Nayarit, Mexico

According to ZIPCODESEXPLORER, Nayarit is a state in western Mexico. It is divided into 20 municipalities and shares a northern border with Sinaloa, Zacatecas and Durango, to the east and south of Jalisco, while the Pacific Ocean lies to the west. The capital is called Tepic. The major cities of Acaponeta, Tecuala and Tuxpan are also in the state.

Riviera Nayarit is a nearly 322 km long coastline stretch between the historic port and the tourist attraction of San Blas to where Rio Ameca flows into Banderas Bay in Nuevo Vallarta. The port and holiday resort of Puerto Vallarta is also a famous place in the bay. The archipelago of Islas Tres Marias in the Pacific Ocean is part of Nayarit.

Although humans may have settled in Nayarit as early as 5000 BCE, the first known civilization was the Cora people, who once appeared in 400 BCE and settled in the Sierra Madre Occidental. The community reached its peak in the 13th century, but many of their descendants still live in the area, and are dependent on agriculture, where they grow beans, corn and amaranth.

Nayarite has an unusual combination of both tropical and temperate ecosystems. About 300 species of orchids can be found there. Notable wildlife includes crocodiles, sea turtles, jaguars, humpback whales and 400 bird species.

TIMELINE:

300 BCE – 600 EVT – Los Toriles, also known as the old Ixtlan, is the region’s largest archaeological site. The Náhuatl people are believed to have occupied the area during this period, where they built pillars, pillar halls, interior terraces, avenues and stairs that have held up to this day.

900 BCE – Carbon 14 dating measures the colonization of the western Mexican coast, which includes parts of Sinaloa, Nayarit, and Jalisco – dating back to the 9th century BC. However, there is evidence that it could have taken place even earlier in 520 BC. The concept of Aztlán, as the origin of pre-Columbian civilization which is the legendary home of the Aztecs, has today become a symbol of various Mexican nationalist and indigenous movements.

1110 – Aztecs migrate to the mainland from their island north of the coast of Nayarit. They are not welcomed by the people of central Mexico. These early dates and the existence of Aztlán are much debated.

1521-1821 – The new Spanish colonial territory in North America was called New Spain, and the capital was Mexico City. Hernán Cortés visited Nayarit in 1523, followed by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán, notorious for his ruthlessness when he overthrew the native leaders. Guzmán conquered many villages in the area and founded Espiritu Santo on the ruins of the native city of Tepic. In 1531, Cortés tried to take control of the area, but Guzmán appealed to the Spanish king and was appointed governor of the territories he had conquered. Spanish control of the area was constantly threatened by the revolt of the natives, such as the famous revolt led by Francisco Tenamaxtli in the 1540s. Rebels in the Nayarit mountain range continued to harass the Spaniards until they were finally conquered in 1722.

1531 – San Blas is founded, but not officially founded until 1768, when Don Manual Rivera and 116 families arrive on the orders of the Viceroy of New Spain, Marqués de Croix.

1810 – Mexico begins their march on independence led by Miguel Hidalgo. His battle cry was “ Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe and death over the Spaniards! “On January 17, 1811, his army was defeated by Spanish troops at Calleja near Guadalajara at the Battle of Puente Grande. Hidalgo was captured, interrogated by the Spanish Inquisition and sentenced to death. The death sentence was executed on July 30, 1811 in Chihuahua.

1905 – Islas María’s Federal Penal Colony is a prison system established by the Federal Government of Mexico, administered through the Federal Secretariat of Public Security. The prison is located on Isla Maria Madre, the northernmost and largest island on the archipelago of Maria Island.

1924 – After the founding of the Republic of Mexico, September 16, the day Hidalgo delivered his speech from the bell tower, was made a national holiday.

2015 – A lot of celebrities chose Riviera Nayarit as a resort this year.