Mescaltitan (Spanish Mexcaltitán), full name Mescaltitan de Uribe (Spanish Mexcaltitán de Uribe) is a village in Mexico, state of Nayarit, municipality of Santiago Iscuintla, located on the island of the same name.
In the Nahuatl language, Mexcaltitan means "an island teeming with mescal" (a strong alcoholic beverage).
Mexcaltitán is not just a picturesque island town of 2000 inhabitants. Archaeological excavations have shown that Mescaltitan may have been located on the site of the legendary ancient city of Aztlan ("the land of herons"), from which the Aztecs, who called themselves "mexico" (May-Kshee-kah), traveled south to the valley of Mexico in 1091.
Every year on June 28 and 29, the city hosts a grandiose carnival in honor of Saints Peter and Paul. On the days of the holiday, residents of Mescaltitan and nearby villages dress up in costumes made of jaguar skins and decorate their hairstyles with bright feathers, continuing the traditions of their ancestors. The townspeople celebrate the beginning of the shrimp season by holding a large regatta of ships decorated with images of Saints Peter and Paul.
According to the version, which has not received sufficient scientific confirmation, Mexcaltitan is the legendary Aztlan, the ancestral home of the Aztecs, from where in 1091 they went on a journey in search of a better place to live and settled one and a half thousand kilometers - in Tenochtitlan (modern Mexico City).
According to one of the legends, during the long journey to the promised land, the Aztecs arranged an overnight stay on this island. However, during excavations conducted on the island, no Aztec artifacts were found.
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Mescaltitan, whose full name is Mescaltitan de Uribe (Spanish Mexcaltitán de Uribe), is a small town in the Mexican state of Nayarit, located on the island of the same name off the Pacific coast of Mexico. According to the legend, it was here that the Aztec civilization was born.
The diameter of the island does not exceed 400 meters.
Mescaltitan is located in a swampy area. It is surrounded by numerous canals formed by mangrove thickets.
The rainy season lasts from August to September. At this time, the streets of the city turn into canals.
The city is a shrimp trader According to one version, Mescaltitan is located on the site of the ancient city of Aztlan, which was the cradle of the Aztec civilization. It was from here in 1091 that they migrated south and founded the settlement of Tenochtitlan (present-day Mexico City).
Legend has it that the Aztecs settled on the island for the night during a long journey.
Nowadays, all the inhabitants of Mescaltitan are fishing for shrimp.
During the rainy season, the streets of the city are flooded, and residents move along the streets in boats.
It is noteworthy that there is absolutely no crime in the city, as well as the tourist infrastructure.
Mescaltitan is located approximately 32 kilometers northwest of Santiago Ixcuintla, which can be reached either via a country road from San Blas or Highway 15, turning 60 km north of Tepic). After about 8 km after the turn, you will see the town of Santiago Iscuintla, on the right of which there is a small hill.
After driving past the hill, turn right and you will find yourself on 20 November Street, the main street of the city, passing through the central square. The main road leading to the west runs across the street. On it you need to drive another 8 kilometers to the sign "turn to Mescaltitan". Here, turn right and move forward past the Aztlan base (facility of the Mescaltitan experimental rocket center). Next, you find yourself in a maze of picturesque lagoons with mangrove thickets, which are home to colorful singing waterfowl. After passing 24 km after the turn, you will reach the pier from which you can go to Mescaltitan.
Please note: Mescaltitan can also be reached from the northeast, following Highway 15 (219 km) from Mazatlan to the south. Near the “turn to Mescaltitan” sign near a petrol station 6.5 km south of Chilapa. The road was originally paved with tiles, but now the other half of it, passing through the marshland, is paved with gravel. Here you will see Mexican lotus flowers and flocks of egrets and cormorants. After driving 45 km in this way, you will finally reach La Ticha pier.