El Fuerte

El Fuerte (Spanish pronunciation: [el ˈfwerte]) is a city and its surrounding municipality in the Mexican state of Sinaloa. The municipality reported 100,000 inhabitants in the 2000 census, with 30,000 in the city. El Fuerte was named a "Pueblo Mágico" in 2009. The city was founded in 1563 by the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Ibarra, the first explorer of the lofty Sierra Madre Occidental mountains. In 1610 a fort was built to ward off the fierce Zuaque and Tehueco Native Americans, who constantly harassed the Spaniards. For years, El Fuerte served as the gateway to the vast frontiers of the northern native-held territories of Sonora, Arizona and California. For three centuries it was the most important commercial and agricultural...