History
The state’s name comes from the Cora (indigenous people in the region) leader, Nayar. He and his people resisted the Spanish invasion in the 16th century. Spanish governance was made difficult by the rebellions of Huicholes and Coras and the harsh terrain of the Sierra del Nayar. Eventually, the last Cora community was forced to incorporate to Spanish administration in 1722. The first Spanish known to have entered the territory was Hernán Cortés, and claimed the area for Spain as part of Nueva Galicia.
While climbing the “Cerro de La Cruz” in Tepic, Nayarit, these two ladies, part of the Cora community, allowed me to photograph them for a school project about indigenous communities in our state.
©Marisela Ramirez
During the colonial period, the port of San Blas was one of the most important trade ports on the American Pacific coast. In 1768, it was established as a new naval base for the Spanish Navy. Today, the town of San Blas still holds some of its old architecture, including the aduana (customs office), the contaduria (accounting office) and the fortress that protected the port against pirates. San Blas is also one of the most visited towns in Nayarit. There is even a famous song, by a famous Mexican rock group, Maná.
Following the Mexican Independence from Spain in 1821, what was known as Nueva Galicia under Spanish rule, became Séptimo Cantón de Jalisco. This consisted of seven towns, Tepic, Acaponeta, Ahuacatlán, Sentispac, San Blas, Santa María del Oro and Compostela, and 14 municipalities. However, in 1917, the Distrito Militar de Tepic was transformed to Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit, better known as Nayarit. Since then, the state started to modernize, by founding its first university, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit in 1969, and later on the Instituto Tecnológico de Tepic in 1972, both in its capital Tepic.
Geography
Nayarit only covers 10,739 square miles, making it one of the smallest states in Mexico. The state adjoins to the north with Sinaloa, Durango and Zacatecas, and to the South with Jalisco, where the tourist town of Puerto Vallarta is located. Its terrains covers some of the western ends of the Sierra Madre Occidental, and it counts with two volcanoes, Ceboruco and Sangangüey. The Río Grande de Santiago is the largest river in the state, which contributes tremendously to its agriculture. Nayarit is predominately an agricultural state, producing a large variety of crops, primarily sugar cane and beans.
Nayarit 