Wednesday, 20 November 2013 – Anita went off to her Line Dancing while I studied Sextant navigation. We carry two Sextants on board, a Davis MK15 which is a quality plastic one with a whole horizon mirror and an Astra lllB with a half mirror. We also carry a set of marine sight reduction tables and the current annual Almanac. Our Laptop also has a copy of Star Pilot for automated sight reductions.

In the evening we had dinner with Jeff & Debbie from Sailors Run at Gus Y Gus. They have done extensive cruising and we were anxious to hear some of their stories. On Wednesday nights they have music provided by Rafael Rodriguez.

Thursday, 21 November 2013 – Today it is again sunny and clear so we took a bus to the heart of old Mazatlán, We toured the central market, the cathedral and Mazatlán’s original central plaza, the Plaza Machado, a wonderful shady area where we had a fine lunch. This is an arts district and close by is the Angela Peralta Theater. Next to the theater is a school for musicians and their practice sessions can be heard from the street.

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The Angela Peralta Theater was built in the early 1870’s and named the Rubio Theater. In 1883 the famous opera singer Angela Peralta ‘The Nightingale of Mexico’ arrived in Mazatlán to perform at the Theater. Upon her arrival, the crowd that gathered to meet her unhitched the horses from her carriage and pulled her carriage to her hotel. She was so taken back by their enthusiasm that she performed for her fans from the balcony of the hotel.

Unfortunately, Mazatlán had a yellow fever epidemic, and she died before she could ever perform in the theater. The theater was soon renamed after her.
Unfortunately in later years, the theater became a movie theater, then a vaudeville stage, a boxing ring and eventually a parking garage. In 1975, a hurricane hit Mazatlán and destroyed the inside of the theater. In ruins for years, restoration of the theater began 1987 and it was re-opened in 1992.

We toured the theater for 15 Pesos each and have booked seats for a 29 November Concert. The seats are in the first balcony and the concert is by Orchestra Philharmonica de la UNAM from Mexico City, the oldest symphony group in Mexico.

We continued our tour of downtown Mazatlán with a visit to the Archeological Museum, a small but interesting museum that provides some insight into the early cultures of the region. The museum charges 35 pesos for entry. Afterwards we strolled around the area and visited some of the many art galleries before catching our bus back to the marina from the central market.