Nayarit: One of Mexico's Smallest States Makes up for Size with a Huge Personality Brandon Christopher Hall - Coin Update
go to original June 12, 2016

Despite being one of Mexico’s smallest states, Nayarit more than makes up for its size with its big personality. The coat of arms was designed by the skilled Mexican painter Diego Rivera, who perfectly blended indigenous and European themes together throughout the emblem. This theme of combining past and present previously exhibited itself when Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem in 1882 titled The Bells of San Blas, and this conflation of historical eras is a tradition that continues in Nayarit to this day. 181 miles of coastline are available for enjoyment in Nayarit, making it a tourist powerhouse. These are but a few reasons Nayarit is a special stop on our Numismatic Tour of Mexico.

Nayarit’s land mass is broken up by the Sierra Madre Occidental, and the result is many fertile valleys. Two volcanoes are present in the state: Ceboruco and Sanganguey, with rich soil that nourishes many crops. The climate is a unique blend of tropical and temperate with moderate rainfall. There is also an archipelago called Islas Marias 70 miles off the coast, with many other notable islands that are ideal for snorkeling and diving. Beaches such as Los Ayala and Frideras are renowned for their beautiful teal waters and jungle flora, as well.

Shrimp fishermen. (Photo by Tomas Castelazo)

Due to the hundreds of miles of precious rainforest in Nayarit, the flora and fauna of the state reflect a tropical as well as a temperate environment. Blue agave is popularly cultivated for the production of tequila, as well as tropical fruits, tobacco, and sugar. Various cactus species thrive throughout the more arid parts of the state while pine species dot the mountains. The rare jaguarondi cat can be seen in Nayarit, along with the beautiful and intelligent lilac-crowned amazon parrot. Caymans, armadillos, ocelots, peregrine falcons, and coyotes can also be seen throughout Nayarit.

The Cora were the first recorded people to inhabit Nayarit in 5,000 B.C.E, and for thousands of years they co-existed peacefully with other tribes until the merciless Spanish conquistador Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán overthrew indigenous rule of the region. Spanish control was not tolerated for long, as indigenous revolts like those led by Tenamaxtli in the 1500s constantly plagued Spanish rule until finally in 1722 the Spanish had quelled all resistance. The capital city of Tepic was a part of Jalisco following the Mexican War of Independence until 1867, when liberal politicians finally ceded the city to Nayarit...

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