Over the years, the ejido has become a place that competes with Mazatlan to receive the tourism that enjoys the beaches, with which both settlements have
La Isla de la Piedra, a paradisiacal place in Mazatlan
José Luis Rodríguez
A little history
Mazatlan, Sinaloa.- For 82 years, Mazatlan has a settlement that competes in the arrival of tourists, who come to enjoy its beaches, not only during holiday periods.
It was in 1936, when Isla de la Piedra was born as an ejido, that since then, it had only one communication route that connected with the Huizache-Caimanero area of the municipality of El Rosario.
Over the years, a road was built that connected to the road that leads to the airport, around 20 kilometers to reach the town.
Through the boat, the cooperative is how all that time has been cut to about five minutes of travel, after a journey of one and a half kilometers to get from Mazatlan to the island on board pangas.
IT WAS AN AGRICULTURAL SETTLEMENT
The Island of the Stone has not always been a place that only offers rest to the visitor who daily comes to enjoy its beaches, because before its economy was focused on another sector.
The locals remember that the settlement was born as an ejido, so its inhabitants were mostly engaged in agriculture, which was considered the main source of employment.
The sowing of the tomato and other vegetables were the fruits that were produced in that place periodically and that later, were sold in the port of Mazatlan.
Unfortunately, the lack of water in irrigation systems, which in that community is extracted through the subsoil, caused the agricultural producers to leave the activity.
CHANGE OF TURN
The beaches that the settlement has, made its inhabitants turn to them, which sought to take advantage of the sporadic arrival of tourists, mainly foreigners.
It was thus, as the farmers left the planting to immediately focus on the construction of “ramadas”, which are now the main source of income for that part of the Pearl of the Pacific.
And that is where the visitor comes to rest, not only in high season, in which there are about four thousand tourists a day, mainly during Holy Week.
There, nationals, Americans or Canadians can consume from a frozen coconut, to taste a succulent fish shaken, a rich campechana or spicy “aguachile”.
FISHING
Being a community that is almost surrounded by the sea, it has meant that its inhabitants also have an interest in fishing, which is the second economic activity of the population.
The men of the sea make long trips in their pangas to be able to capture in the bay of the Isla de la Piedra, the product that allows them to bring sustenance to their homes.
Snapper, botete, curvina, and mojarra, are some of the marine species that trap the fishermen of that town, whose product is sold mainly at the pier.
In recent years, the species caught in that place has been joined by the capture of the birds, fish, which was normally extracted from the Mazatlan bay, where it stopped occurring due to overexploitation.
ANOTHER BUSINESS IS BORN
With fishing, another source of employment is created in this paradisiacal place: The transportation in panga of people entering and leaving the ejido through the navigation channel that connects Mazatlán.
For José, who for years has been dedicated to bringing and bringing people by sea, the activity has become a business that is controlled through a cooperative.
Mentioned, that the user has to pay a ticket to be taken from one point to another or vice versa, which sometimes leave a tip to recognize the work that daily performs.
From five in the morning to midnight the jetty is open, although there is transportation throughout the morning, which costs 100 pesos, although normally it is 35 pesos to foreigners and 10 pesos to locals.
THEIR PEOPLE
As people “thrown out in front,” the municipal commissar of the Island of the Stone, Víctor Manuel Aguirre Peña, described the inhabitants of that settlement who daily get up early to go to work.
Recognized, that many of the inhabitants are concerned about bringing positive things to the people, which fortunately in recent years has not appeared in acts of violence.
Many of the people of the community said that they are professionals, that despite having their employment in Mazatlan, they do not stop living in the place where they were born.
However, he acknowledged that the new generations have preferred to emigrate not only from the site, but they have also left Mexico to go to work in other countries such as the United States.
DEFENSE
Like any other population not only of the state, but of the country, it indicates that the Island of the Stone has deficiencies that affect the activities of its inhabitants.
The lack of a drainage network ensures that it is one of the problems suffered by the settlement, which is usually supported by septic tanks, which sometimes do not reach to meet the demand of users.
“Drainage is something that we have been struggling with for some time, because the island has been growing and although many have septic tanks, they fill up, accumulate.”
He said that it is necessary for the authority to do something about the problem since the lack of drainage has caused sewage to appear in the streets, which is a bad image for the tourist.
PENDING PROJECTS
Amaitlán, indicated that it is an ambitious project that has been contemplated for years to build on the island, which for various reasons has not been carried out and is currently in detention.
The work, that it was proposed in partnership with the ejidatarios of the town, which at the time could not be done, because there were no permits or because the costs of the land were not cheap.
Although the main problems that stopped the construction have been solved, he said that now there are no investors who want to enter the sustainable project.
Amaitlán, indicated that it is “stuck” practically to the beach area of the Island of the Stone, where a botanical garden are the indications of the first stage of the work.
THE FUTURE OF THE ISLAND
As a more touristy place, assured the municipal commissioner that the Island of the Stone will be seen in the future, after the incursion of more investors that will originate more sources of employment.
He did not rule out that over time the settlement will have more accommodation places, as well as food establishments since there are currently 50 feeding sites and four hotels.
Aguirre Peña commented that the growth of the place triggers, even more, the arrival of tourism, mainly abroad, which during the year looks for quiet places to vacation.
Summer or winter, said that are the periods that leave a good economic impact on the tourism sector, through visitors who demand their services.
Source: El Sol de Mazatlan, The
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