The port has changed too much in 70 years. Have they told you anecdotes about what Mazatlán was like before?
MAZATLAN. – How vintage! Today we are going to take a look at Mazatlan’s past, at the places and its people from the 50s and 80s.
We currently know that our port has been growing exponentially year after year, changing a little what we used to know. So get ready that we are going to tour our port through time with these old photos that will surely fill you with nostalgia.
Cathedral
In this first photo we can see the famous Basilica Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Mazatlan in the glorious decade of the 50’s. Do you notice any change? From the outset, we can note the development that the city has had regarding the construction of its buildings and of course that wall that currently surrounds the atrium of the religious enclosure was not built before.
As a curious fact, one of the most outstanding pieces of the Mazatlan Cathedral is the Parisian organ built by the best organ builder in the 19th century, Arístides Cavaillé-Coll.
Architectural recovery work is currently being carried out to maintain the beauty of this place in optimal condition.
The following image places us on Benito Juárez street with the corner of March 21, the photograph already corresponds to the year 1965 and we can see that the Cathedral already has bars and doors. In the background you can see the Plazuela República, an area that continues to be part of the itinerant commerce of Mazatlán.
Olas Altas
Obviously, the Paseo de Olas Altas cannot be missing from our list, here we show you 4 photographs, two of them represent Olas Altas at the end of the 50’s and two others that show us a vision of what it was like in the 60’s.
There are changes? It is evident that yes, and it shows in the facade of the shops, the shape of the lights, the benches that were previously on the wax and well, if we are very observant we can appreciate the design and style of vintage cars.
Something very obvious is the hill of the Nevería, which is without any type of housing construction.
Las arañas! The arañas in Mazatlán were a typical transport in the port that consisted of a cart pulled by a horse, they became so famous that they are even part of the corrido to Mazatlán written by José Alfredo Jiménez.
Thearañas began to circulate in Mazatlan in the 1920s, functioning both as cargo and passenger transport, it was common to go to the market and take the groceries in a spider or simply to hang out in them on a romantic date. Horse-drawn spiders in the middle of the last century were part of everyday life in our city.
Jose Maria Pino Suarez Market
In this photograph is where we can most notice differences, when looking at the image you might think that the José María Pino Suárez market remains the same with respect to its façade, but it is not like that, it has had quite a few changes.
On May 5, 1900, the Manuel Romero Rubio Market, also called the “Iron Palace” and known today as Mercado Pino Suárez, opens its doors for the first time in Mazatlan.
The Municipal Market of Mazatlán José María Pino Suárez was designed and built by Mr. Alejandro Loubet, with iron and steel and based on the Art Nouveau style, using the same techniques that were used 7 years earlier in the construction of the Eiffel Tower.
One of the things that we can notice is the shape of the urban trucks that circulated at that time along Aquiles Serdán. If you zoom in on the image you will find the Guadalajara Pharmacy sign that is located on the corner.
North Beach/Malecon
Can you believe that this was Playa Norte 52 years ago? In the background in the image we have the Monument to the Fisherman, and a boardwalk that had already started its remodeling work. In 1971 the first works of the Malecón began, which was a palisade to the street and was made to prevent the area from flooding and ruining the constructions of the porteños who lived there. What no one ever thought is that she would eventually become the beauty she is today.
The first construction of the Malecón as such, was a dam that measured 30 meters and cost 700 pesos at that time, making this a watershed to have one of the most famous attractions in the city.
Panoramic view of the boardwalk
How about this panoramic view of the boardwalk in ’68? Everything seems to indicate that the photograph was taken from the Nevería hill. Wow! That place has the best view.
