Sinaloa

Sinaloa is the state where the Pacific coast shows its most generous face: Mazatlán, the port "Pearl of the Pacific," combines a 21-kilometer waterfront—the longest in Mexico—with a Historic Center declared a monument zone that recalls the Caribbean more than the northern Pacific. Its carnival, considered the third largest in the world, transforms the city every February into a stage of music, color, and excess.

Sinaloense gastronomy is among the most recognized in Mexico thanks to aguachile—a dish the state claims as its own—shrimp ceviche with cucumber and green chile, and enormous smoked marlin tostadas served in the seafood restaurants of the port. The estuary and Mazatlán sierra shrimp, worked by local fishermen, are the star ingredient of a coastal cuisine that has conquered tables around the world.

Culiacán, the capital, is today a city that invests heavily in culture: the Culiacán Botanical Garden—with permanent works by artists such as Jeff Koons, James Turrell, and Jan Hendrix in an 18-hectare garden—is possibly the most interesting public art park in Mexico, surprising for those who arrive without expectations.

Los Mochis is the gateway to the Chepe train, which travels through the Barranca del Cobre crossing 86 tunnels and 37 bridges in one of the most spectacular railway journeys on the American continent.