Sinaloa

View of the Chepe train

Sinaloa (Spanish: [sinaˈloa]), officially the (English: Free and Sovereign State of Sinaloa), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales.

It is located in northwest Mexico, and is bordered by the states of Sonora to the north, Chihuahua and Durango to the east (separated from them by the Sierra Madre Occidental) and Nayarit to the south. To the west, Sinaloa faces Baja California Sur across the Gulf of California. The state covers an area of , and includes the Islands of Palmito Verde, Palmito de la Virgen, Altamura, Santa María, Saliaca, Macapule and San Ignacio. In addition to the capital city, the state's important cities include Mazatlán and Los Mochis.

History

Sinaloa belongs to the northern limit of Mesoamerica. From the Fuerte River to the north is the region known as Aridoamerica, which includes the desert and arid places of northern Mexico. Before European contact, the territory of Sinaloa was inhabited by groups such as the Cahitas, the Tahues, the Acaxees, the Xiximes, the Totorames, the Achires and the Guasaves.

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.

The Spanish organized Sinaloa as part of the gobierno of Nueva Galicia. In 1564, the area was realigned: the area of Culiacán and Cosalá remained in control of Nueva Galicia, while the areas to the north, south and west were made part of the newly formed Nueva Vizcaya province, making the Culiacán area an exclave of Nueva Galicia. The first capital of Nueva Vizcaya was located in San Sebastián, near Copala, but was moved to Durango in 1583.

Starting in 1599, Jesuit missionaries spread out from a base at what is now Sinaloa 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 led to the Acaxee going to war. The Spanish eventually managed to reassert authority in the Sierra Madre Occidental region and executed 48 Acaxee leaders.

After the Mexican War of independence, Sinaloa was joined with Sonora as Estado de Occidente, but became a separate, sovereign state in 1830. The Porfiriato era was marked by the administration of Francisco Cañedo, who served multiple non-consecutive terms from 1877 to 1909. After the Mexican Revolultion, infrastructure projects and land reform consolidated the agrarian sector, which led to the state being named "the granary of Mexico".

Geography

The coastal plain is a narrow strip of land that stretches along the length of the state and lies between the Gulf of California and the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, which dominates the eastern part of the state. Sinaloa is traversed by many rivers, which carve broad valleys into the foothills. The largest of these rivers are the Culiacán, Fuerte, and Sinaloa.

Sinaloa has a warm climate on the coast; moderately warm climate in the valleys and foothills; moderately cold in the lower mountains, and cold in the higher elevations. Its weather characteristics vary from subtropical and tropical, found on coastal plains, to cold in the nearby mountains. Temperatures range from to with rain and thunderstorms during the rainy season (June to October) and dry conditions throughout most of the year. Its average annual precipitation is 790 millimetres.

Numerous species of plants and animals are found within Sinaloa. Notable among the tree species is the elephant tree, Bursera microphylla.

Culture

Culturally, Sinaloa is part of Northern Mexico. Famous entertainers from the state include actor Pedro Infante, born in Mazatlán; singer Ana Gabriel, born in Guamúchil; singer and actress Lola Beltrán from Rosario; Cruz Lizárraga, the founder of Banda el Recodo; baseball player Jorge Orta, from Mazatlán; actress/comedian/singer Sheyla Tadeo, born in Culiacán; actress Sabine Moussier; actress/singer Lorena Herrera, from Mazatlán; and singer-songwriter Chalino Sánchez, from Las Flechas, Culiacán.

Music

The state is known for its popular styles of music banda and norteño. Banda was established in the early 1920s, influenced by the organological style of the European fanfare, and incorporating traditional sones, ranchera, corrido, polka, waltz, mazurka and schottische predominate, as well as more contemporary genres such as cumbia.

The first bandas were formed by members of military and municipal bands who settled in the Sierra Madre Occidental during the Mexican Revolution, and were influenced by traditional Yoreme music.

Cuisine

Its rich cuisine is well known for its variety particularly in regard to mariscos (seafood) and vegetables. Famous dishes include aguachile. Sinaloan sushi is a popular dish.

Media

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, and Primera Hora.

Organized crime

The Sinaloa Cartel (Cártel de Sinaloa or CDS) has significantly influenced the culture of Sinaloa. The cartel is reportedly the largest drug trafficking, money laundering and organized crime syndicate in the Americas; it is based in the city of Culiacán, Sinaloa.

Notable residents

Carlos Bojórquez – Boxer
Julio César Chávez – Six time World Boxing Champion
Jorge Orta – Major League Baseball player
Jorge Arce – Boxer and flyweight champion
Cristobal Arreola – Boxer
Luis Ayala – Major League Baseball player
Sandra Avila Beltrán – Drug Lord
Lola Beltrán – Actress and Ranchera singer
Perla Beltrán Acosta – Beauty queen, model and entrepreneur
Paul Aguilar — Football Player
Heraclio Bernal – Social Agitator/Folk Hero
Jared Borgetti – Football player
Omar Bravo – Football player
Ariel Camacho – Norteño Singer/Folk Songs
Javier Valdez Cárdenas – Journalist
Oscar Dautt – Football player
Iván Estrada – Football player
Carlos Fierro – Football player
Rodolfo Fierro - Revolutionary Fighter
Ana Gabriel – Singer
Pedro Avilés Pérez – Drug Lord
Joaquín Guzmán Loera – Former leader and co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo – Former leader and co-founder of the Guadalajara Cartel.
Rafael Caro Quintero – Former leader and founder of the Sonora Cartel.
Amado Carrillo Fuentes – Former leader and co-founder of the Juárez Cartel.
Alfredo Beltrán-Leyva – Leader and co-founder of the Beltrán-Leyva Organization.
Héctor Luis Palma Salazar – Former leader and co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Ismael Zambada García – Leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.
Benjamín Arellano Félix – Former leader and co-founder of the Tijuana Cartel (Arellano Félix Organization)
Ramón Arellano Félix – Former leader and co-founder of the Tijuana Cartel (Arellano Félix Organization)
Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo – Former leader and co-founder of the Guadalajara Cartel.
Enedina Arellano Félix – Leader and co-founder of the Tijuana Cartel (Arellano Félix Organization)
Lorena Herrera – Actress
Pedro Infante – Singer and actor
Francisco Labastida – Economist and politician affiliated to the PRI
Horacio Llamas – Basketball player
Los Tigres del Norte – Norteño music group
Banda el Recodo – Banda Sinaloense
Jesús Malverde – Folklore hero
Alberto Medina – Football player
César Millán – TV personality and professional dog trainer
Fernando Montiel – Boxer
Héctor Moreno – Football player
Sabine Moussier – Actress
Patricia Navidad – Actress and singer
Antonio Osuna – Major League Baseball player
Roberto Osuna – Major League Baseball player
Óliver Pérez – Major League Baseball player
Fausto Pinto – Football player
Julio Preciado – Singer
José Luis Ramírez – Boxer
Sara Ramírez – Actress
Paul Rodriguez – Comedian
Aurelio Rodríguez – Major League Baseball player
Dennys Reyes – Major League Baseball player
Sheyla Tadeo – Actress and comedian
María del Rosario Espinoza – Taekwondo Olympic medalist
Roberto Tapia – Singer
Julio Urías – Major League Baseball player
José Urquidy – Major League Baseball player
Chayito Valdez – Folk singer
Chalino Sánchez – Singer
Banda MS - Banda Sinaloense
La Arrolladora Banda El Limon - Banda Sinaloense
Banda Los Recoditos - Banda Sinaloense
José Manuel López Castro - Norteño Singer