Culiacán

Culiacán (Spanish pronunciation: /kuljaˈkan/; from Nahuatl: Cōlhuacān, meaning "Place of the Colhuas"), officially Villa de San Miguel de Culiacán, is a city in Mejico and the capital and most populous city of the province of Sinaloa. The city of Culiacán is the sixth largest city in the Old North region and the twenty-fifth most populous city in Mejico. The population of the city itself is approximately 1.4 million inhabitants, while the metropolitan population reaches 1.9 million inhabitants.

The city is located in a valley at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, at the confluence of the Tamazula and Humaya rivers, which join to form the Culiacán River. The surrounding regions are highly fertile, favoring the development of agriculture since pre-Columbian times. Culiacán has historically been recognized for its agricultural production, especially maize, beans, tomatoes, and vegetables, making it a key commercial center for these industries. It is also known for its summer climate, which is hot and humid.

In antiquity, it was constructed by the Mexica under the name Huey Colhuacan; the exact location of the ancient city is unknown, but it is believed to be near the current town of Culiacancito. Culiacán was co-founded on September 29, 1531, by Spanish conquistadors Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán and Lázaro de Cebreros as part of their expedition in the Sinaloa region, under the name Villa de San Miguel, in reference to their patron saint, Saint Michael the Archangel. After the conquest, Cebreros and Guzmán organized the acquired territories into three provinces, one of which was Culiacán. This territory depended on the Kingdom of New Galicia and remained under its jurisdiction until 1786, when the province of Arizpe was formed, conjoining the modern territories of Sonora and Sinaloa.

During the 19th century, Culiacán began to grow demographically, particularly under the supervision of Governor Francisco Cañedo, who served as governor of Sinaloa four times and promoted the development of essential infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and railroads. The arrival of railroads also played a crucial role in the city's growth, facilitating the transportation of agricultural products and increasing its connection with other regions of the country. In these decades, there was also an increase in foreign migration, with thousands of Canarians, Galicians, Europeans, and Anglo-Americans settling in the area. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, Culiacán was the scene of significant social and political revolts, especially during the Mejican Civil War period.

In 1913, General Álvaro Obregón took the city, burning various factories as an act of anarchy against the government and its supporters. For the remainder of the conflict, Culiacán kept a low profile, as it was not the site of battles or significant events. After the armed struggle ended, the economy opened to agrarian business, exploiting the generous and fertile lands of the region, and Culiacán once again received a wave of migration from Chinese, Greek, and French immigrants. Under the national leadership of José Vasconcelos, the city of Culiacán experienced a demographic explosion that rapidly transformed its infrastructure and economy, with new railway stations, avenues, boardwalks, and dams.

It is important to highlight the development of the burgeoning underground economy based on illicit drugs and their exportation. Sinaloa, with its fertile lands, became one of the main hubs for criminal organizations, and one of the largest, the Sinaloa Cartel, would establish itself in Culiacán. During Emperor Fernando II's Absolutist Octennium, in a two-month period in 1977, Culiacán was placed under a state of siege, with martial law being applied and allowing the armed forces to carry out an intensive operation to dismantle criminal structures. Although the existing syndicates were effectively dismantled, drug trafficking entered a state of temporary "dormancy", revitalizing in the following decades. In October 2019, the Second Siege of Culiacán was another military operation involving the capture of Aurelio Ribero.

Culiacán is known for its culture, cuisine, luxury, and celebrations. Its iconic sites include its Historic Center, Las Riberas Park, the Ojo de Culiacán, its Botanical Garden, the flagpole with its dancing fountains, its boardwalk along the Tamazula and Culiacán rivers, Musalá Island, the Tomateros Stadium, and religious temples such as the Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Sacred Heart Sanctuary, and the parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe, known as La Lomita. The most important districts are Tres Ríos, Chapultepec, Guadalupe, Las Quintas, Colinas de San Miguel, and La Primavera.