El Fuerte, Sinaloa
“The Strong” “The Fort”
El Fuerte is a charming colonial town
packed with plenty of history and charm. A trading outpost for
mining and commercial operations made this colonial gem
flourish. It is not gentrified and part of the charm is
imagining the beauty underneath the 4 -500 years of history.
It is a great place to
Board the Copper Canyon Train as the area is mainly flat and
monotonous from Los Mochis to El Fuerte.
El Fuerte
Fast Facts
Originally Named San
Juan Bautista de Crapo. Derived the current name from the fort
built by Captain Diego Martinez de Hurdaide.
Location – A
small colonial city situated on the El Fuerte River in the North
Eastern part of the state of Sinaloa.
Weather – Warm
winters and hot summers with excessive rainfall in July, August,
September.
January average Highs
27.7 C (81.9F) Lows 7.5C (45.5 F)
July Average Highs
37.7C (99.9F) Lows 24C (75.2F)
Population –
30,000
Elevation – 180
m
Founded – 1564
by Francisco de Ibarra “The Phoenix of the Conquerors", Spanish
Conquistador
Medical –
Hospital, Doctors, Dentist
Money –
Bancomer, Bank and ATM
History
El Fuerte was founded
by Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Ibarra who was exploring
the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. The forte was built to
protect the Spanish from the Zuaque and Tehueco Indians.
It became an important
gateway to the Californias, Arizona and Sonora as it was
situated on the Camino Real, (a mule train trail from
Guadalajara to Alamos) and for 300 years dominated the
commercial and agricultural sectors of Northern Mexico, the
chief trading house in the area for silver and gold miners. It
was declared the state capital in 1824 of then Sonora y Sinaloa
which also encompassed parts of Arizona.
Made a Pueblo Magicos
in 2009.
Things to See and
Do
Copper Canyon
The train station is a
few miles east of Town.
Hunting and Fishing
Ask at your hotel for
a local guide to take you hunting in the foothills or fishing in
the El Fuerte River or in the Hidalgo or Domingez Reservoirs for
big mouth bass
Petroglyphs The
Hill of the Mask is a petroglyph complex, one of the largest in
Sinaloa. On the bank of the Rio Fuerte approximately 5
kilometers from the city, the site contains 45 stones that
contain more than 100 engravings between 800 and 2500 years old.
Visit the forte
Visit the replica of
the fort. A good vantage point for photos.
Enjoy the Colonial
architecture of the city The Municipal Palace, the Plaza de
Armas, La Casa de la Cultura, the Hotel Posada del Hidalgo, The
Church Sacred Heart of Jesus, The House of the Constitutional
Congress, Orrantia Family Mansion, the Old Town Hotel Errands,
House of the General Pablo Macías Valenzuela.
Accommodation:
Hotels
RV Parks
Directions:
Drive Highway 15 down
the pacific coat of Mexico and turn east in Los Mochis at PEMEX
7027 (Between KM 0 in the North and KM 203 in the South) to
Highway Sinaloa 32. Drive approximately 88 KMs
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