Old Theaters and New Art in Mazatlan

Thursday evening
Tuesday we continued our walk around the Centro Historico heading towards the Plaza Machado. We have never found the Angela Peralta Theater open. Finally it was so we paid our 12 Pesos and went inside. So glad we did. It is one of the few 19th century neo-classical theaters still in operation in northwestern Mexico. Its grand opening took place in February of 1874. For more than a century it has done service as an opera house a theater, a circus and boxing arena, cantina and cinema.

In the early 1940s it was renamed in honor of “the Mexican Nightingale,” Angela Peralta who died of yellow fever shortly before a performance in 1882. After long years of restoration it reopened in 1992. The outside of the Theater

Looks like a wedding cake

From the 2nd floor of adjoining building

Some of the balconies and seating – there are 841 seats.

The stage

The center ceiling

It is easy to imagine it in its prime full of finely dressed patrons. The acoustics are marvelous. I hope we can go to a performance of something there this year while we're here. But so far haven't been able to find out what is coming up.
From there we continued walking down the narrow closed off street to check out some of the older buildings that have been restored. Saw her on the way – don’t think she will get very many things sold.

She is sound asleep with her wares on the ground

I kind of liked this home. Those are round tiles embedded in the stucco.

Notice the high sidewalks

Just up the street we discovered a really neat place. It was large old home turned art gallery. It is called NidArt http://www.nidart.com/ (it is worth checking out the web page – especially the gallery) This is the brick domed ceiling of one of the rooms.

Beautiful but makes me wonder about bricks overhead

And iron gates leading to a patio

So colorful

Stairs leading to 2nd floor from the patio.

Husk ornaments hanging from the trees

Just one of the rooms with art on the wall.

A pond in the middle of the room with revolving statue

Same room looking the other way.

The Driver in background with hat on - talking to owner about the leather figures

Some clay figures – already sold – shoot! They are about 15 inches tall.

I love Day of the Dead stuff - The Driver doesn't understand why. What can I say - I'm weird.

A figure made with leather. Bill talked with the owner/artist at length about how to do the leather figures and masks. He got quite a comprehensive lesson.

Molded leather figure

Back to our walk. From the sublime to the ridiculous – an electrical box for one of the buildings. Permits? Inspections? What is that?

ZAP!!

The ice is delivered daily, a real ice man with ice tongs and everything, and left outside on the sidewalk. Some one needs to take this piece in before it melts much more.

What do you supose the restaurant uses this for?

And the trees are all trimmed. Squares, balls, baskets, houses – all kinds of shapes. There is something different everywhere you look. So much fun to just walk around.

Passed the guy who washed the car the other day. He was hard at work again. 30 Pesos and he does an excellent job.

US$2.50 can't beat the price

Then back into the car headed towards the RV Park. Hadn’t noticed this shop before.
K-Mart special. The guy on the motorcycle is on the phone.

Another busy day with so much to see and marvel at.