US Consular Agency: Your informal town hall

The US Consular office in Mazatlán, across from the Hotel Playa Mazatlán in the Gold Zone, is a small, clean and surprisingly cheery place. That probably has a lot to do with the bubbly personalities and positive attitudes of consular agent, John Palmerin, and consular assistants Heather Kasemeier and Leticia de Paredes. They transform what could be tedious government work into a lively approach to community involvement and support.

Voting and ballot assistance, passport documentation, dispelling myths about passport regulations and Mexican law, cancelling timeshares, robberies, stolen cars, health issues like illness, death and hospitalization – these and more all fall within the consulate’s jurisdiction They’re also the only American notary publics in the state of Sinaloa - for $30 US, you can have US documents notarized in their offices.

Fish Tale: Big-time sportfishing

When it comes to sportfishing, Mazatlán is slowly but surely gaining international recognition as a top destination. The last few years have seen a rise in popularity of sportfishing (recreational fishing for pleasure or competition), and fishing enthusiasts from across the globe come to the crisp blue waters of Mazatlán in search of snapper, dorado, wahoo, rooster fish, tuna, sailfish, marlin and swordfish. In fact, Mazatlán is currently rated as the No. 1 spot for swordfish in the world.

An ancient people teetering on the edge of survival

The dry, brush-covered mountains of Copper Canyon, in the state of Chihuahua, are where the majority of the estimated 60,000 surviving Tarahumara Indians live. The naturally harsh conditions of the area have been exacerbated by several factors, including global warming. Hit hard by 12 years of drought, severe de-forestation and erosion, and worst of all, the lack of clean water, the Tarahumara’s traditional way of life as goat herders and simple farmers has suffered tremendously. For more than 1,000 years, the mainstays of their diet has been corn, beans and squash, but it’s become more and more difficult for anything to grow in the now-dry, arid land of their ancestors.