By: Yvon Marier

Mazatlán

History

Mazatlán (which means ‘land of the deer’) for the herds that once migrated along the beautiful countryside.

‘Old’ Mazatlán, the traditional town center, dates from the 19th century. Tourists started coming in the 1930s, mainly for fishing and hunting, and some hotels began to appear along the Playa Olas Altas, Mazatlán’s first tourist beach, in the 1950s and that’s when Mazatlan became know as the ‘Mexican Riviera’. The town continued to grow steadily through the 1960s. From the 1970s onward, a long strip of modern hotels and tourist facilities has spread north along the coast.

With a population well in excess of half a million, Mazatlán continues to get bigger and bigger. Still, part of Mazatlán’s charm is that it’s not just one big tourist resort.

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Americans own over 97,000 acres of prime waterfront real estate on the Gulf of Mexico east of the Mississippi River. Gulf Islands National Seashore has no casinos, no condominiums, and no shopping malls, and it will remain that way forever. There are historic coastal forts, wild islands, sandy beaches, salt marshes, and wildlife. Your visit counts as support for this amazing national park area on the beautiful Mississippi and Florida Gulf Coastline.

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While Valentine’s Day can be a lavish holiday where a lot of money is spent it does not have to be that way. You can celebrate Valentine’s Day on a budget if you need to do so. Celebrating Valentine’s Day on a budget can be just as fulfilling. In fact, in the beginning when Valentine’s Day was first created, lovers did not spend large amounts of money on each other. In fact, occasionally they spent no money at all. You can spend as much money on Valentine’s Day as you want. After all, it is not the presents that matter but rather how you make your Valentine feel.

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