| Lying
less than 50 km south of Mazatlán, and situated at the foothills
of the Sierra Madre, Concordia is a popular daytrip getaway.
Its colonial charm has been compared to that of Taxco and its
talented craftsmen make Concordia a fantastic shopping outlet.
Concordia has undergone several name makeovers in its lifetime.
Once called "Mololea," meaning "place of snakes and scorpions"
in the Nahuatl language, the unpleasant name was changed in
1565, with the Spanish arrival, to San Sebastian. But when the
French appeared on the scene, the city was renamed Concordia,
which means "to live in peace." The town of Concordia is well-known
for its hand-crafted furniture, with a variety of shops posted
along the highway before reaching the entrance into town. You
can peer "behind-the-scenes" at almost any shop for a glimpse
of how these fine pieces are created. Once a silver-mining town,
Concordia turned to furniture making when the mines closed down.
Nowadays, the majority of the population works in this industry.
Aside from furniture, Concordia is also renown for its pottery:
from cooking pots to candle stick holders. Here, too, you can
watch the artist at work in his shop; |
|
busy at the wheel or waiting by the kiln. Further into town,
more shops surround the central square (zocalo), which is where
all streets in Concordia meet. Here you can pose for a photo-op
in a larger-than-life-size rocking chair (poltrona), a homage
to the town's main industry. Next to the gigantic chair is an
old mine cart, reminding visitors that Concordia was once a
booming mining town. The central square is also the place to
buy a raspado and then sit down on one of the square's many
wrought-iron benches. The view is a peaceful one, with plenty
of vegetation, a wrought-iron kiosk, or bandstand, in the center
of the square, and plenty of others doing the exact same thing.
The central square is where all the streets in Concordia eventually
meet. The setup gives the impression of an intimate, small-town
atmosphere, especially next to the centralized City Hall and
17th century church. The impressive church of San Sebastian
is the only Baroque-style church in Sinaloa. Carved in rose
stone, it is also the oldest church in the state. The beauty
and charm of Concordia is hard to describe. Best to see it for
yourself. To get there, take Federal Highway 15, 25 km southeast
of Mazatlán until you reach Villa Union. From there, take the
detour that connects to Hwy 40 and continue about 20 km in that
direction. Or take a bus from Mazatlán to Concordia for between
14 and 16 pesos. |
