The corner with more ‘flavor and history’ in Mazatlan

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Thousands of people, even famous artists, have sat down to eat Ángel Flores and Carnaval street corner, Mariscos Los Liguillas, a place of great tradition in the port

Mazatlán, Sinaloa.- In 1950 it opened its doors and since then it has pleased the palate not only of the Mazatlecos, but also of the visitors who come to this establishment that is located between Ángel Flores and Carnaval streets, in the first square of the city.

From a young age, Don Faustino Renteria went to the Puntilla area to extract one of the delicacies most demanded by customers who came to his seafood cart. After diving to a considerable depth, the experienced diver was in charge of removing the shells in which the succulent product of the sea was found: the ax callus.

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The merchant was accompanied by Elena, his daughter, who from the age of seven and always aboard a canoe saw how her father earned a living to support his family.

María Elena Renteria de León remembers that every morning her father’s ancient panga was filled with shells, from which he extracted “the callito” which he later sold to diners who arrived at his establishment.

I went with him in the canoe, my dad went into the sea and took the ax callus, we arrived at the Juárez bridge, he brought the canoe full of the callus and then we brought it for sale.

Maria Elena

Between 10:00 and 11:00 in the morning, he says, the marine delicacy was already available in the small cart, where his father was in charge of preparing the richest dishes from the sea.

As she continued her studies, the seafood business was supported by her older brothers, who helped her dad prepare, serve, and collect daily consumption.

Fate

Due to necessity, at 13 years of age, Elena had to enter the business of her father, who was in poor health, quite a bit.

Controlling the purchases, as well as the profits of the establishment, was the task that his father gave her while he was alive, a task that she considered difficult at the time, and more so at her young age.

The absence of her relative, who went from one to two days and even up to a week, made the young woman take full control of the business, upon completing her secondary education.

The work, which she gladly did to support her parents, led the adolescent to take high school at night since she had to be on the lookout, although she paid for her studies from there.

The Name

Although the business is called “Mariscos Renteria“, it is normally known as “Los Liguillas“, a phrase that had to be added to it, because that is how customers know it.

Wearing garters on the wrists to press the covers of the glasses in which the seafood was served, made the seafood restaurant staff be called as the liguillas.

My brothers’ friends used to call them Las Ligas, and they always mentioned let’s eat with at ligas or hey ligas, will you get good oysters to go eat today in the afternoon and that’s how the business got its nickname

Maria Elena

Precisely, she indicated, as a result of the garters that the staff still wears on their wrists, it is how the commercial establishment is registered with the trade authorities.

Memories

In Elena’s memory, there are memories that are indelible, all related to her work because during the time she has been in charge she has seen an endless number of transformations.

Resultado de imagen de arañas de mazatlan
arañas

The typical arañas, as José Alfredo Jiménez names in his Corrido de Mazatlán to the transport that was pulled by mules, is what she had to witness when the clients of said carts descended.

Over the years, she mentions, this medium was replaced by vehicles such as taxis, which had their place in front of his business, although it was later changed.

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Famous diners

They do not have photos of them, but famous seafood artists from the 70s and 80s and even politicians who marked the country’s history have come to eat at the seafood restaurant.

In her work, Elena claims to have known the singers Roberto Carlos, César Costa, Roberto Jordán, Marcela Rubiales, Carlos Lico, Johny Laboriel and groups such as Los Fredys, Los Babys, Los Hermanos Castro, among others.

Being almost the only seafood restaurant in the port in those years, a friend who worked for the defunct Camino Real hotel took seafood to the artists who spent time in the port.

On one occasion, a man came to the seafood restaurant who got out of a black truck, who was accompanied by a ‘guarura’, asked for a callus order and then left, and the next day on the news he realized that it was Fidel Velázquez, then leader of the CTM.

Until the last moment

36 years after Don Faustino’s departure, María Elena comments that the legacy of the business remained in her hands and is now run by her entire family, including her husband, children, and even sons-in-law.

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She recognizes that from 1950 to 2020 many things have changed, that they have tried to push forward so that the clientele continues in their preference since the cost of the callus dish of 2 to 5 pesos or 22 cents the order of oyster is not the same from that time.

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With 47 years running the establishment, the merchant says she will continue to lead until the last moment. As long as it is alive, it will continue to prepare fresh seafood. And it’s going for another 70 years!

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DATA

1950 was the year that Mariscos Renteria opened its doors.

Maria Elena was 13 when she started the business.

María Elena has led the business for 47 years

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FAMOUS

Mariscos Renteria have eaten celebrities such as Roberto Carlos, César Costa, Roberto Jordán, Marcela Rubiales, Carlos Lico, Johny Laboriel and groups such as Los Fredys, Los Babys and Los Hermanos Castro, among others.

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Source: el sol de mazatlan

The Mazatlan Post