El Fuerte (Spanish pronunciation: [el ˈfwerte]) is a city and its surrounding municipality in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa. The city population reported in the 2010 census were 12,566 people.

El Fuerte, meaning "The Fort", was named "Pueblo Mágico" ("Magical Town") in 2009, for it has many attractions and a special, pretty-small-town Aura.

History

The city was founded in 1563 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Ibarra, the first explorer of the lofty Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. In 1610 a fort was built to ward off the fierce Zuaque and Tehueco Native Americans, who constantly harassed the Spaniards. For years, El Fuerte served as the gateway to the vast frontiers of the northern territories of Sonora, Arizona and California, all of which were sparsely populated by unyielding tribes of native amerindians.

For nearly three centuries it was the most important commercial and agricultural center of the vast northwestern region of Mexico. El Fuerte was a chief trading post for silver miners and gold seekers from the Urique and Batopilas mines in the nearby mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental and its branches.

In 1824, El Fuerte became the capital city of the newly created Mexican state of Sonora y Sinaloa (reaching up deep into modern-day Arizona). It remained the capital for several years until the split of this state into the states of Sinaloa and Sonora.

Tourism

[2] El Fuerte has several holidays and local "Fiestas" which are celebrated with pageants, "Ferias" and the like. Several hotels cater to hunters and fishermen, who hunt (deer, boar, wild hog, wild goat, rabbit, armadillo, a variety of snakes) in the foothills or fish in the nearby Rio Fuerte river which runs on the northwest part of the town's commercial district. There are also local petroglyphs a short distance from the downtown. The city also serves as a gateway to the popular Barranca de Cobre (Copper Canyon) situated in the nearby state of Chihuahua. There are no easily travelled roads to the Copper Canyon from west of the Sierra Madre Occidental.

that's a pretty interesting place. note the mention of snakes.

and the copper canyon is a marvel. as it states, there are no easily travelled roads. so don, in your day, it must have been uncivilized, wild, primitive and magnificent.

i recall some summers ago, jumping off an anchored raft because i couldn't believe the size of the 'dock' spider which made the raft home. i assume he ate large fish and small people. anyway, it gave me the chills looking at it and 'sharing' the raft with it.so i left.

when i came to the surface and shook the water out of my eyes, i was face to face with 2 beady jet black eyes belonging to a rather large water snkae. i felt at a distinct disadvantage. the snake swam to the raft, probably to fight it out with the spider. i never went back, prefering to sun on the shore.

ps.. looks like you just missed the building of the fort by a few years