If you’ve heard “El corrido a Mazatlán” by Jose Alfredo Jimenez, ask yourself what happened to the typical Arañas that he mentions, these Arañas are the ancestor to the Aurigas.
The Aurigas of Mazatlan are the Arañas
The Aurigas in Mazatlan are red trucks that circulate around the city that have seats adapted to the rear. The Aurigas are used to transport things or people because in the truck they fit more than four people, unlike the Pulmonias.
The most popular of the Aurigas is that you can hire for hours to give you a tour of the city where you can go down in several parts of the city to take pictures and while you are on the way you can listen to the volume of the fashionable songs or your request to the driver that acts as a DJ and tourist guide.
To remember its origin, all the Aurigas on its doors have the drawing of an Araña pulled by a horse.
The Arañas in Mazatlan
The Arañas was a transport of load and passenger that consisted of a car pulled by a horse, was common to go to the market or errands in an Araña similar to what is now done in a Pulmonia or in an Auriga.
The Arañas pulled by horses in the middle of the last century were part of the daily life of our city.
In 1936 the people who still operated the Arañas created the Mazatlan Auriga union, at this time they were still operated by horses.
Why Arañas ceased to exist in Mazatlan
It was until 1970 due to the growth of the city that the Government prohibited the use of this type of transport in Mazatlán, not because of animal abuse but because of its slowness.
The Arañas ceased to exist but the people who were dedicated to it went on to drive an Auriga, and together with the Pulmonia they became unique vehicles of Mazatlan that differentiate it from other tourist destinations.
Source: mazatleco.com
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