La Noria and El Quelite

We spent our first week in Mazatlán exploring the city from Playa Bruja (Witches Beach) in the north to El Faro (The Lighthouse) in the south, from the Zona Dorada (Golden Zone) to the Centro Histórico. We fought city traffic (turning on the Garmin when we got lost) and learned how to ride the buses. We shopped for groceries in the big-box stores (Mega and Walmart) and for fruit and fish in the Mercado Municipal. We ate lunch under shade trees with lovers and tourists in the Plazuela Merchado, and dinners at canvas-covered taco stands with dirt floors and wood barbecues. After a week we needed a break from the intensity of the city. We drove east into the foothills of the Sierra Madre to visit two villages known for their picturesque settings and handmade products of local artisans.

La Noria

La Noria de San Antonio is a colonial village in the foothills of the Sierra Madre about 40 km northeast of Mazatlán. It was founded as a mining camp in 1565 and prospered from mining into the 19th century (link).

Entrance to La Noria