Del 12 al 19 de abril se llevará a cabo la fiesta de la danza. Fotografía: Noroeste/Dalia Cabrales.
CULIACÁN._ Del 12 al 19 de este mes se llevará a cabo el Festival Internacional de Danza José Limón, que en su vigésimo novena edición participarán grupos de México, Irlanda y Suiza, en Culiacán, Mazatlán, Los Mochis y Guamúchil.
"Los sinaloenses celebraremos 29 años de historia, de este magnífico espacio de disfrute escénico que recuerda y rinde homenaje a una de las figuras más sobresalientes de la danza contemporánea a nivel mundial: José Limón", destacó María Luisa Miranda, directora general del Instituto Sinaloense de Cultura.
En este marco se entregará el Premio Nacional de Danza Contemporánea José Limón a Cecilia Appleton.
Participarán los grupos Tumákat, Gilles Jobin, Foco al Aire, Antonio Salinas, Lux Boreal, Iseli Chiodi, Sartén Constante, Vértice y Delfos.
Durante ocho días, se ofrecerán 20 funciones, siete intervenciones, cuatro talleres, una mesa redonda, una exposición fotográfica, cuatro clases magistrales, una conferencia magistral, una presentación de libro, y un encuentro de estudiantes de danza contemporánea.
Hurricane Vance is now expected to turn toward the mainland, but the Hurricane Center has not forecast it to back on it's original hook path right at Mazatlan. Instead the direction looks to be due North at Baja for today, then start to swing Northeast back toward the mainland.
That longer traveling time North and the sharply decreased Easterly angle would have Vance making landfull somewhere near the charming little town of Eldorado. Over a hundred miles and 170 kilometers north of Maz, which makes a world of difference in terms of wind speed for a moderate sized storm like this one.
Another important update is the Northeast rather than West track keeps Vance in warmer waters so the time he would be at hurricane strength has been increased by probably a day. The good news is the new forecast direction is so northerly the storm will almost certainly fade along the extra distance over water from a hurricane down to sub-tropical level.
That is a huge, huge difference as hurricanes start at 74 MPH / 119 KPH winds. Whereas the threshold for a Tropical Storm is only 38 MPH / 62 KPH. Vance is currently a Category II hurricane with sustained winds of 105 MPH / 169 KPH. A drop to sub Tropical level before landfall would decrease the wind velocity by a whopping 65%. Then moving landfall a hundred miles away from Maz decreases it even more.
This new direction certainly puts Maz into the path for more rain, but is very unlikely to be a wind event. The jury is still out on the path making more or less of the size and intensity of waves that could do further damage. Stay tuned.
Mexico, in Group A, will face China Taipei, Italy, Brazil and Czechoslovakia.
With the participation of 360 players from 18 countries representing five continents, the Under 15 World Championship Baseball tournament begins today simultaneously in Mazatlán, Culiacán and Los Mochis.
The Mazatlán official inauguration takes place today at 6:30pm at the Teodoro Mariscal baseball stadium. The tournament runs until August 10 with games being played at both the baseball stadium and Benito Juárez sports complex.
The under 15-year-olds are representing 18 countries from around the world: Mexico, China Taipei, Italy, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Guatemala, United States, Japan, Panama, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, Cuba, Venezuela, Australia, Argentina, Hong Kong and Lithuania.
Mexico, in Group A, will face China Taipei, Italy, Brazil and Czechoslovakia and are looking to improve their standing after losing to China Taipei in the 2012 games played in Chihuahua, finishing fourth in that tournament. The tournament was won by Venezuela, followed by Cuba in second and China Taepei in third.
Games begin today at the Teodoro Mariscal baseball stadium at 9am when New Zealand takes on Germany, followed by Japan vs South Africa at 4pm and Panama vs. the United States at 8:30pm.
Jorge Morales, of the soccer team Guerreros Aztecas, or Aztec Warriors, controls the ball during a match with Los Dragones, or the Dragons in Mexico City, Saturday, June 7, 2014. Most of the players lost a leg in car accidents or to disease. Morales said he lost his leg four years ago due to cancer.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two World Cups of soccer will be held this year, and members of the Mexico City's Aztec Warriors are training tirelessly with the dream of playing in one of them.
Players race across the field on special crutches, dribbling and kicking fierce shots at the net. Their goal: The Amputee Soccer World Cup, which will be held in Culiacan, Sinaloa, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 8.
Most of the players lost a leg in car accidents or to disease. One player, Niseforo Bazan, lost a limb to a stray bullet in Guerrero state. The goaltender is missing an arm.
Some team members play while still fighting to overcome health issues. Alejandro Balurch, 17, had a leg amputated because of cancer two years ago and now practices as much as his chemotherapy will allow.
"We want to show that there are no barriers or limitations to attaining what one desires," said the coach of the Aztec Warriors,Carlos Espinosa.
Before the start of each game players remove their artificial legs, playing only with crutches and kicking the ball with their remaining foot.
Espinosa says the players are practicing in the hopes that some of them will be chosen to join Mexico's national amputee soccer team that will play in Sinaloa.
Fairview residents Perry and Shilo Wild and Pauline Broddle and Keith Lyons are now back in Fairview having delivered the Rotary ambulance to Mexico.
Broddle says, “The need is so great for this project. Over 13 years 66 vehicles (firetrucks, ambulances, schoolbuses) have been delivered to Mazatlan and area, most are used daily and are maintained with pride in top condition.
Request for 40 school buses - working with Mexican government to amend the specs on buses to be delivered (max. age of bus and gas vs diesel). These buses are not only used by the schools, but for handicapped programs/community groups etc.
Firefighters (bomberos) and ambulance operatives are all volunteers and have to raise their own funds for fuel expenses. One group (Cobras) operates six small ambulances, their base is out of an administrator’s home and he is an air traffic controller in his day job. Others are students or have regular jobs. Dispatch is out of Mexico City – a long way away!
Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) – we met five exchange students and saw the way their year as RYE has changed their lives. Pauline spent a year in Edson – she was translator for our Rotary breakfast with Mazatlan clubs.
A girl from Mazatlan had spent a year in New Zealand, is now 20 years old and attending college – we had long talks with her about the program and the impact it has had on her life and outlook, especially how now as a young adult she sees her country and its needs.
A boy from Mazatlan who spent a year in Australia and speaks English with an Aussie accent, reminding us of Travis. Two girls presently in Mazatlan on exchange from Ontario and Brazil.”
Their trip started out the first day with 801 Km on the road, arriving in Lethbridge at 7 p.m. The next day they travelled 643 km from Lethbridge to Dillon, Montana, the day after that 886 km to Beaver, Utah via Salt Lake City.
Another day saw them arrive in Lake Havasu after 606 km. on the road, the next day only 346 km because they had to have the vehicles inspected in Phoenix before taking them across the border. Day six they travelled from Phoenix to Nogales AZ (295 km) with a stop at the hospital after one member of the party fell ill and another fell when he missed a step on the fire truck, breaking his wrist.
Day seven was 272 km from Nogales to Hermosillo, Mexico – spending five hours at the Mexican border, then day eight they travelled from Hermosillo to Mazatlan (888 km).
After eight days on the road they took one day for a bit of rest – catching up on sleep and doing a little swimming and sunbathing.
The next day they re-arranged and distributed the fire gear, attending a Rotary breakfast the following day. Day 12 they were in a parade of vehicles in Mazatlan with sirens blaring, lights flashing and flags waving to city hall for ceremonial presentation of keys and speeches.
The following three days they actually delivered fire trucks and ambulances to the communities that will be using them Fire trucks to Rosario, Escuimapa, Cuiliacan, two ambulances and a fire truck to Mazatlan. Day sixteen it was time to turn around and head home.
Mexico, Mar 3.- The recognized 14th Guitar Festival of Sinaloa starts today in that state in Northeast Mexico.
The event, scheduled until next Saturday, includes presentations in Culiacán 8capital of the state), and the municipalities of Mazatlán, Guamuchil, Los Mochis and Mocosito.
Among its participants are the Italian virtuous Mauro Zanatta, who has formed generations of well known guitar players in several countries.
Other special guests are Manuel Espinas (Cuba), Hopkinson Smith (Suiza), Cavatina Duo (Bosnia-Spain), Marko Tpchii (Ukraine) and Gilberto Puente, with the Trio Los Tres Reyes (United States).
Mexicans Rene Garcia and Jose Carlos Pestaño, winners of the Sinaloa State Prize Guitar will also be present.
Mexican maestro Jose Gutierrez will direct the 6th Advanced Course on that instrument.
At the same time, 17 guitar players from different countries will compete in the 7th International Contest Sinaloa 2014.
The beaches of Mazatlán and the capital of Sinaloa, Culiacán, have new tourist attractions; hideouts used by Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.
The Miramar condominiums, located on Avenida del Mar, have become a tourist attraction and the most photographed place in Mazatlán since “El Chapo” Guzman was captured there on Saturday. Both tourists and residents have flocked to the site where he spent his last hours of freedom.
Taxi drivers are now offering “Narco-Tours” that include a look at the Miramar. Mazatlán taxi drive Jaime López said, “Since Saturday, I’ve made about 10 trips through the city and they (tourists) have all asked me to take them to where “El Chapo” was captured.”
John Kirsch, a Mazatlán photographer, said, “I would say the atmosphere at the site was almost festive. There was no sense that a feared drug lord had been living among us. It was more like, ‘Wow, this is cool. Mazatlán is on the map.’”
Members of the Mexican Real Estate Association of Real Estate Professionals (AMPI) joined the curious, as the new officers had their photograph taken in front of the Miramar.
In Culiacán the mayor, Sergio Torres Felix, said he has been approached by local hoteliers requesting the city promote “Narco-Tours.” The mayor noted that cities and countries monopolize on such attractions and that the proposal should not be dismissed out of hand.
A few of the houses where Guzman was hiding are located in Culiacán’s colonia Libertad. It is here where homes connected to the city’s storm drains permitted him to escape law enforcement officials. Traffic in this area has increased, as people want to see where “El Chapo” escaped the hunt for him only weeks ago.
Sinaloa is the only place in Mexico where the ancient ball game called ulama is still played. It’s also the home of banda music, damiana, a popular herb–based liquor, boxer Julio Cesar Chavez and soccer player Angel Eduardo Ochoa Uriarte. Sinaloa, the “Breadbasket of Mexico,” devotes over three quarters of its landmass to agricultural production. It is the country’s leading producer of rice and vegetables, and the second largest producer of wheat and beans. Fishing and livestock provide additional revenue, as does Mazatlán’s canning facility, the largest in Latin America.
History
Early History
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Sinaloa was inhabited by six major tribes of hunters and gathers: the Cahita, Tahue, Totorame, Pacaxee, Acaxee and Xixime. The Acaxees lived in rancherías (settlements) dispersed throughout the gorges and canyons of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range. Along with the Xiximes, Pacaxee and Tahue, the Acaxees were nonaggressive agricultural gatherers who took no part in human sacrifice rituals. The Cahita, on the other hand, were ferocious warriors who practiced cannibalism in the belief that they could acquire the strength of their most valiant enemies. Little is known of Sinaloa’s early history. Prior to 1529, the region was part of the unexplored Spanish province called Nueva Vizcaya, which also included present-day Chihuaha, Durango, Sonora and Coahuila.
Middle History
The first Spanish foray into Sinaloa took place in 1529. The Spanish conquistador Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán battled his way through central Mexico to the Pacific coast with an army of 300 Spaniards and 10,000 indigenous fighters. When they reached the vicinity of the Culiacán River, they met and defeated a force of 30,000 Cahita warriors. At that time the Cahita constituted the largest single language group in northern Mexico, numbering about 115,000 in Sinaloa and Sonora.Many of Guzmán’s troops succumbed to an epidemic while in Sinaloa, but he still managed to establish the city of San Miguel de Culiacán before continuing his exploration. When the army journeyed north several years later, they encountered diverse indigenous groups that the Spaniards referred to as ranchería people, whose settlements were scattered over large areas.
The Sinaloan city of El Fuerte was founded by Francisco de Ibarra in 1563. Despite frequent battles with Zuaque and Tehueco Indians, El Fuerte prospered and became a vital economic link to Mexico’s vast northwestern region.
Like much of the region, in the early 17th century, Sinaloa was organized into encomiendas which subjugated the native people to Spanish rule and required them to work land that did not belong to them. Consequently, the 17th and 18th centuries saw several indigenous uprisings. One in 1740 was particularly violent, costing the lives of several thousand Spaniards and more than 5,000 Indians. Following the 1740 rebellion, the Spaniards became slightly more cautious of the native population and, by the end of the 18th century, the rebellions had largely come to an end.
Recent History
After Mexican independence in 1824, Sonora and Sinaloa were combined to form the Estado de Occidente (Western State), with El Fuerte serving as the capital. In 1830 the state was split into present-day Sonora and Sinaloa.
During the second half of the 19th century, Sinaloa experienced dramatic economic expansion under the rule of President Porfirio Díaz (1830-1915). However, the state’s small population limited its ability to continue growing.
In the late 1800s, partly because of the recent influx of Chinese settlers, Sinaloa became a significant source of opium derived from the cultivation of poppies. Sinaloa’s proximity to the United States provided a large market for the drug, which was legal at that time.
Throughout the Mexican Revolution (1910-1917), Sinaloans were divided in their loyalties to the various factions. Many in Sinaloa supported the revolutionary party led by Pancho Villa and by 1917 the state of Sinaloa was ultimately controlled by the newly established constitutional government of Mexico.
Meanwhile, Sinaloa continued to be a major producer of opium in spite of the United States’ Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914, which tightly regulated the sale of opium in that country. Opium production rose further as a result of World War II, which increased the demand for morphine, an opium extract. Since Japan controlled most of the world’s opium supply, the United States turned to Mexico–specifically Sinaloa–for assistance. Although the morphine supply was a benefit to the military, the legal market for opium opened the door for more widespread illegal distribution.
Sinaloa Today
Each January the city of Culiacán hosts an agricultural exhibition called the Expo Agro Sinaloa. This premier agricultural trade show is the largest of its kind in Mexico, allowing exhibitors to demonstrate their products, equipment, machinery and technology.
Agriculture accounts for about 21 percent of the state’s economy. Service-based companies account for another 21 percent, followed by trade activities at 19 percent, finance and insurance at 16 percent, transportation and communications at 11 percent, manufacturing at 8 percent, construction at 3 percent and mining at 1 percent.
Sinaloa’s coat of arms is an oval shield resting upon a base of rocks and surmounted by the national emblem: an eagle devouring a serpent atop a Nopal cactus. Four sections on the shield depict a reptile, a castle, an anchor and chain and an anchor with a deer head. Around the shield’s edge is a trail of footprints.
The word Sinaloa, which originated with the indigenous Cahita Indians, means rounded pitaya, a common local fruit.
The small villages of Sinaloa still play a variation of Ulama, an ancient Mesoamerican ballgame played nowhere else in the Americas.
The region has become famous for banda, a traditional form of music performed using brass, woodwind and percussion instruments. The instrument most often identified with this type of music is the tambora, a drum covered with animal hide. La Banda Sinaloense (the Sinaloan Band) is one of Mexico’s best-known banda groups.
Damiana, an herb-based liquor from Baja and Sinaloa, has maintained its popularity in the region since Mayan times. Originally, the leaves were used for medicinal purposes by the indigenous cultures.
Sinaloa is the home of five-time world champion boxer Julio Cesar Chavez. Chavez, perhaps the most beloved Hispanic boxer, is widely regarded as one of the best Hispanic athletes. Another prominent Sinaloan athlete is soccer player Angel Eduardo Ochoa Uriarte, a member of the UAS Tercera Fuerza in Mexico.
The actor and singer José Pedro Infante Cruz, better known as Pedro Infante, was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, on November 18, 1917. He is considered one of the finest entertainers of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. Between 1948 and 1954, Infante received six nominations for Best Actor from the Mexican Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences, and in 1956 he won the award. In 1957 he also was honored with the Silver Bear for Best Actor by the Berlin International Film Festival.
One of Mexico’s most popular norteño bands, Los Tigres del Norte, got its start in Rosa Morada, Sinaloa.
Landmarks
Mazatlán
Located on the Pacific coast, the city of Mazatlán, which means place of the deer, was founded in the 1820s. By mid-century, a large population of German immigrants had settled in the city and helped it become a successful seaport. Mazatlán served as the capital of Sinaloa from 1859 to 1873. The lighthouse in Mazatlán is the world’s second-tallest lighthouse on a natural base. Each year, the city’s gleaming beaches attract throngs of tourists.
El Fuerte
El Fuerte, a city founded by the Spaniards in 1563, was later destroyed by the Indians. In 1610, the Viceroy of Montesclaros ordered the city’s reconstruction, and El Fuerte became the state’s first capital in 1824. Many colonial-era buildings are still in use, including City Hall, the main Plaza de Armas, the House of Culture, the Church of the Sacred Heart and the Home of Congress.
Topolobampo
Topolobampo, with its commercial seaport and railway connections to northern Mexico, has become a vital economic hub on the Pacific coast. The area is renowned for its great fishing, and tourists can watch seals and sea lions at the nearby Farallón de San Ignacio, a towering rock formation that is also home to a large population of brown and blue-footed boobies, seabirds related to the pelican.
