Panama Canal Cruise Day 13

February 8, 2024 – Mazatlán

After an anxiety-filled night visiting the medical center on board the ship and a restless night’s sleep , I saw some improvement in the morning once the meds started kicking in. I made the decision to go on the excursion tour and see how I fared.

Today’s tour was titled Mexican Show, Sightseeing & Shopping. Like the Puerto Vallarta excursion, it was a lot packed into about 4 hours. Mazatlán was conquered by the Spanish in the 1500’s and in the mid-19th century there was a large influx of immigrants from Germany. The Germans brought their knowledge of beer brewing and the company Pacifico Brewery was established in 1900.

I read that the name Mazatlán derives from the indigenous language Nahuatl and translates to “Land of Deer”. That explains the significance of the statue I photographed below.

Our first stop on the tour was at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. It is an enormous Catholic Church that dates back to the end of the 19th century – when construction was complete. There are two stories regarding this church that I remember from our tour. Our tour guide pointed out the Jewish star that adorns the top of the interior stained-glass windows. The leading theory as to why the Star of David appears in these windows is that the Jewish community in Mazatlán gave the church a large donation during a time when the church was struggling to raise enough money to complete construction. There is no concrete documentation supporting this idea but it appears to be well-accepted. An historian of the church claims that the Star of David windows serve as a reminder that the Catholic Church was founded by a Jew and that the inclusion of the Star of David pays tribute to the Spanish Jewish population who were forced to either be exiled or convert to Catholicism in the 1400’s. Many of the Spanish Jews who did convert also chose to leave Spain and settle in Mexico due to continued persecution during the Inquisition. It’s possible that the windows symbolize their history with the church.

The other interesting story revolves around the statue that sits to one side of the exterior of the church. It is the Statue of Saint Juan Diego and Friar Juan de Zumárraga.

Juan Diego was an indigenous Mexican peasant who had converted to Christianity in the 1500’s after the Spanish conquest in Mexico. He had several visions of Our Lady of Guadalupe and she instructed him to go to the bishop to request a shrine be built in her honor on Tepeyac Hill (now on the outskirts of Mexico City). It took a couple of visions and the imprint of the Virgin Mary on his cloak (the proof the bishop asked for) before the bishop approved the building of the shrine. Legend states that Juan Diego resided next to the new church in her honor and cared for the pilgrims who came to the shrine. The statue depicts Juan Diego showing the bishop the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on this cloak. I had heard reference to Our Lady of Guadalupe in my travels along the GR65 (Le Puy Camino) in France but never really understood the history of this reference to the Virgin Mary. It is more clear now.

Mazatlán’s proximity to gold and silver mines made it an important coastal port for exporting these two valuable mineral resources back in the 1800’s. Today, it is known for it’s silver jewelry and one of the places we stopped was a shop that specialized in crafting silver jewelry and other items. I could not resist purchasing another souvenir here since this was authentic silver – hand-crafted locally. I looked around and settled on a pinky ring that suited my taste perfectly! I read an article that you have to be careful when buying silver in Mazatlán as there are many “fake” jewelers who do not sell the real deal. You can check to see if your piece is authentic by noticing if it is stamped with the number 925. This proves the silver is 92.5% silver which is typical. I had not known this in advance so now I was curious if my ring was indeed silver. I’m happy to report that my ring does have a stamp on the inside with the number 925!! 🙂

While we waited for the ring to be fitted, we took a short walk from the shop to the beach just so we could actually stand on the sand!!

On our way to our next tour stop – the Mexican Show – I tried to capture some photos from the bus. The city was getting ready for it Mardi Gras carnival and there were indications of the preparations everywhere. Apparently, there is a huge parade that follows the boardwalk and people start reserving their spots days in advance – leaving someone there 24/7.

The Malecón of Mazatlán is a 5.3-mile boardwalk that is considered to be one of the longest ocean boardwalks in the world.

The Mexican Show took place in a theater and we were seated at round tables that held up to 8 people. Before the show commenced, we could order drinks and food. The show itself featured dancers in traditional clothing performing cultural and historic dances. It was lively and very entertaining. The lighting was a bit challenging and we were far from the stage but I could use my telephoto lens and capture enough to give a sense of the performance.

We made a brief stop before heading back to the ship along the ocean to see Mazatlán’s version of cliff divers. It was very anti-climatic and did not compare in scale to the Acapulco divers. But, it’s a way to make a few dollars and draw in tourists I suppose.

On our way back to the ship, I was hoping to get a photograph (from the bus) of the Beatles monument that is located in the renamed Liverpool Alley in the historic district of Mazatlán. This alley is a tribute to the Beatles and was inspired by a desire to increase European tourism to the city. There is no evidence that the Beatles actually ever set foot in Mexico. Across the entrance to the alley, the monument mimics the cover of the Abbey Road album.

After two days of taking medication for the nasty germ I contracted, I was feeling better but not sure I should do the tour excursion that we had planned at our last port of call – Cabo San Lucas. The excursion was to be a kayaking, paddleboarding and snorkeling adventure and I was really looking forward to this one. But, given the state of my health and resultant low level of energy, and the fact that it’s not a good idea to have too much sun exposure while on antibiotics, I opted to cancel this tour. I was able to get a full refund for the tour for medical reasons – so I was thankful for that. As it ends up, my sister was also feeling a bit under the weather and, in the end, we all decided to just stay on board the ship! More about that next time!