For the third time since 1987, a group of
intellectuals and historians gathered together recently to hash out the controversy over the founding of Mazatlán. That is, the city of Mazatlán, not the municipality, which covers a whole lot more territory than just this urban area.
Former mayor Jose Angel Pescador, who is heading up the organizing committee for local celebrations in 2010 of the Bicentennial of Independence and the Centennial of the Revolution, recently called together a distinguished panel to discuss the subject at a public meeting at the Mazatlán Art Museum. It would be nice to have a date to celebrate as Mazatlán’s birthday, they all agreed. But then so many dates were suggested that the numbers flew around like flies over the spectators’ heads.
Could it be:
—1529, when Cortez landed on the coast near Chametla, El Rosario, looking for pearls?
—1532, when Nuño de Guzman marched through these parts as a conquistador? 
1605? 1639? 1792? 1806?
The panelists mentioned some of the known facts:
— In 1657, a clergyman who lived in some other part of New Spain mentioned the name “Mazatlán” in reports he sent back to Spain. 
— In 1792, by royal order, a military and political government was formed for Mazatlán, but the name referred to the fort established at Villa Union. 
— In 1837 the city’s first municipal government was formed.
Historian Enrique Vega, the official cronista—chronicler of Mazatlán, didn’t want to name any date. He said the city had a pretty sleazy beginning because its earliest inhabitants were adventurers,

smugglers, pirates and general no-goodnicks who were operating on the wrong side of the law and didn’t especially want their comings and goings to be recorded. These people did not plan to stay. But some did. Historian Luis Antonio Martinez threw out 1808 as a possibility, because that’s when a port was formally established here for the shipping of ore from the mines at Cosala. “But why do you need any special date to celebrate?” he asked. “Mazatlán has plenty of celebrations already.” In 1806, it is known that Jose Maria Canizales was here, living in some kind of a dwelling with his family. That’s presumably why he has a street in Centro named after him. It may be the very street he lived on, since the first inhabitants definitely had to look for high ground. Mazatlán was originally called, said Vega, the “Islands of Mazatlán.” It was a swamp with hills sticking up out of it that appeared to be islands. It couldn’t have been a very pleasant place, considering the fact there was no drinking water — the swamps were brackish — and lots of insects to go along with the heat and humidity. But the residents persisted and little by little they fought back the swamps as activity at the port began to grow. Throughout the 19th century, fed by shipments of gold and silver ore going out, and by cargoes of luxury goods coming in, the Port of Mazatlán flourished, luring traders and all manner of fortune seekers. But by then, the city was well established, no question about that. 
One of the main points the panelists chewed on, and offered as a conclusion, was, as one of them expressed it, “Foundings don’t happen in a day — they come about gradually.” So once again Mazatlán ends up without a birth certificate, just as it did on the other two occasions when this question was explored.