Vacationers out for a leisurely stroll alongside Mazatlán's well-known malecón (town's 13-mile boardwalk) are handled to stunning seashores, magnificent sunsets, energetic mariachi bands, and a terrifying cave inhabited by the satan.
Bored into the foot of the craggy cliffs on Passeo Claussen avenue, the Satan's Cave, or La Cueva del Diablo, is one among Mazatlán's oldest points of interest. Whereas most guests amble alongside the shoreline scouting for the right spot to take an ocean panorama, these with a style for the macabre may cross the street to pose in entrance of this looming, ominous gate adorned with the face of the satan. Though the gate is often locked, curious vacationers can peer into the depths of the tunnel by means of the bars, and on particular events, a person wearing horns and hooves seems out entrance, beckoning guests to attract close to (in the event that they dare) whereas posing for uncommon trip selfies.
Whereas locals scoff on the blatant kitschiness of the cave, the legends surrounding its origins are quite a few, some even hearkening again to Mazatlán's sordid pirate previous.
Within the early 1600's, Spanish explorers found huge deposits of gold and silver within the close by Sierra Madre Mountains. Because the mines continued to reap enormous portions of treasured metals, hauling the treasure overland by means of the mountains proved inefficient, so the Spaniards appeared to the ocean. Due to its deep waters and placement on the Sea of Cortez, Mazatlán is the right pure harbor. Nonetheless, for years, English, French, and Spanish pirates utilized the distant cove as a hideout between assaults on Spanish galleons. As Mazatlán developed into an necessary outpost for sea commerce, the exploding inhabitants of merchants and immigrants drove the pirates out of the Sea of Cortez. Rumor has it these pirates hid their stolen treasure on shore – within the Satan's Cave.
One other common story from historical past says that Sinaloa's first hit man, the notorious El Gitano, was briefly imprisoned contained in the cave within the Nineteen Forties.
Whereas legends like these are based mostly in actuality, different tales have murkier origins and oftentimes the odd supernatural twist. An exciting – however nearly actually spurious – story tells of a gaggle of explorers who went within the cave however have been by no means seen once more. When a crew of rescuers determined to seek for the primary group's stays, half have been despatched in with ropes tied round their waists, so if one thing have been to occur, these ready exterior may pull them out. After many hours handed, the outsiders pulled on the ropes – solely to reel in our bodies so badly burned, they have been nearly cremated.
The concept the satan himself inhabits the cave and that those that are silly sufficient to enter by no means return may have been impressed by the sulfurous scent that's mentioned to permeate the within. Residents of Mazatlán, often known as Mazatlecos, insist that the employees who first dynamited the hillside to construct the malecón have been suffering from each the horrible odor and a deep voice coming from inside, main them to consider the satan himself had been imprisoned contained in the hill.
Regardless of these unbelievable tales, the unique goal of the cave seemingly has extra to do with ice than hellfire. La Cueva del Diablo and the encompassing limestone tunnels are a pure a part of the Cerro de Neveria (Icebox Hill). When ice was imported to Mazatlán from San Francisco within the mid-1800s, Mazatlecos used the cave to preserve ice and different perishable items out of the stifling tropical warmth. Through the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1920, federalist troopers determined the caves have been extra suited to stockpiling ammunition than ice.
These extra mundane sides of the cave's historical past haven't stopped legends from forming even as we speak. As a result of Mazatlán hosts the third largest carnival celebration on the planet, it's unsurprising that almost all fashionable tales about the cave contain this extravagant six-day pageant. An oft-repeated city legend claims that an attractive Mazatleca was out dancing along with her buddies when she was approached by a dapper catrín (gentleman) wearing black. The person satisfied the younger girl to go away the others and go along with him to an costly taqueria. On the finish of the night time, she was seen getting into the cave alone with the shadowy determine. The girl was by no means seen or heard from once more, and the one clue as to her destiny lies in a darkish crimson blood stain on the backside of the cave.
A extra humorous carnival delusion states that two drunken revelers went inside the cave to alleviate themselves, however failed to search out their approach out once more – both too drunk to navigate the maze of tunnels, or else taken captive by the satan for his or her sins. Each of those fictional tales replicate true cultural sentiments: the primary seemingly circulated as a cautionary story warning younger girls to not go away the occasion with an odd man, irrespective of how good-looking, whereas the second is maybe a warning in opposition to the hazards of being too intoxicated – even throughout Carnival.
Irrespective of its true origins, the cave stays a fixture of the malecón — an sudden break from the infinite rows of palm bushes and seashore aspect bars, and one that may undoubtedly proceed to encourage legends, tales, and the occasional lesson in morality.
