it’s my last morning here in Mazatlan and it seems like i just arrived yesterday.
speaking of yesterday, i went on a tour. as planned, i was picked up at the hotel at 9:30 AM, by Jesus. Jesus is the son of Pablo who owns the tour company.
the final destination of the tour was a town called Copala, which was a mining town about an hour outside (east) of Mazatlan in the Sierra Madre. as usual, i didn’t do any research on the area itself, i just looked up “things to see in Mazatlan” and this place popped up, along with El Quelite. El Quelite is further away, so Copoala won.
on the way to Copala we stopped at Villa Union which is where Mazatlan was actually founded. lots of homes and shops on very narrow stone streets.
we made a quick stop in Malpica to a local baker where i was able to see the big stone oven and get a pastry to take with. we also visited with a local tile maker where i saw how he makes the decorative tiles that are very popular in the area.
we then saw the little town of Concordia founded by Francisco Ibarra. Francisco was an explorer that founded a number of small towns in the area including Copala, while mining for silver and gold. i took a stroll around town and saw the church, a big rocking chair (lots of furniture is made in this region) in the plaza and the new cultural museum that is housed in the old prison. 
Copala, sadly, is almost completely abandoned…..it was like ghost town. this is the off season so i thought maybe that was the reason, but Jesus said no, that the area used to be really popular but now no one visits. other destinations are receiving promotion from the tourism board and they are getting all the visitors. although Copala doesn’t have a lot going on, it is still a quaint little town and you can see how it could have been a popular place to visit. Jesus said when he was a kid they used to come to Copala for day, stopping at the river to play and then having lunch at one of the restaurants. now there is only one restaurant, all the others, and the hotel have closed.
we made our way back to the hotel driving through old town and downtown. from the top of the hill you could see all of Mazatlan….the stop in downtown was quick, just enough time to go into a couple of shops and see the cathedral.
our final stop was Joe’s Oyster Bar where they have 2 for 1 beers. Pacifico and a quesadilla overlooking the ocean, the perfect way to end the day.
now it’s time to pack up and make my way to the airport. sigh. as always, i’m sad to leave vacation, but i guess i just have to start planning the next trip!adios Mazatlan!