Mazatlan

Mazatlan located right on the Pacific Coast of Mexico is the biggest ports that Mexico has. It also has some of the most beautiful beaches yet it really does not get much attention as a tourist resort such as Cabos and Acapulco do. It is located right on the Pacific Coast of Mexico This is because originally Mazatlan started of as a port and is still Mexico's biggest port. Yet Mazatlan is a beautiful place that has very mild weather. In the picture above I immediately notices the spilling breaks up in the front and the huge rip current that is just behind it, caused by the movement of the waves and currents.

In this picture we can appreciate the mild but beautiful swash and backwash that the water makes as it hits the shore and slightly moves to what appears to be from the bottom of the picture to the top of it at a small angel. Leaving beautiful imprints on the sand.

These baby karsts and tombolo caused by water and storm erosion over time, are tourist attractions from where as you can see people cliff dive from into the foamy water.

This picture shows a beautiful example of a sea cave caused by storm and just erosion over the years. You can find a couple of these in Mazatlan.

Maybe next time you decide to go to Mexico to relax on the beach you will choose the gorgeous beaches of Mazatlan instead of the over flowing beaches of Cabos and Acapulco. While you are there try and enjoy all of the beautiful geography that Mazatlan has to offer.

http://allaboutmazatlan.com/

http://www.ddbstock.com/mazatlan1.html

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Mexico/Estado_de_Sinaloa/Mazatlan-940544/Things_To_Do-Mazatlan-Malecon-BR-1.html

1959 Mexican Hurricane

In 1959 the Pacific Coast of Mexico was hit by a hurricane that claimed around 1000 lives. As a staggering category 5, this was the largest hurricane to hit the East Pacific. Areas like Jalisco and Colima were clobbered by mass land wasting and flash floods due to the torrential rain. The hurricane didn’t cause much of the damage but the storm surge which hit the coast and destroyed communities and buildings completely devastating them. With bodies floating around and so many houses flooded and displaced this left many people homeless and without basic needs such as food, water, hygiene and high treats of diseases. People where left stranded and with no access to roads since some were blocked with posts and trees that were torn down by the 155 mph strong winds. Not only was the hurricane itself devastating to the people, but on top of it the mass land wasting caused soil erosion and displacement unearthing hundreds of highly venomous snakes and scorpions that later on claimed the lives of hundreds of people. All this devastation affected Mexico’s plantations and factories leaving many workers out of jobs. This massive hurricane was definitely one for the history books.

http://www.dailynewarticles.com/article/832/73614/Hurricane_Lane_Hits_Mexico_As_Dangerous_Category_3_Hurricane.html

http://www.interragate.info/notable-past-event/3853

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/1959_Mexico_Hurricane

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1959_Mexico_hurricane

The Sinking City

El Palacio de Bellas Artes

Legend tells that the Aztecs were told by the gods to build their main city right where they saw an eagle eating a serpent on a cactus. It just so happened that where they saw this was in a middle of a lake, thus the Aztecs built Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) on an small island on a lake. In these days Mexico City is booming with people and their supply for water is very limited and they have been resorting to pumping out the water from underground aquifers causing the city to sink in to its muddy base. This is due to the drawdown which is happening since the water is getting used faster than it is being replenished. Since the city itself is close to a lake which stands at a higher elevation than them, they are also susceptible to many flash floods when it rains too much and the lake fills up. The Palacio de Bellas Artes is sinking down at an average of 4in a year! Mexico is quickly trying to find a way to hydrate its citizens, hopefully they can find a way to and at the same time maintain their amazing historical buildings

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/04/08/20100408mexico-city-sinking-flooding-crisis.html

http://www.greatdreams.com/cities.htm

http://geo-mexico.com/?p=2968

Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl

If you have ever seen this picture and wondered what the story behind it was, you are in luck. This is a legend of a love that couldn’t be and heartbreak, kind of like a version of Romeo and Juliet which includes a rumor of death. These 2 are represented by two volcanoes in Mexico.

Popocatépetl (Left), Iztaccíhuatl (Right)

Popocatépetl is Strato Volcano and North America’s third highest volcano. It is also formed of what is left from an old volcano and is currently still active. Since the volcano is surrounded by ice and glaciers it is susceptible to lahars in case of eruption in which lava begins to spew out. Also since it is so close to several cities including Mexico City, some towns have had to be evacuated due to warnings of pyrolastic flows and tephra in case of an explosion. Iztaccíhuatl is a dormant volcano which is adjacent to the great Popocatépetl and is usually just referred to as a mountain. Legend says that when Iztaccíhuatl wakes up both volcanoes will erupt. An eruption would be devastating to Mexico City because of its’ proximity to the volcano.

http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1401-09=

http://www.volcanolive.com/popocatepetl.html

http://climbing.about.com/od/mountainclimbing/a/Iztaccihuatl.htm

Mexico: More Than What You See On The News

Picture of a Chalupa in Xochimilco

(yes your Taco Bell chalupa is named after a raft)

Welcome to my first post,

My name is Noemi Urena and I am a History Major. This is my third year at UCD and I have loved everything I have learned thus far. I am emphasizing in American History, but one of my favorite places to study is Mexico and its history. My parents are both from Mexico, but I have never had the opportunity to travel any deeper into Mexico other than its border city Juarez, Chihuahua (which is one of the towns that have been hit the hardest with the drug violence/drug war). The media’s emphasis on the drug war in Mexico is another one of the reasons that I have chosen it. We have been so caught up in all the bad things going on there that we forget all the amazing things that Mexico has to offer. Mexico is astonishing from the amazing ice volcano Popocatepetl to the floating gardens of Xochimilco. Also the Aztec ruins and how this civilization decided to build their main city on a lake (which is now slowly sinking). I’m excited about this blog and the things I will discover about Mexico. I truly hope you all enjoy it.