Mazatlan, Mexico: Angela Peralta Opera House; things to do

Angela Peralta Opera House  

On Carnaval St., in Machado Park, 982-4446.

Named in honor of the famous Mexican opera singer known as “The Nightingale of Mexico,” who died in town of yellow fever before she could perform here, this circa-1860s European-style classical opera house is the oldest theater in Mazatlan. The Angela Peralta Opera House cost at construction was 80 pesos! Tours are available, and concerts are often scheduled. A collection of beautiful vintage black-and-white photographs is displayed, and a fashionable neighborhood filled with boutiques, cafes, and bars surrounds.

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Mazatlan, Mexico: Casa de Leyendas Bed & Breakfast; hotel review

Casa de Leyendas Bed & Breakfast  

Venustiano Carranza #4, Centro Historico, 011-52-669-981-6180, in U.S. 602-445-6192. 2 stories; 6 rooms; $89-$125/2. Full breakfast. Hot tub. Ceiling fan and air conditioning. Free internet and phone calls to the U.S.

Located across the street from the Art Museum and just 200 feet from Olas Altas beach, the colorfully repurposed hacienda-style house that is the Casa de Leyendas Bed & Breakfast has a colorful interior courtyard with fountain and hot tub. The live-in owners are American, and even if you don’t stay here you are welcome to stop in for a tour.

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ARTWALK in Mazatlan, Mexico--part 2; things to do

ARTWALK IN MAZATLAN,
PT. 2

If you are fortunate enough to be in Mazatlan on a first Friday, you can participate in ARTWALK.
See my first blog post about this.

At other times, you can just wander the area’s streets, looking for open venues. Some that are usually open include:

●Glen Rogers studio  

Baltazar Izaguirre #23, 176-5266. Open most days. Artists Glen Rogers (American) and partner Trevor Bennett (Australian) live and work here. She specializes in paintings, prints, and public sculpture, and he in realistic acrylic paintings. Glen also teaches monotype workshops in her studio.

●Casa Etnika  

Sixto Osuna #50, 136-0139. M-Sat 9am-7pm. This enclave includes a small cafe where you can relax and refresh with a coffee drink and cookie. Several rooms purvey crafts, jewelry, and fine art--most made by the owner family and friends.

●Loretta Shores-Gallacci studio  

Ninos Heroes #1406, Apt. 3, 982-3036. By appointment. Self-taught artist Loretta Shores-Gallacci, who specializes in realistic oil paintings and colored pencils, works and lives here. She also runs a sort of kitty orphanage on her roof. She says, “I beg, plead, advertise, and work on guilt to get them adopted.”

●Nautilus Galeria  

 Constitucion #77, 127-0221. Open daily 10am-2pm and 4 to 10pm. Blas Nayar has been painting since he was 8 years old and now specializes in colorful, fanciful, nature-based acrylics. In order to earn money so that he can continue painting, he fashions unique pieces of jewelry using wood, turquoise, and local seeds.

●Dye Me to the Moon Fiber Art Studio  

Nicaragua #7, 981-0349, from U.S. 530-402-9648. By appointment. Fiber artist Mary Ruzich dyes and designs all of her fabric creations. She also teaches classes in quilting and dyeing.

ARTWALK part 1.

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image c2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

near Mazatlan, Mexico: Concordia+Malpica+Copala, near Mazatlan, Mexico; things to do

COLONIAL CONCORDIA IN MEXICO

Known as the land of the serpent, the entire colonial village of Concordia is dedicated to manufacturing handmade mahogany and cedar furniture, bricks, and clay pottery. Sights include a cathedral and busy plaza with a giant rocking chair. An annual horse parade takes place in January around the time of the Festival of St. Sebastian, when I visited last year. I saw more than 200 horses, some stinky and many prancing, with men riding them while smoking, drinking beer, and holding toddlers.

My group stopped before Concordia in Malpica, a tiny town with a church, tile-maker, and bakery (I selected a delicious caramel-stuffed empanada).

From Concordia, we continued to Copala, a 400-year-old former mining town in the Sierra Madre Mountains that is famous for its pottery. A walk tour through the old cobblestone streets passes the old prison, the San Jose Church dating back to 1740, the charming town square, and the town’s colonial-style homes with red-tile rooftops. Kids sell geodes found in local hills as well as hand-carved replicas of their village. Daniel’s Restaurant is in a gigantic open-air palapa and is famous for its banana coconut cream pie; rooms are also available starting at $22 and “skyrocketing to $30."

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image depicts Malpica bar, c2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

ARTWALK in Mazatlan, Mexico--part 1; things to do

ARTWALK IN MAZATLAN, PT. 1

First Friday, 4-8pm, Nov-May. Free.

On this self-guided tour of Mazatlan, participants not only get to walk the quiet back streets of the old town, but they gain access to some of the beautiful historical buildings and even to a few homes. I met an artist who paints cats and also saves them from the streets, keeping the kitties in a sort of mini-kennel in her studio/home. Among my favorite stops: the colorfully renovated old structure that houses the Casa de Leyendas Bed & Breakfast; a small complex of shops with an inviting cafe in its courtyard. Artwalk is relatively new, now only in its third year, with 24 sites and more than 41 participating artists.



ARTWALK in Mazatlan, Mexico--part 2

More places to see cats when you travel.

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image c2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Mazatlan, Mexico: Playa Mazatlan; hotel review

Playa Mazatlan  

Av. Playa Gaviotas 202, Zona Dorada (Golden Zone), Playa Norte, 3 mi. from downtown, 800-762-5816 in the U.S, 669-989-0555; direct to hotel 011-52-669-989-0555. 423 units; $110+/2. 3 pools; indoor & outdoor hot tub; fitness room; spa.

Built in 1955, this low-rise (four stories) colonial-style resort features rooms with either a terrace or private balcony. Its choice beach-front location faces Isla de Venados. The beach is sandy, the surf is gentle, and thatched palapas provide respite from the sun. The quietest rooms are in a three-story section surrounding well-tended interior gardens; those by the restaurant and beach can be noisy (the beach is one of the town’s liveliest). Rooms are decorated with dark wood furnishings and colonial accents.

Fiesta Mexicana

For more than 40 years, the hotel has hosted Fiesta Mexicana on Saturdays, and fireworks light up the sky on Sunday nights. A popular passtime is relaxing in traditional rocking chairs from Concordia and watching the lobby action. The resort’s open-air La Terraza Playa restaurant-bar overlooks the beach, and rock climbing walls, a zip line, and a spa with a temazcal (an igloo-shaped sauna room where guests are seated around red-hot lava rocks) and a cenote (cave pool).

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image c2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Malpica, Mexico: cantina; things to do

town cantina in Malpica, Mexico

town cantina in Malpica, Mexico

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image copyright 2009 Carole Terwilliger Meyers