Mazatlan is a Nahuatl word meaning place of deer. (Although when in Mazatlan, our author and photographer saw no deer.) Nahuatl is commonly known as the Aztec language, a language of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Varieties of Nahuatl are spoken by approximately 1.5 million Nahua people, most of whom live in Central Mexico. Mazatlan was founded in 1531 by Spaniards and indigenous settlers. By mid-19th century, immigrants arrived from Germany. It then developed into a commercial seaport and imported equipment for nearby gold and silver mines. Mazatlan was the capital of Sinaloa from 1859 to 1873. The German settlers influenced local music, creating ‘banda’ (described as an alteration of Bavarian folk music) a style of Mexican dance music played by brass and percussion instruments with a heavy beat.

So listen to the beat that makes up the rhythm of Mazatlan, Mexico, as you turn the pages of this fun learn to read book and see some of what the award winning author, attorney and former teacher, Penelope Dyan, and photographer, John D. Weigand, saw when they visited Mazatlan, the Pearl of the Pacific. Then watch the free music video that goes with this book on Bellissimavideo’s YouTube channel.