San Blas is a small city dedicated to fishing and tourism located in the coast of the Pacific Ocean, 62 kilometers northwest from Tepic, the State’s capital. San Blas is an excellent place to visit for its comfortable tropical climate with an average temperature of 22º C and excellent tourism infrastructure. Its great natural beauty boasts exotic birds and abundant tropical jungle vegetation, surrounding important places for Mexico’s history. Its walls still tell the story of pirate attacks, the Conquest and the War of Independence.
This region was originally inhabited by various Nahuatl tribes, between 1529 and 1531 the Nayarit region was conquered by Don Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán, known as Nuño de Guzmán. He is known as the founder of San Blas, named in honor of monk Blas de Mendoza.
During the Spanish Conquest, San Blas was the most important Spanish port on the Pacific Ocean’s north. It began to be officially used as a harbor in 1768, by Don Manuel Rivero y Cordero as ordered by King Carlos III of Spain to serve as refuge for ships on their way to California. The navy department of San Blas was the author of the maps that located the islands and coasts of Cortes Sea for the first time.
This port was one of the few in Mexico that had a hospital during the colonial era. Established in 1770, the strategic location of the San Blas Hospital allowed it to care for the ill on Spanish boats, soldiers, families and friars of California, Nayarit and Sonora. In 1795 it had the pharmacy that provided medications to the whole region, besides being the first military medical center in the Colony, where they attended the most difficult cases from the whole area, because this hospital had the best surgeons and doctors for sailors, soldiers and their families.
The San Blas Battalion is famous for bravely fighting in various wars,like the one in 1847 against the invasion of the North American army. This is why this battalion’s insignia is now the official flag of the National Museum of History, hosted by the Chapultepec Castle. Oddly, the former insignia of the San Blas Battalion has its colors placed in an inverse order: red, white and green.
One of the main celebrations in San Blas is the day in honor of Virgen de la Candelaria every February 2. On June 29, the “Party of Saint Pedro and Saint Pablo” takes place, with a competition between two teams of row boats. Each team has on its boat the image of one of the two saints. This is done in order to guarantee good fishing during the year.
Miramar, 20 kilometers from San Blas, is a great place for fishing mojarra, red porgy, snoek and European sea bass. People love to practice sports fishing in San Blas of species such as spearfish, sailfish and marlin.
The beaches of San Blas are ideal for surfing, especially in the summer because the waves are of great height. The most popular sites for surfing are Matanchén Bay, Los Cocos, Las Islitas and El Borrego.
Artículo Producido por el Equipo Editorial Explorando México.
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Waywuwei
