Copala, formerly known as San José de Copala, is a four-century-old silver-mining town in the
Mexican state of
Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities, and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales.
It is located in northwest Mexic ...
. The town is in the municipality of
Concordia.
History
The area was occupied and ruled by the
indigenous peoples until 1564, when
Francisco de Ibarra crossed the
Sierra Madre Occidental from
Durango
Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...
and conquered the area for
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. In 1565 prospectors discovered
silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
veins and the town of Copala was founded to serve the mines. The town was named after a mythical city of gold for which de Ibarra had unsuccessfully searched in northern Mexico.
The town of Copala was destroyed in 1616 by an uprising of
Tepehuan Indians, but was rebuilt after the rebellion was quelled the following year.
[Luis Navarro Garcia (1967) ''Sonora y Sinaloa en el Siglo XVII'', Seville: Escuela de Estudios Hispano-Americanos, p.14-17.]
Economy
The economy of Copala is based on tourism, mining, and agriculture.
Geography
Copala is located at , at an altitude of 610 m. The town is along
Federal Highway 40, approximately 50 km east of
Mazatlán
Mazatlán () is a city in the Mexican list of states of Mexico, state of Sinaloa. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding , known as the Mazatlán Municipality. It is located on the Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast across from th ...
.
References
External links
Copala official website
Populated places in Sinaloa
{{Sinaloa-geo-stub