Sinaloa is located in northwest Mexico and is bordered by the states ofSonora to the northwest,Chihuahua to the north,Durango to the east, andNayarit to the southeast. To the west, Sinaloa facesBaja California Sur, across theGulf of California. Its natural geography is divided by theSierra Madre Occidental, fertile river valleys, and a broad coastal plain along the Gulf of California. The state covers an area of 58,328 square kilometers (22,521 sq mi) and includes the islands of Palmito Verde, Palmito de la Virgen, Altamura, Santa María, Saliaca, Macapule, and San Ignacio.
Often referred to as the "breadbasket of Mexico", Sinaloa produces about 40% of the nation’s food.[citation needed] Its economy is based on agriculture, fisheries, livestock breeding, tourism, mining, and food processing. Culturally, Sinaloa has a strong musical tradition, particularly in thebanda andnorteño genres, its cuisine, and the heritage of indigenous peoples such as theYaqui and theYoreme.
Sinaloa combines two words from theCahita language:sina ('pithaya plant'), andlobola ('rounded'); "sinalobola" was shortened to "sinaloa".[8] This most popular etymology is attributed toEustaquio Buelna. Another etymology attributed to Pablo Lizárraga is Mexicacintli ('dry corn and cob') andololoa ('to pile up'), and to locative, "where they pile up or store corn on the cob." Yet another etymology from Héctor R. Olea combines Cahiasina with the locative "ro" from thePurépecha language and "a" from Aztecatl ('water'), thus "place of pithayas in the water.[9]
In 1531,Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán, with a force of over 10,000 men, established a Spanish and allied Indian outpost at San Miguel de Culiacán. Over the next decade, the Cahíta suffered severe depopulation from conquest, smallpox and other diseases brought by Europeans.[11] The northern region of the state was colonized byFrancisco de Ibarra, who founded a settlement in 1563 that later becameEl Fuerte, named after the fort built there in 1610 under the direction ofDiego Martínez de Hurdaide.
The Spanish organized Sinaloa as part of thegobierno ofNueva Galicia. In 1564, the area was realigned: the area of Culiacán andCosalá remained in control of Nueva Galicia, while the areas to the north, south, and west were made part of the newly formedNueva Vizcaya province, making the Culiacán area an exclave of Nueva Galicia. The first capital of Nueva Vizcaya was located inSan Sebastián, nearCopala, but was moved toDurango in 1583.[12]
Starting in 1599,Jesuitmissionaries spread out from a base at what is nowSinaloa de Leyva and by 1610, the Spanish influence had been extended to the northern edge of Sinaloa. In 1601, the Jesuits' movement into the eastern part of Sinaloa prompted theAcaxee Rebellion.[13] The Spanish eventually managed to subdue the indigenous peoples of theSierra Madre Occidental region and executed 48 Acaxee leaders.[14] An account of the region’s evangelization and colonial history was written by the Jesuit missionaryAndrés Pérez de Ribas inHistoria de los Triunfos de Nuestra Santa Fe, published in 1645.[15] During the late colonial period, Sinaloa formed part of the province ofNew Navarre and later as part of theintendancy of Arizpe within theProvincias Internas, a frontier administrative region of New Spain established to consolidate control over the northwest as part of theBourbon Reforms.[16]
ThePorfiriato era was marked by the administration of Francisco Cañedo, who served multiple non-consecutive terms from 1877 to 1909. Cañedo oversaw modernization efforts in Sinaloa, including the expansion of railroads, the improvement of Mazatlán’s port, and the promotion of agricultural exports.Los Mochis was founded in 1893 by American settlers led by Albert K. Owen as part of a cooperative agricultural and industrial colony, envisioned aroundutopian socialism.[20][21] During theMexican Revolution, Sinaloa saw early clashes betweenMaderistas and Díaz'sFederal Army, and later naval engagements betweenHuertistas andConstitutionalists for control of the port ofTopolobampo.[22]
In the postrevolutionary period, extensive irrigation projects such as the Sanalona, Miguel Hidalgo, and Humaya dams converted vast tracts of arid land into fertile farmland. State investment, credit, andland reform promoted large-scale production of wheat, rice, tomatoes, and other export-oriented crops, which led to the state being named "the granary of Mexico". Industrial and urban development accelerated in cities such asCuliacán,Mazatlán, andLos Mochis, which became regional centers of agribusinesses, food processing, and tourism.[23]
Beginning in the mid-20th century, poppy and cannabis cultivation took root in the remote mountainous regions of the Sierra Madre Occidental, giving rise to a narcotics economy that would later shape theSinaloa Cartel, one of Mexico’s largest criminal organizations.[24][25][26][27] In 2008, the federal government launchedOperation Sinaloa, deploying military and police forces to curb cartel activity across the region during theMexican drug war.[28] Since then, the state has experienced recurring cycles of violence, most markedly theBattle of Culiacán in October 2019, and the2023 Sinaloa unrest, when clashes between security forces and cartel members brought the state capital to a standstill. Ongoinginfighting in the Sinaloa Cartel has continued to drive instability in parts of the region.[29]
Sinaloa has a warm climate on the coast; a moderately warm climate in the valleys and foothills; a moderately cold climate in the lower mountains, and a cold climate in the higher elevations. Its weather characteristics range from subtropical and tropical on coastal plains to cold in the nearby mountains. Temperatures range from 22 °C (72 °F) to 43 °C (109 °F) with rain and thunderstorms during the rainy season (June to October) and dry conditions throughout most of the year. Its average annualprecipitation is 790 millimetres.[31]
Sinaloa scores highly in socioeconomic development among Mexican states. In 2023, the stateranked seventh among Mexico’s 32 federal entities inHuman Development Index (HDI), with a score of 0.828.[35] According to the 2020 census, Sinaloa has a population of 3,026,943, 60% of whom reside in the capital city ofCuliacán and the municipalities ofMazatlán andAhome. It is a young state in terms of population, with 56% of its population younger than 30 years of age.[36]
Other demographic particulars report 87% of the state practices theCatholic faith. 9.35% identified as indigenous,[37] with 1% of those over five years of age speak an indigenous language alongside Spanish.[38]Sinaloa’sindigenous population includes mainly theYoreme (Mayo) people in the northern portion of the state, and groups ofRarámuri (Tarahumara) andYoeme (Yaqui) people. Life expectancy in the state follows the national trend of higher rates for women than for men, with a difference of almost 6 years in Sinaloa: 74.2 and 68.3 years, respectively.[39]
In terms of ethnic composition, Sinaloa has received large historic waves of immigration from Europe (mainly Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Russia) and Asia (namely China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Armenia, Lebanon, and Syria). The last two countries also make up most of theArab Mexican community in the state. In recent years, retirees from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and South America have arrived and made Sinaloa their home.[40]
There was also a sizable influx ofAshkenazi andSephardi Jews in the first decades of the twentieth century.Greeks form a notable presence in Sinaloa, where one can find local cuisine with kalamari and a few Greek Orthodox churches along the state's coast.[41] According to the 2020 Census, 1.39% of Sinaloa's population identified as Black,Afro-Mexican, or having African descent.[42]
Sinaloa is subdivided into 20municipios. Each municipality has acity council (ayuntamiento), headed by the municipal president. Municipalities in Sinaloa have some administrative autonomy from the state according to the 115th article of the1917 Constitution of Mexico.[47] Every three years, citizens elect amunicipal president (Spanish:presidente municipal) by aplurality voting system who heads a concurrently elected municipal council (ayuntamiento) responsible for providing all the public services for their constituents. The municipal council consists of a variable number of trustees and councillors (regidores y síndicos).[48] Municipalities are responsible for public services (such as water and sewerage), street lighting, public safety, traffic, and the maintenance of public parks, gardens and cemeteries.[49] They may also assist the state and federal governments in education, emergency fire and medical services, environmental protection and maintenance of monuments and historical landmarks. Since 1984, they have had the power to collectproperty taxes anduser fees, although more funds are obtained from the state and federal governments than from their own income.[49][50]
As of 2022, Sinaloa had a nominal GDP of approximately 668 billion pesos (US $33 billion), representing about 2.35% of Mexico’s national total, with a GDP per capita of US $10,840 and a PPP per capita of US $ 22,630.[51][52] The main economic activities of Sinaloa are agriculture, fishing, livestock breeding, tourism andfood processing.[53] Sinaloa has on its license plates the image of atomato, as the state is widely recognized for harvesting this particular fruit in great abundance from Los Mochis in the North to Culiacán in the central region of the state. Agriculture produce aside from tomatoes includecotton,beans,corn,wheat,sorghum,potatoes,soybeans,mangos,sugarcane,peanuts andsquash.[54] Sinaloa is the most prominent state in Mexico in terms of agriculture and is known as "Mexico's breadbasket". Livestock produce meat, sausages, cheese, milk, and sour cream. Additionally, Sinaloa has the second-largest fishing fleet in the country.[55] Tourism plays an important role in Sinaloa’s economy, driven by destinations such as Mazatlán, known for its beaches, historic center, and its carnival, along withecotourism. Mining has long been an important part of the economy, withzinc,gold,silver,lead,manganese, and other mineral deposits extracted in the Sierra Madre Occidental with mining centers such asCosalá,Concordia, andEl Rosario dating back to the colonial period. Sinaloa hosts major national companies includingSukarne,Coppel, andCasa Ley.
In terms of education, average schooling is 8.27 years; 4.2% of those aged 15 or older are illiterate, and 3.18% of children under 14 do not attend school.[56] The state's literacy rate in 2020 was 96.3%.[57]
Its rich cuisine is well known for its variety, particularly regardingmariscos (seafood) and vegetables. Famous dishes includeChilorio andAguachile.[62][63]Sinaloan sushi is a popular dish.[64]
Newspapers of Sinaloa include:El Debate de Culiacán,El Debate de Guamúchil,El Debate de Guasave,El Debate de los Mochis,El Debate de Mazatlán,El Sol de Culiacán,El Sol de Sinaloa,La I Noticias para Mí Culiacán,Noroeste (Culiacán),Noroeste de Mazatlán, andPrimera Hora.[65][66]
Early bandas were formed by members of military and municipal bands who settled in theSierra Madre Occidental during theMexican Revolution, and were influenced by traditionalYoreme music.[68] Perhaps the most popular song of the genre is "El Sinaloense", written bySeveriano Briseño in 1944 and recorded by hundreds of bandas, in both lyrical and instrumental versions. The song is considered the state's unofficial anthem.[71]
Sinaloa is one of the few places where the ancientMesoamerican ballgame is still played, in a handful of small, rural communities nearMazatlán. The ritual ballgame was central in the society, religion andcosmology of all the greatMesoamerican cultures including theMixtecs,Aztecs, andMaya.[74] The Sinaloa version of the game is calledulama and is very similar to the original.[75] There are efforts to preserve this 3500-year-old unique tradition by supporting the communities and children who play it.[76]
^Stanislawski, Dan (1 November 1965). "Review ofA Southwestern Utopia, by Thomas A. Robertson".Hispanic American Historical Review.45 (4):649–650.doi:10.1215/00182168-45.4.649.
^"Sinaloa".SEDESOL Secretaría de Desarrollo Social. Secretaría de Desarrollo Social. Archived fromthe original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved14 August 2019.
^abSimonett, Helena (2004).En Sinaloa nací: historia de la música de banda (First ed.). Mazatlán: Asociación de Gestores del Patrimonio Histórico y Cultural de Mazatlán.ISBN970-93894-0-8.OCLC55609923.
^Simonett, Helena (2001). Banda: Mexican Musical Life Across Borders. United States of America: Wesleyan University Press. pp. 8. ISBN 0-8195-6430-3
^"The Game". Mesoamerican Heritage Chapter of the Asociacion de Gestores del Patrimonio Historico y Cultural de Mazatlan.Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved31 March 2012.
^Asociacion de Gestores del Patrimonio Historico y Cultural de Mazatlan. 2009
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