A little bit of Sinaloa

SinaloaSpanis pronunciation: [sinaˈloa]) is one of the 31 states of Mexico, located in the northwestern part of the country. The state is bordered to the north by Sonora and Chihuahua; to the south, by Nayarit; to the east by Durango, and to the west, across the Gulf of California, by Baja California Sur. The state covers an area of 57,377 square kilometers (22,153 sq mi), and includes the Islands of Palmito Verde, Palmito de la Virgen, Altamura, Santa Maria, Saliaca, Macapule and San Ignacio. The capital of the state is Culiacán, while other important cities include Mazatlán and Los Mochis.

Geography and environment

The coastal plain is a narrow strip of land that stretches along the length of the state and lies between the ocean and the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental Range, which dominates the eastern part of the state. Sinaloa is traversed by many rivers, which carve broad valleys into the foothills. The largest of these rivers are the Culiacán, Fuerte, and Sinaloa. Sinaloa has a warm climate on the coastal side, moderately warm in the valleys and foothills, moderately cold in the lower mountains and cold in the higher elevations. Its weather characteristics vary from subtropical, found on the plains, to cold in the nearby mountains. Temperatures range from 22 °C (72 °F) to 43 °C (109 °F) with rains during the summer. There are numerous species of plants and animals within Sinaloa. Notable among the tree species is the iconic Elephant tree, Bursera microphylla.



Elephant tree

Bursera microphylla

Culture

Culturally, it is known for a style of music known as banda, and corrido is also popular. It is the only place in the continent where the ancient b all game of Mesoamerica is still played, in a handful of small, rural communities not far from Mazatlán. The ritual ball game was central in the society, religion and cosmology of all the great Mesoamerican cultures including the Mixtecs, Aztecs, and Maya.

The Sinaloa version of the ball game is called ulama; the consensus is that it is faithful to the original game. There are efforts to avoid the extinction of this 3500-year old unique tradition by supporting the communities and children who still play it.

Ulama

Demography

According to the 2005 census, Sinaloa is home to 2,608,442 inhabitants, 60% of which reside in the capital city of Culiacán and the municipalities of Mazatlán and Ahome. It is a young state in terms of population, 56% of which is younger than 30 years. Other demographic particulars report 87% of the state following the Catholic faith; 1% of those over five years of age speaking an indigenous dialect together with the Spanish language; the main ethnic groups still residing in the state are the Mixtecs and Maya, followed by the Nahuatl and the Zapotecs. Life expectancy in the state follows the national tendency of higher rates for women than men, a difference of almost five years in the case of Sinaloa, at 72.5 and 77.4 years respectively.