Mocorito

Mocorito is a small colonial-era town in the western state of Sinaloa, Mexico. It is known for its literary and artistic traditions with a number of noted poets, muralists, and song-writers counting Mocorito as their home. The town is one of Mexico's Pueblos Mágicos and is a popular weekend getaway for Mazatlan residents.

Understand
The first Spanish to arrive in Mocorito came in 1531, but the town considers its founding to be 1594, when Jesuit missionaries came to settle in the area and build the town's first church (Parroquia de la Inmaculada Concepcion). The town has about 5400 residents (2015).

Mocorito considers itself a town where the arts thrive. There have been several musical success stories from Mocorito, but none bigger than Los Tigres del Norte, who have fans everywhere. Several other local bands in the current era have also become successful with the norteño and banda styles. In the visual arts, Mocorito is home town of Ernesto Rios, a muralist who is best known regionally where he has produced large-scale works in public spaces of Culiacan and Guamúchil.

Get in
The nearest city served by commercial flights is Los Mochis.

Mocorito is 120 km southeast of Los Mochis. It takes about 90 minutes to drive via federal highway MEX-15. Renting a car and driving during daylight hours only is the best approach as security issues are a concern once you get outside Los Mochis.

By bus
From Los Mochis, ACN Autobuses operates one daily bus to Guamúchil, which is 15 minutes by taxi to Mocorito. The ACN bus trip takes 90 minutes and tickets cost about M$100. It's a night bus: the bus departs Los Mochis at 02:40 and arrives in Guamuchil about 04:10.

Get around
Mocorito is a small town. It is easy to navigate by foot and distances are short. For longer trips, you can find taxis available near the zocalo (Plazuela) or ask your hotel desk staff to call one for you. Ride hailing apps generally don't work in Mocorito, and even if they did, some governments advise their citizens against using such apps in the state of Sinaloa for security reasons.

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Festivals

 * Carnaval - sometime in late February or early March (before the period of Lent begins), people get together to blow off steam, drink too much and eat way too much. In Mocorito, there are various crownings of kings and queens, a huge parade and a big dance on the final night.
 * Celebration of the Immaculate Conception - the official feast day is December 8, but events and celebrations occur throughout the month of December

Buy
Shops in Mocarito sell some interesting local handcrafts that you might not find elsewhere. The region is known for wood objects, particularly Guazuma-wood figurines and handmade furniture. Basket weaving and items made with palm fronds are produced by indigenous groups, and there are ceramic items produced in the region.

Eat
Most Pueblos Mágicos emphasize regional cuisine, and Mocorito is no exception, but in Mocorito, there's one most important word to know: chilorio. Chilorio is served throughout Sinaloa, but Mocorito claims to be the origin of the dish and is where it's embraced and revered as an art form. Chilorio can be described as a "pork stew", but that hardly does justice to its deep rich flavor that's delivered through a blend of ground guasillo chile, cumin, and garlic. Chilorio can be eaten as a main course but is typically served as tacos with either corn or flour tortillas accompanied by either fresh sliced or lightly sauteed onions.

Besides chilorio, the town has several bakeries selling a range of cookies and pastries. Try the mestiza if you like a touch of licorice flavor, or maybe the meringue treats known as suspiros.









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Connect
Cell coverage is spotty in this area. Although 4G is available in town, it quickly becomes unreliable the further you get from town, particularly as there are no major highways or cities nearby. Expect service to drop in remote rural areas. WiFi and internet is available at most hotels and restaurants in town.

Go next

 * Los Mochis
 * Culiacan
 * Copper Canyon
 * Mazatlan