It is bordered by the states ofSinaloa to the northwest,Durango to the north,Zacatecas to the northeast andJalisco to the south. To the west, Nayarit has a significant share of coastline on thePacific Ocean, including the islands ofMarías andMarietas. The beaches ofSan Blas and the so-called "Riviera Nayarit" are popular with tourists andsnowbirds. Besides tourism, the economy of the state is based mainly on agriculture and fishing. It is also one of two states where thetarantula speciesBrachypelma klaasi is found, the other beingJalisco.
Home toUto-Aztecan indigenous peoples such as theHuichol andCora, the region was exposed to theconquistadoresHernán Cortés andNuño de Guzmán in the 16th century. Spanish governance was made difficult by indigenous rebellions and by the inhospitable terrain of the Sierra del Nayar. The last independent Cora communities were subjugated in 1722. The state's name recalls the Cora people's label for themselves:Náayerite, commemorating Nayar, a resistance leader.[8]
Radiocarbon dating estimateAztatlán colonization of the western Mexican coast – including parts of Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco – as occurring as early as 900 AD, with some evidence suggesting it might have been as early as 520 AD. Encountered on the western coast by the Spanish invaders in 1500, the cultures were descended from these original Aztatlán settlements and otherClassic-stage cultures who had merged with them.[9][10]
Hernán Cortés was the first known European to enter into the area now known as Nayarit, which he claimed for Spain as part ofNueva Galicia. UnderNuño de Guzmán, Spaniards took the region with considerable brutality, causing the indigenous inhabitants to revolt, in what was later referred to as theMixtón War.[11][12] After almost two centuries of resistance, the last independent Cora communities were incorporated into Spanish administration by force in 1722. Then followed intense missionary efforts byJesuits to convert the indigenous.[13]
In the colonial period, the port ofSan Blas was one of the most important trade ports on the American Pacific coast.Galleons transporting goods from Manila, the Philippines arrived here before the rise of the port ofAcapulco.[citation needed] Today, the town still boastscolonial architecture from its heyday, such as theaduana (customs office), thecontaduría (accounting offices) and the fortress that protected the port against pirates.[citation needed]
In Nayarit, the struggle for independence from Spain was initiated by the priest José María Mercado, who conquered Tepic and San Blas before being defeated and executed by Spanish royalists. In 1824, in the first constitution of the Mexican Republic, Nayarit was a part ofJalisco.[citation needed] In the mid-1800s Comanche Indians, from Texas and Oklahoma,attacked Tepic causing widespread destruction. During the second half of the 19th century, Nayarit was one of the most turbulent territories in Mexico. The population was in open revolt, demanding access to land.[14]
Nayarit was one of the last territories admitted as a state of the Mexican federation, which occurred on 1 May 1917.[15]
Nayarit's natural vegetation varies with altitude; coastal lowlands and river valleys were, historically, covered with tropical dry forest, containing many native deciduous trees that lost their leaves during the dry seasons. TheSinaloan dry forests now cover the northern coastal lowlands, and extend up the valleys of theSan Pedro Mezquital River and theRío Grande de Santiago and its tributaries.[21] TheJalisco dry forests ecoregion covers coastal Nayarit south ofSan Blas and the Islas Marías.[22]
TheMarismas Nacionales–San Blas mangroves, a network of coastal Pacific lagoons and tidal mangrove forests, extend along the state's northern coast and into adjacent Sinaloa state. The mangroves are home to abundant wildlife, including migratory and resident waterbirds.[23]
The mountains are home topine–oak forests, which vary in density with elevation. Oak forests and woodlands tend to grow at lower elevations, interspersed with smaller areas of humid cloud forest in areas of higher rainfall. The highest elevations contain forests of conifers, pines and oak.[24]
Nayarit also contains hundreds of miles of rainforest in the Sierra. Its wildlife includes hundreds ofbird species, both resident and breeding/migratory populations, including parrots, like thelilac-crowned amazon (Amazona finschi) and numerous hummingbirds, such as theMexican woodnymph (Thalurania ridgwayi). There are also 119 registered species of mammals, includingwhite-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus),collared peccary (Dicotyles tajacu),brocket deer (Mazama americana), several types ofarmadillo,coyote, wild felines such aspuma (Felis concolor),jaguarundi (Puma yagouarundi),bobcat orlince rojo,ocelot (Felis pardalis) and many more species. Historically, theMexican wolf,Mexican grizzly bear andjaguar would have been present in the region, as well, though the bears are now extinct; the Mexican wolf and jaguar survive today only in a few fragmented locations, due to decades of hunting and human encroachment on their habitats.[25] Most of the rain forest has been exploited, especially around the region ofSanta María del Oro. The conservation and protection of the rain forest and wildlife of Nayarit is an issue of crucial importance.[26]
Nayarit is Mexico's twenty-ninth most populous state. According to the census of 2020, the state had a population of 1,235,456 and its population density was 39/km2.
Nayarit is the home to four indigenous groups: theWixaritari (Huichol), theNaayeri (Cora), theOdam (Tepehuan) and theNahuatl-speakingMexicaneros. The indigenous groups mostly inhabit the Nayar highlands, but are also frequently encountered in Tepic and on the Pacific coast, where they have also established colonies. They are known for their crafts and artwork which they sell. About five percent of the state population speaks an indigenous language.[29]
Punta Mita is a major tourist destination on theRiviera NayaritShrimp fisherman on the coast of Nayarit
Nayarit is predominantly an agricultural state, and produces a large variety of crops such asbeans,sorghum,sugar cane,maize,tobacco, rice, chiles,peanuts,melons,tomatoes,coffee, mangoes, bananas, and avocados. In addition to these crops, livestock and fishing are also central to the local economy. Approximately six percent of the land in Nayarit is pasture land, with the most common livestock being cattle, horses, pigs,goats, andsheep. Nayarit has 289 kilometers of coastline, which provides an abundance of fish and shellfish, includingbass,snapper,sharks, andoysters. There are over 75cooperatives related to the fishing industry alone in Nayarit. Much of the food produced in Nayarit is exported to the larger urban areas surrounding Mexico City and Guadalajara, and much of the agricultural labor is performed bymigrant laborers. Although mining exists in Nayarit, it is mostly of non-metallic substances such aslimestone orkaolin.[30]
Beginning in the late 90's, Nayarit has become known as a producer ofspecialtyArabica coffee, regarded for its fine taste and high density beans grown in the volcanic soils of theSierra Madre Occidental. Nayarit coffee is exported all over the world, including to the UK and Australia via the Grupo Terruño Nayarita farmers cooperative.[31]
Newspapers of Nayarit include:El Periódico en que Nayarit Opina Día a Día,El Semanario que refleja qué hay en Nayarit,Matutino Gráfico,Meridiano de Nayarit, andRealidades.[33][34]
^"El Nayar".Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México. Archived fromthe original on 2 May 2007. Retrieved7 August 2007.
^Mountjoy, Joseph B. (2013)."Aztatlan Complex". In Evans, Susan T.; Webster, David L. (eds.).Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 59.ISBN9781136801853.
^For a map showing important archaeological sites in Nayarit, refer to:Gorenstein, Shirley (2000)."Western and Northwestern Mexico". In Trigger, Bruce G.; et al. (eds.).The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas. Cambridge University Press. p. 320.ISBN9780521351652.
^Pasztor, Suzanne B. (2004)."Nayarit (state)". In Coerver, Don M.; et al. (eds.).Mexico: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Culture and History. ABC-CLIO. p. 323.ISBN9781576071328.
^"Nayarit"Archived 17 February 2007 at theWayback Machine inThe Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. 2012, Columbia University Press
^Pasztor, Suzanne B. (2012)."Nayarit". In Saragoza, Alex; et al. (eds.).Mexico Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 459.ISBN9780313349485.
^Pulido Pérez, R. (1995). Diagnostico de la fauna silvestre en el estado de Nayarit/."Archived copy"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 6 October 2014. Retrieved11 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^abStandish, Peter (2009)."Nayarit".The States of Mexico: A Reference Guide to History and Culture. Greenwood Publishing. pp. 251–252.ISBN9780313342233.
.jpeg)
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
