Follow the Blue Line -- Mazatlan, Mexico

The Princess tours offered for Mazatlan didn't inspire us (perhaps we'd had enough touring) so we decided to spend the day on our own doing a walkabout the town.  I suggested we might visit the Pacifico Brewery (founded in 1900 by three Germans) but they had strict rules for tourists, and as it turned out, we could see the brewery from the Grand Princess as she docked.  It didn't look any different from other breweries we've seen.

Mazatlan was founded by Nuño de Guzman in 1531 but it took German immigrants arriving around 1820 to create the thriving seaport of today.  Its name means 'place of the deer' and although it began by importing mining equipment, the port now exports over 40 million pounds of shrimp a year.

The Grand Princess docked at one of these working piers so we couldn't wander off the ship on our own.  Trolley cars ferried us to the terminal building, snaking through hundreds of boxcar containers.  Mazatlan taxis are unique and we were swarmed by pulmonia drivers as we left the terminal.  Pulmonia are soup-up golf carts and for $25, the driver promises to take you anywhere in Mazatlan, stopping to take photos whenever you wished.  But, what we wanted was a walk so we shook our heads and headed to the main road.  That's where we discovered the Blue Line -- literally a blue line painted on the road.  At a nearby corner stood an older gentleman who introduced us to the Blue Line features.  Every time a cruise ship docks, a group of English-speaking volunteers (mostly Canadian expats or snowbirds) scatter along the blue line route to direct tourists into the old city.  It was so nice knowing we wouldn't get lost and find ourselves in a scary place.

The first historic site we passed was the Angela Peralta Theater.  Originally built in 1874, it underwent several renovations before closing in 1964.  It was flooded by a hurricane in 1975 and set to be demolished in 1985.  Angela was a Mexican opera star who died of yellow fever in Mazaltlan in 1883 never having the chance to perform there.  In 1987, work began on restoring the theatre and in 1990, it was declared a National Heritage Building.

The next stop on the Blue Line was Machado Square where we received instructions from volunteers where to go next.  Carnival was to begin that week so many colourful statues decorating the square.  According to the volunteers, Mazatlan's Carnival is the third largest after Rio de Janeiro and New Orleans.  The square was built in the early 1800s and is a traditional Mexican plaza with a central gazebo and surrounding gardens.

A few blocks away, was the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.  Built in 1856, it's the only Roman Catholic church to feature the Star of David in its stain-glass windows.  I also discovered its outside lighting featured dragons!  Across the street is the Plaza Revolucion where the people of Mazatlan enjoy the shade of palm trees.

We retraced our steps to Machado Square then headed about three blocks to Olas Altas (meaning high waves) beach not too far from where the High Divers plunge from rocks into the sea.  The beach is famous for its shifting sands so depending on when you visit you may see the beach in a different place.

By this time, we were hot and tired so headed back to the port, thanking the Blue Line volunteers along the way.  What a great way to assure tourists of the safety of the city.  After lunch and a Margarita, we sat on our balcony and watched the workings of the port.  I had never seen cars being unloaded from a boxcar before.  It was a ballet!

See my photos of our Blue Line walk here.