Nayarit

Mexican State

Area: 27,053sq.km/10,445sq.mi

Population: 896,700

The state of Nayarit, which lies on the Pacific coast, is bounded on the north by Durango and Sinaloa, and on the south and east by Jalisco. The island group Tres Marías (María Magdalena, María Madre, María Cleofas) lie approximately 100km/62mi offshore. The Sierra Madre Occidental rises steeply from a thin coastal strip and divides the landscape into deep ravines and narrow valleys. The coastal area comprises lagoons and marshland with rich birdlife. The inhabitants include whites, mestizos and a strongly independent Indian population mainly from the Cora and Huicholes tribes. Archaeological Ruins

As well as the pre-Columbian ruined town of Ixlán del Río there are also a number archaeological ruins which are hardly worth visiting. These include those at Santa Cruz, Chacala, Amapa, Coammiles and Penitas.

History

Nayarit, named after an old-Indian priest king, is generally classed in pre-Columbian archaeology with the neighbouring ruins at Jalisco and Colima under the term Culturas del Occidente (Cultures of the West). They began without doubt in the pre-Classic period and reached their heyday in the Classical (about ad 200-850). The Nayarit-style finds, predominantly clay statues, are, like those of Colima and Jalisco, depictions of daily life. In contrast to Colima's extremely finely-worked figures they are cruder but have features of caricature. Very little is known of the people who created this culture. During the post-Classic period Indian tribes, such as the Tepehuano, Totorano, Huicholes and Cora, migrated in phases into the region. They were driven back in the late post-Classical phase (1250-1521) by the Indian state of Xalisco which belonged to Chimalhuacán Confederation.

The Spanish who penetrated here in 1526 under Francisco Cortés Buenaventura and later under Nuño Beltrán de Guzman drove the Indians into the mountains, but did not entirely succeed in subjugating them. The Coras and the Huicholes continually rebelled, first against the Spanish and subsequently against the Mexican rulers. One of the bloodiest and longest uprisings was that led by "Mariano" which lasted throughout the first 20 years of the 19th c. In 1854 the tribes under the leadership of Manuel Lozada ("Tiger of Alica") rose up against the Mexican government, later supported Emperor Maximilian and finally gave way when their leader was executed in 1873. Other rebellions, mainly led by the Huicholes, continued, however, until the 20th c. Separated from Jalisco in 1889 and raised to the independent territory of Tepic, Nayarit did not become a state of the Republic of Mexico until 1917.

Agricultural

Nayarit is predominantly an agricultural area, where farming and forestry mainly produce corn, tobacco, sugar-cane, beans, coffee, fruit and various timbers. Tourism and the sale of local artwork have developed recently.