Last Updated on: 26th September 2023, 09:46 pm
About 60 km north of Mazatlán is one of Mexico’s most obscure – and most unusual – archaeological sites. You won’t find a single pyramid or tomb at Las Labradas, but you will encounter hundreds of ancient petroglyphs carved into rocks along the beach. But why? In this guide, we’ll be covering the site’s history, astronomical significance, and how to go about visiting Las Labradas independently from Mazatlán.
For a detailed description on reaching the site and where to stay in Mazatlán, be sure to check the end of the article.
Visiting Las Labradas
At the time of writing, entry to Las Labradas costs $90 MXN and it’s open daily from 8:00-17:00 (or until 18:00 on weekends). The signs by the highway, however, say that it opens from 9:00.
Las Labradas only opened to the public in 2012, becoming the first archaeological site in the state of Sinaloa. But its history stretches back millennia.
In total, there are said to be as many as 900 petroglyphs along the beach. They weren’t just carved by one single culture, but by various groups that lived here for over a period of 4000 years.
While some of the remaining carvings could indeed be millennia old, a large majority of them were made during the time when the Aztatlán culture thrived in this region from the 9th-14th centuries AD.
Evidence suggests that they established a small settlement about 2 km away, and some of their pottery is now on display in the on-site museum.
Finished with the small museum, a path will then lead you out to the beach. While not divided by physical barriers, Las Labradas is comprised of a Southeast Section and a Northeast section. I decided to start with the Southeast section, meaning I first turned left upon arrival at the beach.
It would be wise to wear good shoes for this excursion, as you’ll largely be walking across uneven and sometimes slippery rocks.
The Southeast Section
The archaeological site features a map and various signboards pointing out certain petroglyphs, but a large part of the fun of visiting Las Labradas is freely exploring and trying to find as many as you can on your own.
If you’ve only seen Las Labradas in photographs, you may expect nearly every rock on the beach to contain a carving, but that’s not quite the case. Seeking out petroglyphs requires exploration and a bit of patience, though some areas are more dense than others.
Some of the first glyphs you’ll encounter in the Southeast section are figures with wild hair, some of which stand next to faint geometric patterns.
Also around here is what’s supposed to be a pair of foxes above a spiral. While I never spotted them, I did find plenty of spirals – both here and throughout the rest of Las Labradas.
Carvings of spirals can be found at archaeological sites all over Mexico in addition to sites in the United States. While we can only speculate, spirals could’ve represented a cosmological phenomenon, or maybe portals to another dimension.
On that note, not far away is one of the most elaborate and detailed symbols at Las Labradas – the ‘Flaming Double Spiral.’
But why did Sinaloa’s inhabitants choose this particular beach to create so many petroglyphs? And why did they continue the tradition for thousands of years?
Geographically, this area lies right on the Tropic of Cancer, a circle of latitude located 23.5 degrees north of the equator. This line across the globe is the most northerly point over which the sun can appear directly overhead, and that occurs each year on the summer solstice.
The summer solstice occurs between June 20th-22nd each year, and the ancients surely would’ve held important rites along this beach.
And while many of the carvings can appear abstract to us, the subject matter probably largely relates to the summer solstice and other solar phenomena.
The ancients also likely chose this particular beach due to its abundance of rocks. Obviously, no such petroglyphs could’ve been left on the sandy beaches of Mazatlán.
The rocks here are volcanic in origin, having first formed as a result of the eruption of the Tepasquiahui Volcano during the Miocene period (2.5 million-100,000 BC). They were then transported here by melting glaciers at the end of the last ice age.
While, in many cases, the flat surfaces of the rocks merely served as ‘canvases’ for the petroglyphs, in other cases, the shape of the rock seems to be part of the art.
This is especially evident in one example that looks like an eel. According to an informational placard, another is supposed to resemble a stingray (these may or may not be the same stone).
Eventually, you’ll reach a barrier marking the end of this section of the site. Out of curiosity, I carefully scanned the rocks on the other side from a distance, but there were no additional petroglyphs as far as I could tell.
Next, it was time to walk back the way I came to explore the Northeast section of the beach. But as we’ll cover shortly, you might want to return to this area later to see it under slightly different conditions.
The Northeast Section
The Northeast section of Las Labradas doesn’t have quite as many remarkable carvings, though you still shouldn’t miss it. There are a number of bizarre shapes around here, including one that oddly resembles a thermometer!
Another seems to resemble an octopus – or perhaps a skull and crossbones. While the signage points to carvings of a seashell and a man with elongated arms, I never ended up finding them. Or perhaps I did, but just from the wrong angle!
One of the most fascinating carvings around here seems to depict a comet. Others, however, have interpreted it as a solar eclipse.
Speaking of eclipses, a rare total solar eclipse is scheduled to occur directly over Mazatlán on April 8, 2024. This area, in fact, will be the first place in the Americas where the eclipse can be seen.
If you still have time left over, be sure to retrace your steps, as you’ll surely notice more carvings as you approach the stones from the other direction. And as the position of the sun gradually changes, so do the appearances of many of the glyphs.
Images that were obscured by shadows at midday, for example, may start to reveal themselves as the sun lowers in the sky.
Another factor to consider when visiting Las Labradas is the tide.
Having done an online search for the predicted tides the day before, I saw that the tide would be at its lowest point at mid-afternoon on the day of my visit. As such, I decided not to leave first thing in the morning.
Nevertheless, the tide was still fairly high when I arrived around noon. But after a couple of hours of exploring, the water levels lowered significantly, opening up entire areas of the beach that had previously been inaccessible.
All in all, Las Labradas is a fascinating little site that’s well worth the effort to see. While I enjoy archaeological sites of all varieties, walking along the beach and trying to find as many petroglyphs as I could turned out to be a lot more fun than I anticipated.
Additional Info
The simplest way to reach Las Labradas would be to rent your own car or to hire a private driver. But what if you want to save money and get there via public transport?
Fortunately, this is indeed possible, but expect to do a lot of walking. Before my visit, the only source of info I could find about visiting Las Labradas independently came from this helpful video.
My experience pretty much correlated with theirs, but it may also be useful to have the steps in writing, so here’s what to do:
The public bus that goes to the area is run by the company Autotransportes Unidos de Sinaloa. This company runs its own station which is NOT the same location of the main Central de Autobuses terminal.
You’ll want to take a Culiacán-bound bus, but you should buy a ticket for Chilacayotas (also locally known as La Chicayota), a village so small that it doesn’t even appear on Google Maps.
There are two types of buses between Mazatlán and Culiacán: Expreso and Ordinario, And you’ll want to take the Ordinario bus for this journey. At the time of writing, these buses depart every thirty minutes and tickets cost $120 MXN each way. The ride from Mazatlán to the spot where you want to get off should take about 45 minutes.
While the bus can’t take you directly to Las Labradas, it would be wise to tell the driver as soon as you board that that’s where you want to go. It would also be a good idea to save Las Labradas on your phone and keep an eye on it throughout the journey.
In any case, you will see some big signs for Las Labradas along Highway 15, and be sure to have the driver pull over and let you off when you do.
Next, from the highway, you’ll have a long 5 km walk to reach the site, and then another 5 km back when you’re finished. Come prepared with plenty of water and snacks, as there are no amenities in the area.
While there are supposed to be a few tricky parts along the way, you should be fine if you have Google Maps.
While I’d planned to make the long journey on foot, it was just a few minutes into my walk when a friendly Canadian couple passed by me in their trailer. They offered me a ride to the site, and since we finished around the same time, they kindly brought me back to the highway so I could wait for the next bus for Mazatlán (they were heading further north).
After so many crazy and difficult experiences visiting obscure archaeological sites throughout the world, maybe the universe felt that it owed me one!
Waiting for the return bus is pretty straightforward. Just remember that you’ll have to wait for an ‘Ordinario’ bus, and don’t be dismayed if an Express bus refuses to stop for you.
Mazatlán is comprised of two main districts: Centro and the Zona Dorada. Given the city’s excellent transport options, you’ll have easy access to Mazatlán’s top things to do regardless of where you stay.
Personally, I’d recommend staying in or as close to the Centro Histórico as possible. It’s easily the most interesting and atmospheric part of the city, while you’ll also have easy beach access.
Popular hotels in Centro include Hotel La Siesta, Casa de Leyendas and Hotel Boutique Casa Lulu.
In my case, I actually stayed in the Zona Dorada. I was staying a full month in the city, and despite the Golden Zone’s reputation for being touristy and expensive, the most affordable monthly rentals I came across were in this area.
Pretty much the whole Zona Dorada has very easy beach access, so if that’s a major priority for you, you’ll be set. Popular Zona Dorada hotels include Hotel Ave Inn, Hotel Posada Doña Rubino, and Hotel Margaritas (among the cheapest in town).