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Mexico,
The West Coast
The West Coast: -
The west coast of Mexico incorportates the Baja California; a peninsula 1100km (700 miles) long that extends south from Tijuana into the Pacific Ocean. It comprises two states, Baja California Norte and Baja California Sur. The enclosed Gulf is rich in marine life and offers excellent opportunities for experienced divers and anglers (although the currents are treacherous). Baja’s Pacific lagoons are an important breeding ground for whales, particularly the gray whale, which is often referred to as the ‘Mexican Gray’ whale. The estuary of the Colorado River lies at the top of the Gulf; only a trickle of fresh water now reaches the sea, most having been diverted for agriculture far upstream. The interior is mountainous desert, for the most part waterless and inhabited by only the hardiest plants and animals.
Tijuana: Tijuana claims to be ‘the world’s most visited city’, receiving more than 20 million visitors every year, many of them day-trippers from California. With San Diego just a few miles away across the border, it is the land gateway to and from the USA, thriving on the sale of souvenirs.
Mexicali: The capital of Baja California Norte, Mexicali provides a base for those who wish to explore the surrounding mountains and countryside of Rumorosa.
La Paz: La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur, is in a bay on the Gulf of California. Watersports and deep-sea angling are well catered for. The beaches of Las Hamacas, Palmeira, El Coromuel and Puerto Balandra provide excellent bases for swimmers and skindivers; the waters are calm and clear. Fish and seafood figure prominently on local menus.
Patzcuaro: Situated in the coastal state of Michoacan, in westcentral Mexico, Patzcuaro is best known for butterfly net fishing for whitefish. Every Friday morning the plaza is covered with numerous market stalls, offering ceramics, woodcarvings, copper and woven goods, laquerware and even furniture for sale. The Day of the Dead on November 2 is celebrated on the Island of Janitzio like nowhere else in Mexico.
Colima: Colima, the capital of the state of the same name, is located near Mexico’s mid-Pacific coast. Founded in the 11th century, when it was known by the Aztec word ‘Cajitlán’, the city was captured in 1523 by Spanish conquistadors loyal to Cortés. One of its principal sights is the Cathedral whose twin towers were constructed out of volcanic stone quarried from the local Volcán de Colima National Park, one of whose peaks, the Volcán del Fuego de Colima, last erupted in 1991. Colima also hosts a festival, the ‘Virgin of the Health’ in late January and early February, where amateur toreadors can attempt to overpower a local bull in the Torre de Once competition.
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