E-clip-sin’

Back around eleven months ago, I realized the path of totality for the April 8th solar eclipse was running through Mazatlán, Sinaloa, Mexico. While it’s not close (six hour drive), it’s close enough to lakeside, and we were still early enough to reserve a decent Airbnb. So we found ourselves in a very nice apartment on the 14th floor (18 story building) on the playa in Mazatlán.

The night before, we stood on the balcony and nabbed these pics of what seemed to be a typical Sunday night, with steady traffic along the beach drive and small crowds on the malecon. Of course there was a local group playing banda music directly in front of our building till midnight, but earplugs, a white noise machine, and some melatonin remedied that.

The crowds started to build in the morning. Breakfast at the mom-n-pop restaurant next to our building took twenty minutes to be seated, a full hour to be served, and they were going as fast as they could. By the time we finished and paid, it was only about thirty minutes to totality. The police had suddenly shut down auto access to the beach drive, so traffic was a nightmare, as people who planned to drive down to the beach were suddenly rerouted through the narrow side streets. But it gave the growing crowds unfettered access to the road and the sun show.

Our balcony was facing the beach, and it wasn’t clear if we could stay there and still see the eclipse. As the time grew near, we found a balcony spot where we could stand and–using those special glasses–look at the sun. By the time totality hit, there were several spots on the balcony with a full view.

Here’s my video of the event, with voice over:

The mostly Mexican crowds had a festive atmosphere, even cheering when a few rowdies got hauled away by the policia. As the eclipse neared totality, the crowd started cheering, and resumed it when the sun finally peeked out the other side of the moon. It was very interesting, if brief. I was struck by how “duskish” or “dawnish” it was; dark where we were, but you could see daylight in the distance in every direction, which was odd. And I imagined what it must have been like for people before science could explain and even predict it all; one minute, you’re working on your crops, then it gets dark under a cloudless sky, then light again. What did one make of that?

Our friends Barbara and John joined us for the event, and here’s John’s much better video, which captures how dark it was, and some of the crowd reactions better:

And you knew this had to be added somewhere in the post:

As an event, was the eclipse worth it? Yes, but I would add I think I only need to see totality once. And totality is totally different from any other (even 95%) type of eclipse. My mind wasn’t blown, nor did I have a moment of cosmic enlightenment. It was fun.

How about Sinaloa in general, or Mazatlán in particular. For all the talk about cartel violence, the city was quiet for the event, with the exception of the violence banda does to one’s ears! Perhaps it was the presence of Mexico’s Presidente AMLO, or the number of Guardia National and policia present, but everyone was on their best behavior. We had one brief stop on the autopista (toll road) along the way: a well-run military checkpoint asking if we were trying to import any fruta (fruit) into Sinaloa. Turns out that Sinaloa, like California, is free of the dreaded Mediterranean fruit fly, and wants to stay that way!

Mazatlán has some long, easily accessible beaches, a cute old centro, and plenty of water activities. And it’s still affordable, as it is not yet a big tourist destination. As a low-cost alternative to better-known Mexican resorts, it deserves a look. As a place to watch an eclipse, it was perfect. Now to get some fresh seafood and a margarita!