Mazatlan Architecture

While the previous blog dealt with the beauty of some of the new developments - shopping centers, Convention Center - many of the newer housing developments (for Mexicans, mainly) also look very nice. But Mazatlan's fame is the "Historic Center", the old town and its historic buildings, created and built by the silver barons from the Durango who came to town to spend their fortunes. Some of the buildings have been abandoned, others maintained and many restored. You can buy many of them and restore them - but if they are rated or classified, by and institute that controls the historic aspects of town  (Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia), then you have to restore to its former glory, which may become expensive.

Here are just some shots I took recently:

This one needs restoring before it decays more:

But next door to this one there is a beautifully restored building:

Yet, across the street there is a really bad one, plants growing through the roof:

This did not deter the new owners of the beautiful one to preserve the building art:

A few steps further there is the center of the center, where all building are restored, a nice plaza has been kept up, restaurants and cafes lining the streets (very close to this is the famous Peralta Theatre - more about this another time):

Looking up the side streets you see the top of the "Loma Linda", the Pretty Hill, also called Ice Box Hill because in a cave under this hill ice was stored in the old days (for the Margaritas, I guess the silver barons were drinking): a ways up this hill is the new building site of Joan and Randy!