside it. The Mercado Pino Suárez, an iron-framed market opened in 1899, sells fruit, meat, crafts and clothing, and the Templo de San José is the other notable church inside the zone. From the western edge of the district it is only a short walk down to the sea at Olas Altas.