Mazatlan is a Pacific port town, situated right at the mouth of the Sea of Cortez, approximately 550 miles (886km) due south of El Paso, Texas, and only 7 miles (11km) south of the Tropic of Cancer. Besides the Pacific Ocean, which plays a major role in the city's cultural and economic life, there are rich agricultural regions to the east, as well as the Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico's largest mountain range, less than 100 miles (161km) away.

The first Spanish settlement in this area was founded in 1531. On that fateful Easter Sunday, a small expedition of only 25 men, led by Nuno de Guzman, marched into territory controlled by Totorame Indians. The Spaniards subdued the Indians, as they had elsewhere, and used them as slave labor to build the first village and port. Although the settlement was officially established at that time, it would be another 300 years before the Spaniards set up a permanent colony in Mazatlan.

Today Mazatlan is Mexico's most important fishing port, with shrimp and tuna being its two biggest catches. Most of the catch is exported to the American and Japanese markets, making fishing the city's most lucrative industry. It was this abundance of sea life that first attracted tourists to Mazatlan in the 1950s. Today Mazatlan is home to the country's largest sport fishing fleet. Each year a combined 10,000 to 15,000 sailfish and marlin are pulled out of the surrounding sea.

Although much of the atmosphere of a fishing town still permeates Mazatlan, the last 15 years have seen the city transformed into a major tourist haven. Two miles (three km) north of the old part of town, there is a strip of hotels and beach resorts that attracts visitors from all over the world, lured by the beautiful beaches and sun more than by the promise of catching a giant marlin.

Among the other attractions are championship golf, tennis, fine restaurants, lively bars, and discos. The prices here are less expensive than at other Pacific coast tourist destinations, and for this reason Mazatlan is popular with families and younger travelers.