Tag Archives: malecón/oceanside promenade

A Hike on a Foggy Morning/El Faro Dentro de la Niebla

I’ve told you before about the wonderful lighthouse we have here in Mazatlán. We hike it once or twice a week, and we so enjoy the families, young couples, exercise groups, and elderly people, too, who make the climb up one of the ways they stay healthy. It’s a gorgeous view, and a terrific group of young Mazatlecos has been working hard to keep the area clean and maintained. I’ve heard the lighthouse is owned by API, the port authority. If so, Mis Estimados Señores del API, sure would be a wonderful community service for you to invest a bit of money in making this a better tourist attraction and community gathering area….. It’s so beautiful, it wouldn’t cost much… Just an idea 🙂

Anyway, yesterday morning was pretty foggy here. As we made our way down the malecón toward the faro there were lots of oyster divers and panga fishermen out, despite the foggy conditions. We are so spoiled here with clear, sunny weather, that seeing a bit of fog once in a while seems so absolutely gorgeous!

We wondered as we approached the lighthouse hill if we would be able to see anything as we made our climb. It sure did seem to be heavy fog.

The harbor had more boats than usual, it seemed. We guessed that perhaps people had brought their boats out in preparation for Semana Santa.

As we started our climb it seemed we weren’t going to be able to see much of anything. It was pretty cool, sort of like walking in a spook house. In the photo at left, we SHOULD be seeing, or are used to seeing, all of Isla de la Piedra/Stone Island. Not today!

The cacti and vegetation, which are so gorgeous this time of year, were shrouded in veils of fog, making for a very mysterious feeling. There were way more hikers, bikers and runners on the trail than is normal, however. Again, we guessed that people are getting in a holiday mood.

As we reached the top of the lighthouse hill the fog had moved a bit. We couldn’t see much of anything of the city, but the teeny-top of the hill on Stone Island that I showed you above, much more of it was now visible. Kind of a nice change of pace to have changing scenery, when we’re spoiled with consistently perfect views…

Despite the fact that the view from the top was still foggy, the weather at the top was very clear and bright. I took a shot up, through a tree. You can see there was no fog whatsoever up high.

And one of the lighthouse’s many resident iguanas was more than happy to sun himself, more than ready for the R&R and hopefully increased sales that Semana Santa will bring for our local economy.

Pescadería del Mar/Our Fishmongers

One of the best aspects about living here in Mazatlán is the fresh fish we are able to buy every morning. Okay, well, we don’t go on Mondays, because there’s not been a lot of fishing on Sunday, but any day Tuesday through Saturday, you can bet we are happy campers.

We take our daily walk down the malecón and, in Playa Norte just across from the pangas, is our favorite spot: Pescadería del Mar.By now these guys know us and they’ve helped us to learn a lot about fish and fishing here in town: what’s seasonal, how fish are stored (on ice, frozen, salted) from the time they’re caught till they’re brought in to shore, and how to cook what’s available locally.

At 7 am when we’re there we usually have a terrific selection. Of course, depending on the season and the weather, we may have more or less fish to choose from. As you can see in this photo, though, there’s usually quite a variety.

The fishmongers will scale and clean any fish we choose, so I can cook it whole, or they’ll fillet (de-bone) and cut up anything we’d like, however we’d like it. They also get fresh shrimp, which I love, because they are deep water shrimp that have NOT been stored in salt, so they’re sweet rather than pungent. They get quite a bit of squid, also, which I love to saute with garlic and herbs. We can occasionally get fresh scallops, too. Our favorite is corvina, a nice firm fish that is sooooo savory! We can at least a couple of times a week get smoked marlin (usually still warm from the smoker and sooooooo aromatic!), and escabecheon Fridays.

It’s fun to watch either the fishermen fresh off their pangas across the street, or a dealer/go-between (usually on a scooter or motorcycle) come to deliver the fish to the fishmongers and make a deal. They have an outdoor scale to weigh what’s brought in, and an indoor scale to weigh what you purchase before it’s trimmed to order.

Having lived so many years in Japan, I am also very happy when they get sushi-quality tuna, though I do believe most of the fresh fish they have is sushi/sashimi quality. Chirashi has never been so delicious and affordable!

If you are a carnivore/omnivore, and do not take advantage of our local fresh fish, please do! You are missing some really flavorful and healthy, and easy and quick to cook, local delicacies!

Ferrusquilla: "That statue of a composer…"

Mazatlán is privileged to have a strong and vibrant expatriate community, many of whom volunteer long hours to help make our city a better place in which to live. Many in the foreign resident community have of course grown up and lived most of our lives elsewhere. We love our adopted home, but we often lack basic “cultural literacy” about our adopted homeland. I put myself in that category, of course. Every day, many times a day, I learn something new. It’s part of why I love living here.

Last week, I noticed the below comment on one of the local expat discussion groups:

“It is located across the Malecon between two statues: the Deer, Mazatlan’s symbol; and a Sinaloa composer holding his guitar and sombrero.”

The note surprised me, because I figured everyone who lives here knows our beloved Ferrusquilla! But, of course, we don’t “all” know anything; we all have different pieces of information. I see Don Ferrusquilla once in a while, dining around town or taking a walk, and I loved his INCREDIBLE acceptance speech at the Premios Oye! last month (drag the play bar to 6:46 to skip the homage and hear the original poem he wrote just for the occasion, full of love for our fair city).

But, of course, we all hold differing pieces of knowledge, so I thought I’d share a bit of what I know about this “Sinaloa composer holding his guitar and sombrero” in the statue. Maestro José Angel Espinoza Aragón, “Ferrusquilla,” is a national cultural icon, famous throughout all of Latin America and Spain, and one of the greatest orgullos of Mazatlán. The United Nations awarded him the the Medal of Peace in 1976, the University of Sinaloa presented him with an honorary doctorate just a few years ago, in 2008, and he’s received many other distinguished awards during his career.

His “master work” is the composition “Echame a mí la culpa,” sung by most every well-known Spanish-language singer (here it’s sung by Amalia Mendoza, “La Tariacuri;” or this one sung by Javier Solís). The song inspired a Spanish movie of the same name, and decades later (in 1980) was still so popular that it won “song of the year” in Spain, as sung by Englishman Albert Hammond. Ferrusquilla has acted in 80 motion pictures alongside actors that expats will recognize such as John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Dean Martin, Boris Karloff, Richard Burton, Anthony Quinn, Brigitte Bardot, and Robert Mitchum, and has composed, to the best of my research, 97 songs.

José Angel Espinoza Aragón was born in Choix, Sinaloa on October 2, 1919. After his mother died his father moved the family to El Guayabo and then Los Mochis, where his father remarried. In 1935, after finishing junior high, his family sent José to study in Mazatlán. In 1937 he got on a train headed to Mexico City, to study medicine, but life didn’t quite work out according to plan.

According to one interview, in 1938 the young José was working a side-job at a radio station, one that broadcasted the popular late-afternoon children’s show “Fifirafas el Valoroso.” The role of “Captain Ferrusquilla” on the show was originally played by the head technician, Carlos Contel, brother of the station manager. After Carlos’ brother told him to choose whether to be a voice actor or a technician, the show was left without a Ferrusquilla. José had the good fortune to be present in the studio when the director, panicked, asked around for a male who could read the part. Thus, by fate, the “man of a thousand voices” with the nickname “Ferrusquilla” was born.

Ferrusquilla fell in love with the female lead of the radio show, Blanca Estela (María Blanca Estela Pavón Vasconcelos). According to this same interview, the two lived in New York for a year, dubbing the voices of actors such as Ingrid Bergman, Elizabeth Taylor, and Mickey Rooney. Blanca died tragically in a plane accident in 1949. After her death Ferrusquilla decided to commit himself to music, and composed his first song in 1951.

Ferrusquilla married and had two daughters with Sonya Stransky Echeverría in the 1950s (the marriage lasted five years). He tragically lost another loved one, his daughter Vindia, in a car accident in Mexico City in 2008. His daughter Angélica is a successful actress. He has said that his daughters have been the joy of his life.

By the way, the statue of Ferrusquilla, on the malecón in Olas Altas, made by artist Carlos Espino, was unveiled in time for Ferrusquilla’s birthday, in October of 2007.

Fellow foreign residents of Mazatlán: let’s all, proudly, be sure to call this landmark the “statue of Ferrusquilla”!!!! And, Mazatlecos and fans of Ferrusquilla: please teach all of us more about this incredible gentleman, sharing your life memories of the legacy he’s given us!
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Note/Update: Jackie Peterson wrote an article on Ferrusquilla in the Pacific Pearl last year. Somehow I missed seeing it, but you can check it out here. And one of my friends has given me the Maestro’s number and asked me to give Ferrusquilla a call, to let him know about this post, so I will do that as well.

Update #2, March 5th: I met Maestro Ferrusquilla tonight. What a great man! He told me that in his younger years, he played for a year with Banda El Recodo, in the Cruz Lizarraga days, before he went to Mexico City and did the radio show. Cool trivia! He is a really nice and VERY interesting man and his English is GREAT! It felt very good to finally get up the courage to talk to him, and to have the honor of finally meeting him.

Carnaval Parade Preparations

Carnavál de Mazatlán is such a major community event. I love how it brings people together. And not just from Mazatlán and the surrounding communities, but it brings in people from all over Mexico (this year we met a great 80-piece band from Puebla, for example) and Latin America (the visiting queens).

The best-kept secret of Carnavál, however, is the PRE-parade, just prior to the second parade. That’s when all the dancers, royalty and performers have already paraded once. They have had their coronations, things are winding down. They are relaxed, happy. They know what they’re doing, they know what to expect.

And, they are lined up along the malecón, getting dressed, putting on makeup, eating something to tide them over for the next few hours of dancing. They are laughing and talking, relaxing, and posing for the tourists. It has honestly become one of my absolute favorite Carnavál activities, though of course I have lots of “favorites” this time of year!

Below is a video I put together tonight, highlighting some of what happened during pre-parade today. I hope you will get a taste of why I love the pre-parade. Thanks for viewing!

Carnavál de Mazatlán: Why We Love It

Mardi Gras is celebrated worldwide: from Russia, Croatia and Turkey to Angola, Cape Verde and the Seychelles; from Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, throughout North and South America and the Caribbean.

My favorite Carnavál memory is being in a very small pueblo in the Sacred Valley of Perú and being covered with florid blue, pink and purple powder, then squirted with water (it stained everything I was wearing), then passing around a communal giant beer bottle that gave me dysentary. My husband warned me not to imbibe, but I chose to partake of the festivities. Don’t regret it, either.

Rio’s Mardi Gras is the most famous. Some day I’ll get there, and samba with the masses. Mardi Gras in New Orleans is also well known; we’ve all seen the photos of the bare breasts flashing. But Mazatlán’s Carnavál holds its own. It’s family-friendly, diverse and a whole lot of fun. If you haven’t yet joined us, be sure not to miss the fun. It is held, as with most Carnavales worldwide, the five days prior to Ash Wednesday (Thursday through Tuesday nights).

Carnavál has been celebrated in Mazatlán since the mid to late 1800s, though the first officially planned Carnavál de Mazatlán was in 1898. Back then, they celebrated with a Rey Feo (Ugly King) rather than today’s Rey de la Alegría (King of Joy), but for generations there have been Carnavál and Juegos Florales (Floral Games) Queens, and back as far as 1900 there was a ball for the kids. This community festival has a long, long history as a family event.

Carnavál de Mazatlán is noteworthy for its long association with our regional banda and tambora music, as well as with fine arts events (painting, literature, classical music).

What do I love about Mazatlán’s Carnavál? First, I absolutely love that it is a community event. The month before Carnavál, you can walk in many neighborhoods around town and see dance groups or marching bands practicing. As the weeks go by and Carnavál gets closer, these rehearsals become costumed dress rehearsals.

I love the decorations! Every year we get to see colored lights strung along the malecón, all the way from Olas Altas to Valentino’s. Interspersed among the lights, on the light poles, are banners reflecting the year’s Carnavál theme. Best of all, for me, are the monigotes: colorful giant statues that are made from papier mâché and erected at strategic spots up and down the boardwalk, to help build excitement. Every year the monigotes are different, and reflect that year’s Carnival theme.

Thirdly, I absolutely love the street party down at Olas Altas. It is one big “human wave” of revelers and merry makers.

The King of Joy coronation, show and concert on Thursday night is one of the best nights. A well-known banda plays, for free, in the street on the Carnavál grounds. It is awesome! The party zone is open every night. There are maybe eight stages, each with a different kind of music playing: banda, ranchera, salsa, mambo, rock, reggaetón. Hawkers sell masks, eyelashes, hats, noisemakers, face painting, games, drinks and food. You will, literally, be dancing in the streets. Everyone has fun! It is a big crowd scene, so if you hate crowds do not purposefully go there. We love it. Don’t like the music? Grab your beer or margarita and shimmy down the street to another stage. A few years ago, they did things a little differently when Banda El Recodo was King. They held the coronation in the land off the street dedicated to their founder, Don Cruz Lizárraga. You can read about that night here.

Let’s see, the fact that we have two, yes, TWO, huge fireworks shows during Carnavál is also wonderful. Everyone knows about Saturday night, when they burn the “bad humor” and fight the French in the Combate Naval fireworks. But on Monday night they also usually have a “Festival of Lights” along the malecón, which last year for the first time was accompanied by a mini-parade of lighted floats (not the main parade floats).

Fifth, it is awesome to have FOUR coronations, meaning four major stars or groups, performing in concert. Three of those concerts take place right behind my house. Who needs a ticket when I can sit on my terrace and listen? No, the performances are definitely worth the ticket price: major concert, fireworks, acrobatics and dance, music, pomp and circumstance of the coronation…. The coronations are truly cool events. And the King Coronation in Olas Altas on Thursday is free (except for the token admission to the party zone).

Sixth, I really love learning every year about artists and writers who I often don’t know. You see, every year there is a prize given for literature as well as for painting. And every year, it seems, I’m introduced to some terrific new-to-me talent.

Most incredible and wonderful to me are the Carros Alegóricos, the floats, of the two main Carnavál parades. The first one, on Sunday, usually starts in Olas Altas in daylight and heads north (though this year it’s announced to be starting at the Fisherman’s Monument), passing our house and arriving at Valentino’s in the dark. This parade is so popular that many people stake out their spots the night before. There is an entire parade village along the Avenue with families watching TV’s powered by generators and eating hot breakfasts in their lounge chairs. Also, enterprising folks erect bleachers everywhere they can and rent chairs for parade watching. All the businesses along the avenue advertise parade viewing space at premium prices. Can a parade really be that good you ask? YES! The floats are oh-so-gorgeous! The queens and princesses, kings and princes, shine! In 2010, we did a blog post about Maestro Rigo Lewis, long-time creator and overseer of the floats. Click here to read.

And the dancers! Young and old alike dance all the way, four miles or so, and most of them enjoy every single second! It is non-stop live music, oohs and ahs, and laughter. Do not miss the parades! The second one, on Tuesday, starts south of Valentino’s and heads down to Olas Altas. The second parade is not usually as good as the first, I feel. The floats are a bit tired, as are the dancers. But it’s still wonderful. The floats at night glow, and appear as they were designed to appear. Those are the photos I like best. But, they are hard to take, since the parade is moving. You might want to catch one of the parades in daylight and the other in night light, if you want to photograph.

I especially urge you to visit the second parade before it starts, as they are setting up, as the kids are getting their makeup put on and dressing in their costumes. It is a wonderful time to chat with some of the dancers, and to get some terrific photo ops. The queen and king are usually there, as well, and happy to pose with you. I blogged about that as well, and there’s a movie to go with it.

Eighth, remember that between parades they tend to park the floats in the Gran Plaza. Since they just built the new theater this year, I’m not sure that’s still what they’ll do. If not, there’s the big lot over by Sam’s. But it’s fun to visit the floats when they’re parked, and marvel at the creativity and hard work that goes into making them.

The ninth thing I love about Carnavál? How proud families are that their great-grandmother, their second cousin, or their niece, was queen/child queen or king. It is wonderful multigenerational royalty tradition in this city. During the parades you will see floats with queens celebrating 25 years and 50 years since they were queen. You will see a cable car full of elderly ladies who are queens of their domino clubs or lunch groups. You will see queens who visit us from other countries, to share in our merriment.

Tenth? I LOVE the manifestaciónes: the early counting of votes for queen and king, pre-Carnival parades and gatherings. Much more informal than the main event, it is where I was able to get my photo taken with Banda El Recodo a few years ago, when they were Kings of Joy. Confetti, masks, beads, candies, music…. you’ll love the manifestations.

And, new the last couple of years has been a callejoneada, or alleyway crawl. While Mazatlán has traditionally had a callejoneada on Day of the Dead, holding one for Carnavál is something, at least to my knowledge, newer. We went last year and it was LOADS of fun. You’ve got to keep your ears open. This event is not nearly as well advertised as the other, more principle events.

Twelfth, there is a world class Velada de las Artes, played by an orchestra in the Angela Peralta Theater. If you enjoy classical music, you won’t want to miss it. If you didn’t get your ticket in time, you can still watch it in the Plazuela on one of the outdoor screens, or even over live streaming online.

SAFETY
You may be wondering how safe it is to attend the Carnavál events. Our family feels safe, as do thousands of other Mazatlecos. Please use the common sense you would for any major public event. People come to Carnavál from out of town just to pick your pocket, so don’t carry lots of cash or flashy jewelry, or your passport. Also, as with any large crowd, there is always a danger if people get spooked. State Fairs, the Super Bowl, concerts; if people get spooked and start shoving or running, it wreaks havoc. That is not normally the case in Mazatlán, but if it should happen, we’d urge you not to run even if those around you do. Stay calm and help others. Get to the side of a building or a place where you can get out of the flow of people. The greatest danger is losing your footing if there is a mad rush.

One final word of advice: if you visit the party zone in Olas Altas on Thursday (King of Joy Coronation) or Saturday (Combate Naval fireworks), plan ahead for your ride home. It is a mob scene. Nearby parking can be scarce, and getting a taxi home can be frustrating, since every one else is trying to hail a cab at the same time.

SUMMARY
In short, Carnavál Mazatlán has so much to offer that I am sure I have forgotten something. Yes! The ball! On Monday night there is a ball, attended by many of the city’s who’s-who, the international queens, and all manner of visiting dignitaries.

You like reserved seats? We’ve got the coronations and the Velada. You like street dancing? We’ve got six nights of the best in the world. You want world-class music? Check. You want black tie? The ball! You want to wear jeans and boots, or shorts and t-shirt? No worries! You want free-of-charge events? Got plenty of those!

We look forward to having you share with us one of the world’s best events, the pride of our local Mazatleco community, with over 100 years of respected history and tradition. This is an event we trust will continue for at least 100 more years. What terrific community-building it is!
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Normally you can’t find all the Carnavál events listed in one place, so below I’ll do my best to help you navigate the maze a bit. The schedule is normally the same every year, though each year the dates change, because Carnavál falls on the days prior to Ash Wednesday (which changes dates year to year).

EVENTS LEADING UP TO CARNAVAL
In the weeks leading up to Carnavál:

  • Manifestaciones, usually three of these plus a Final Computation, located at various venues throughout the city. The last one tends to be on Friday night, two weeks before Carnavál, and the parades winds through downtown.
  • Callejoneada, or alley parade

Saturday night, two weeks prior to Carnavál:

  • Election of the Queen of Carnaval (contest), in the Angela Peralta Theater

The week before Carnavál:

  • Presentation of the Sate Painting Prize and opening of an exhibit, at Casa Haas, the art museum, or…
  • Presentation of the State Literature Prize, in the Angela Peralta Theater

The week before Carnavál and continuing through Carnavál:

  • La Feria, a fair, with rides and games and cotton candy, in the field by Sam’s Club/Colegio Andes

Friday before Carnavál: 

  • Velada de las Artes concert in the Angela Peralta Theater


EVENTS DURING CARNAVÁL 
Throughout the five days of Carnavál:

  • Olas Altas is ready to party! Many stages are put up for live music, and there are food and beverage stands galore. Men will usually be frisked as they enter. A small entry fee (30 pesos or so) is charged to enter the party zone. This area is going all night long into the wee hours of the morning. So, if the events below don’t strike your fancy, just head down to Olas Altas and enjoy the party! New this year: Imperio de los Mares, a water fountain and laser light show in the antique oceanside pool in the party zone! To take place at 7:15 and 10:30 each night, this sounds sure to be a spectacular addition to Carnavál.
  • The last few year’s they’ve announced a food fair to take place every day in the Plazuela Machado. This is a major misnomer in English. They do a televised fair opening with the mayor and Carnavál royalty, but other than that it pretty much means the restaurants in the Plazuela will each have a special. Oftentimes their normal menus are actually more limited during the busy-ness of Carnavál.

Thursday:

  • Muestra Gastronómica, or food demonstration, in the Plazuela Machado, in the afternoon (though this year this is supposed to be EVERY day!)
  • Coronation of the Rey de la Alegría/King of Joy, in Olas Altas, at night

Friday:

  • Coronation of the Reina de los Juegos Florales/Floral Games, in the baseball stadium (tickets required)

Saturday:

  • Coronation of the Reina del Carnavál, in the baseball stadium (tickets required)
  • Burning of the Bad Humor (Quema del Mal Humor), usually around 9 pm, in Olas Altas
  • Combate Naval, fireworks display, usually at 10 or 11 pm, in Olas Altas

Sunday:

  • 1st parade, usually starting at Olas Altas (tho this year it’s announced to begin at Fisherman’s Monument) around 4 or 5 pm and heading north to Valentino’s along Avenida del Mar

Monday:

  • Corrida de Toros, or Carnavál Bullfight, in the bull ring, beginning around 4 pm (tickets required)
  • Coronation of the Reina Infantil or Child Queen, in the stadium, headlined by a major singer (tickets required)
  • Children’s Ball, held at a hotel in town (tickets required)
  • Festival de la Luz fireworks, usually about 10 pm, also along Avenida del Mar

Tuesday:

  • 2nd parade, starting at the Bosque or the Aquarium around 4 pm and heading south on Avenida del Mar

Ash Wednesday: Party’s over! Lent begins!