I’ve been traveling around Mexico for 50 years now, and I have to say, Mazatlán holds a special place in my heart. In fact, I met my wife Kathy here back in ’75, when I was just 25 years old. We were both backpacking through Mexico, and we stumbled upon this beautiful coastal town that just drew us in.
At the time, I was on a trip from California to Calexico/Mexicali, where I took the slow train all the way to Guaymas and San Carlos Bay. From there, it was another 36 hours of travel to Mazatlán, but it was well worth it. We arrived in early December, and it was love at first sight – or should I say, love at first visit!
Over the years, we’ve lived and traveled all over Mexico together, but Mazatlán always remains our go-to destination. It’s a place where you can experience authentic Mexico, minus the crowds of Gringos that flock to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta.
We own a little beach house here now, which has been our home base for years. My wife Kathy loves it just as much as I do – she may not be as adventurous as me, but she enjoys the peace and tranquility of the place. And with two knee replacements, she’s not too keen on traveling like we used to!
We’ve developed a bit of a routine over the years: during the summer months when it gets hot and humid here, we head up to the Pacific Northwest, where I can indulge in my love of hiking and disc golf (yes, you read that right – frisbee golf!). My wife loves the cooler weather there too.
In the fall, when things get rough up north, we used to make our way to Southeast Asia for a few months. But since the pandemic hit, we’ve been sticking closer to home. Instead, I’ve started exploring Mexico’s Magic Towns (Pueblos Mágicos) by bus – there are 65 of them scattered around the country! It’s an amazing adventure that allows me to see different parts of Mexico and experience their unique cultures.
All in all, living in Mazatlán has been a dream come true for both Kathy and me. We’ve got our permanent residency here, so we can come and go as we please – and I have to say, it feels like home more and more with each passing year. My Spanish is getting better too (who knows what the future will bring?!).
A note on safety:
People often ask me about safety in Mexico, but I’ve got some thoughts on that. As someone who’s lived here for 50 years, I can tell you that it’s not as scary or violent as the media makes it out to be. Of course, there are areas to avoid, just like anywhere else in the world – but if you’re smart and respectful of local customs, you’ll have no problems.
And trust me, I’ve traveled extensively throughout Mexico with my backpack, so I know a thing or two about navigating the country safely!
Mazatlán has become our home away from home, where we can escape the hustle and bustle of modern life. We love it here – the people, the culture, the food… everything! And as I approach my 73rd birthday (yes, that’s right!), I feel like I’m getting more Mexican by the day.
So why do I love Mazatlán? What makes it so special?
Mazatlán is no longer a secret, and it’s growing in popularity. Prices are rising, especially for foreigners who want to live here. But once the word gets out, there’s nothing anyone can do about it! And honestly, I’ve been around since the 1970s, so I know that booms and busts happen all the time.
Most tourists (over 90%) stick to resort destinations like Cancun or Cabo San Lucas. Mazatlán is different – it’s a working city with a rich history as a Spanish colonial town. We have a big port and bay, and shrimping is a major industry here. While there are some tourist spots, especially in the Golden Zone and on beaches like Cerritos, it’s not all about tourism.
Many North Americans (we Gringos!) live here for months or even years at a time, mostly retirees who come down from colder climates for warmer weather and lower costs. Our beach area, Cerritos, is a residential hub for them, with many restaurants catering to their tastes. But I’m not part of that crowd – I love experiencing the real Mexico!
There’s another group, though – year-round visitors who live in the Historic Center or nearby areas. They’re often younger and more artistic, working remotely or pursuing creative passions. This group thrives on the vibrant arts scene, cultural events, and authentic dining experiences found in the Centro.
Mazatlán has so much to offer: beautiful beaches (12 miles of coastline!), a lively Malecon with stunning sunsets, a rich history, colonial architecture, museums, markets… you name it! Even though there are many people here, it still feels like a small town due to its laid-back atmosphere and lack of skyscrapers.
Traffic can be a challenge, but the city is generally easy to navigate. And yes, there’s great food for all budgets – from fresh seafood at local markets to fine dining in upscale restaurants. With affordable public transportation options and no need for a car, life here is pretty sweet!
What more could I say? Mazatlán has its charms, especially when you know where to look beyond the tourist spots. Come visit and see for yourself!
However, I do have some reservations about their views on certain issues. For instance, they seem to downplay the severity of violent crime in Mexico, which can be a significant concern for tourists. While it’s true that many cases are related to cartel activity and turf wars, this doesn’t diminish the impact on local communities or visitors who find themselves caught up in these conflicts.
Additionally, I’m not convinced by their dismissal of State Department travel advisories as “fiction.” These warnings are based on real data and concerns from various sources, including Mexican authorities, and should be taken seriously. While it’s true that some areas may be safer than others, it’s also crucial to acknowledge the risks and take necessary precautions.
My advice to tourists is generally sound, emphasizing common sense and caution when traveling in Mexico. However, I would add that it’s equally important for visitors to stay informed about local conditions, respect cultural norms, and engage with Mexican communities in a respectful and sensitive manner.
What are some general safety tips for tourists visiting Mexico?
1. Stay informed about local conditions and follow official travel advisories.
2. Exercise caution when traveling in areas with high crime rates or cartel activity.
3. Keep valuables secure and be mindful of your surroundings, especially at night.
4. Avoid displaying wealth (e.g., expensive jewelry, watches) and dress modestly.
5. Use reputable transportation services and avoid hitchhiking or accepting rides from strangers.
6. Respect local customs and traditions, particularly when interacting with indigenous communities.
7. Stay in well-lit and populated areas, especially at night.
8. Avoid walking alone in deserted or poorly lit streets.
9. Keep your hotel room door locked and secure, and use the hotel safe for valuables.
10. Be aware of your surroundings and trust your instincts – if a situation feels uncomfortable or suspicious, remove yourself from it.
These safety tips are general recommendations that can help tourists minimize their risk when visiting Mexico. However, it’s essential to remember that each region has its unique characteristics, and it’s crucial to research and stay informed about specific areas you plan to visit.
So, you want to know what people get wrong about Mexico? Well, let me tell you – it’s basically everything they get from sensationalistic media!
First off, no one mentions all the amazing things Mexico has to offer beyond its cartel problems. It’s not a failed state; there are plenty of issues with the Cartels, but that doesn’t define the entire country.
People also think Mexico is corrupt, but honestly, so is everywhere else – even the United States! We’ve got our own wealthy oligarchies thriving on corruption.
And then there’s the violence and danger myth. Let me break it down for you: most of Mexico is actually more peaceful than a lot of the US. I mean, common Mexicans don’t have access to guns, so we’re looking at a pretty different reality here.
As for poverty, yes, it exists in Mexico, but let’s not forget there’s plenty of it in the US too! And what really gets me is these old stereotypes about lazy Mexicans sleeping under cacti. Give us a break – that’s just movie magic!
And don’t even get me started on those inaccurate portrayals of Mexican police with their big mustaches. I’ve had my fair share of dealings with them, and they’re always courteous – more so than US Customs and Immigration, if you ask me.
People also think Mexicans are uneducated and unsophisticated, which is just plain false. We know way more about your country than vice versa!
And finally, there’s the myth that everyone wants to come to the US. Actually, most people from Mexico only make the trip because they’re desperate for work and want to feed their families. Can you blame them? They leave behind everything they love – family, friends, community, music, food, language… It’s a long, hard journey, but not something anyone would choose if given the option.
Lastly, let me debunk that whole “dirty” myth. Many Mexican towns are actually cleaner than their American counterparts – especially those in the mountains!
So, there you have it! That’s my two cents on what people get wrong about Mexico. Don’t believe everything you read or see in the media!
So, how do I spend my days in Mazatlán? Well, being retired means I get to do what I feel like. My schedule might not mean much to you since everyone has different likes, dislikes, and priorities.
Kathy, my partner, loves to keep busy with various projects. Me? I prefer not having anything I have to do. But that doesn’t mean I sit around watching TV, reading junk, drinking, or engaging in empty social chatter like many retirees here. The thought of that makes my skin crawl. Instead, I have a few interesting friends I spend time with, and I make sure to speak some Spanish every day with the maids and staff in our complex. There’s always room for improvement. I love being active and feeling my body move. My days just fly by. Here’s a typical day without any outings or extra activities, though I’m not sure if there are really any whole days like that.
I usually wake up between six and six-thirty. It’s cool and quiet. I start with some yoga, deep breathing, and stretching exercises for about five to seven minutes, followed by my morning bathroom routine. I make my bed and throw on some clothes, as few as possible depending on the temperature. Downstairs, I have a few mouthfuls of fruit juice and pause on the front porch (on the fifth floor) to watch the sky fill with color—a different panorama every day. For the next ten minutes, I walk the floor perimeters in a sequence that takes me up the side stairs to the ninth floor, around, up, down, around, up, down. Then it’s down to the bottom and out to the beach. Twenty minutes of beautiful brisk walking later, I’m back home. I make a cup of coffee and drink it inside or out, depending on the sun and weather, while reading the New York Times on my iPad. Some mornings, there’s a tennis game on our crummy clay courts by the parking lot at seven-thirty, sometimes not. I make breakfast in the middle of reading the newspaper or after tennis. It’s also the most common meal to eat out. We have a restaurant in our building, and there are plenty of good local places nearby.
Many Saturdays, we head to the Centro and eat with the locals upstairs at the main market, then visit the organic fruit and vegetable and arts and crafts market at Zaragoza Plaza. Otherwise, Kathy’s meals and smoothies are generally different from mine. Dinner is the meal we almost always share. Neither of us does a real lunch. Three mornings a week, she does water aerobics in our pool and enjoys the jacuzzi with her friends. She shops with friends, hangs out in the condo with our cat Samantha (aka Velcro), and does projects or reads with Velcro on her lap. She also has various shifts of bird feedings on our balcony.
This season, I’ve been writing another novel. For many weeks, I spent four hours almost every morning sitting on the porch in the sun. This naturally takes a big chunk out of my general activities. In the middle of the day, I make a smoothie out of fresh ingredients, then walk our beach, which is a six-mile round trip. Sometimes I walk very fast; other times, I run into a lot of people I know (or now know). Sometimes I sing, sometimes I meditate, sometimes I jog. There are no rules. I know every view, but it’s always changing—the tide, the clouds, the birds. I never get tired of it.
When I’m not writing, I spend extra hours reading, doing difficult crossword puzzles (NYT Friday and Saturday) and acrostics, or heading out on the nice, safe bike trail that parallels the beach. Otherwise, I’m out in the sun by the pool or sitting on the beach, sometimes reading, sometimes meditating. At 3:30 nearly every day, I hit tennis balls for an hour with my friend Bob.
As for my love for Pueblo Mágicos, I’ve seen 65 so far (I also love them but have only seen 14. So I consider you a Pueblo Mágico aficionado ). Why do I love Pueblo Mágicos? And do I drive around Mexico getting to them or take public transport?
Europe is stuffed to the brim with old architecture, art, history, cathedrals, museums, and natural wonders. And almost anywhere you go, there are throngs of tourists. Mexico is full of all the same attractions, along with over 4,000 registered ruins and archaeological sites, yet over ninety percent of the places of interest are devoid of foreign tourists. Very few ever visit any of it, either because they are fearful and intimidated by Mexico’s reputation or, more likely, they just don’t know that any of this exists. I meet loads of young travelers and their discerning and sophisticated elders, and sometimes it seems like all of them are headed to Oaxaca. Now, don’t get me wrong: Oaxaca is a rich and fabulous destination, well worth being included on anyone’s bucket list. I’ve been there four times and just spent ten memorable days there last fall. But there are so many other great places where nobody goes. In the fall of 2021, I spent five weeks traveling through the states of Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Hidalgo, and Puebla, visiting beautiful old silver cities and numerous Magic Towns without speaking a word of English. In that time, I saw fewer foreigners than I have fingers. One of the most impressive aspects of historical Mexico is how much art there is. It is omnipresent, including street art, colorful graffiti, and murals. It puts the rest of North America to shame.
The Mexican government established the Pueblo Mágico program in 2001 to preserve the country’s rich heritage and history. Towns can apply for membership, which gets them some funds for dressing up their attractions and publicity to draw visitors, who have been primarily domestic for most of them. I won’t bother to tell the whole story here, as it’s all available on Wikipedia in either language. Even as an inveterate Mexican traveler for almost half a century, I only became aware of the Pueblo Mágicos a few years ago. There are presently 132, and so far, I’ve been able to visit 65 of them. Wikipedia and websites devoted to the program have complete lists. What I find interesting is that even a seasoned traveler like me had never heard of about 80% of them. Only a small number have been tourist destinations for decades, like San Cristóbal de las Casas, Taxco, Pátzcuaro, Isla Mujeres, Tulum, and a few others.
In the past, an exploration like this would have been nearly impossible. How can you visit a place you’ve never heard of and have no information about? Today, that’s all remedied. There are state-by-state lists, and even better, there are YouTube videos of all 132 of them, a great aid in deciding which to visit. These towns are almost invariably small, clean, cheap, friendly, and safe, without even mentioning their attractions. I experienced some inflation last fall, but much less than in locales like Mazatlán with significant foreign presence. Pretty colonial hotels with more than basic amenities were in the $25-30 range, single or double. Full breakfasts and meals could easily be had for under $4, even in nice restaurants. Bus fare is cheap, even cheaper for me with my Mexican Senior INAPAM card offering a 50% discount (most museums and ruins are also free for domestic seniors). In 2021, I made a seven-week, two-thousand-mile loop from Guadalajara and back and spent all of $113 on intercity transportation.
For those with smaller ambitions, the best idea is to research one state. Start in one of the beautiful cities, where you’ll find buses to all the towns. Sadly, or maybe happily for travelers like me, so many of these cities are empty of foreigners. Even the better-known ones like Puebla and Cuernavaca have relatively few. Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, Morelia, Pachuca, Jalapa, and Tlaxcala, to name just a few, are all worthy of a few days, and you’ll likely have them pretty much to yourself. Walking around the city centers in the daylight and early evening is completely safe. I personally wouldn’t be concerned at other hours, but I’m not out and about anyway.
My Top 5 Favorite Pueblo Mágicos
I have a soft spot for places with beautiful natural settings, hiking opportunities, and indigenous cultures. Here are my top five favorite Pueblo Mágicos and what makes them special to me:
1. Cuetzalan (Puebla)
Cuetzalan has it all. Nestled in the lush green hills above the Gulf Coast, this town boasts a largely indigenous population. The cobblestoned streets (slippery when wet) lead to striking cathedrals and fine architecture. Nearby, you’ll find ruins, waterfalls, caves, and botanical gardens. Every weekend, a large street market brings artisans and farmers from surrounding indigenous communities. The famous wild mushroom soup is a must-try. My only complaint is the often cold, wet, and foggy weather.
2. Zacatlán (Puebla)
Also known as Zacatlán de las Manzanas, this town is gorgeous. The central plaza is surrounded by old churches and cathedrals, and it’s famous for its unusual flower clock and apple statue. The town is full of artisans, fine local wines, preserved fruits, and other delicious treats. Best of all, Zacatlán is situated along an enormous canyon with waterfalls and endless vistas. The boardwalk features beautifully painted walls with a mural-like motif. I spent three days there in a comfortable $20 room and wasn’t ready to leave.
3. Huautla de Jiménez (Oaxaca)
Getting to Huautla is half the fun—or not. It’s a long haul on a second-class bus or minivan, but worth the effort. Isolated in the hills of northeastern Oaxaca, Huautla is one of the most indigenous and least modern towns I’ve visited. Built into the side of a hill, it’s all up and down steps. The major attraction is the house of the famous shaman María Sabina, who introduced the Western world to magic mushrooms. Among her illustrious visitors were the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
4. Orizaba (Veracruz)
Orizaba is the third most populous Magic Town, with over 100,000 inhabitants. Situated beneath the 16,000+ foot Pico de Orizaba, the third-highest volcano in the Western Hemisphere, there’s a great hike up to a viewpoint. Unfortunately, the day I went was foggy and wet, but I enjoyed the hike and met some great characters. The city is impeccable, full of lovely parks and old buildings. A pristine river runs through the center, featuring a zoo on either bank. Orizaba also has about fifteen small thematic museums devoted to interests like soccer and beer. An omnibus ticket costs fifty pesos, and the beer museum offers a complimentary glass, making the entire experience almost free. A great destination with barely a foreign face in sight.
5. Real de Asientos (Aguascalientes)
This small town is a bit of an outlier. Unknown to most foreigners and even many Mexicans, there’s no public bus to this place, only collective minivans. Visitors are mainly weekenders from the state capital, thirty-five miles away. I appreciated the tranquility of this place. There are only a couple of small hotels and real restaurants. I had a delicious meal of rabbit, Chichimeca style. The surrounding hills offer scenic high desert vistas, but the town’s water is spring-fed, and there’s a substantial creek, making the whole place lush and verdant. Asientos has a fascinating old ex-convent full of antiquities, a good museum built atop catacombs, and a large aqueduct. A great town.
There are many other interesting and beautiful towns on the list. Some of my runner-ups include Malinalco and Valle de Bravo (Estado de México), Pátzcuaro and Tzintzuntzan (Michoacán), Tepoztlán and Tlayacapan (Morelos), Pahuatlán and Tlatlauquitepec (Puebla), Huasca de Ocampo (Hidalgo), Calvillo (Aguascalientes), Bernal (Querétaro), Calpulalpan de Méndez (Oaxaca), Coatepec (Veracruz), and Xilitla (San Luis Potosí).
Source: The Travels of BBQ Boy and Spanky
