View source for Nayarit

{{short description|State of Mexico}}
{{use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Nayarit
| official_name      = {{raise|0.2em|Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit}}<br />{{nobold|''Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit'' {{small|([[Mexican Spanish|Spanish]])}}}}
| native_name_lang   = es
| settlement_type    = [[States of Mexico|State]]
| image_skyline      = Aguamilpa_Taxi_(131575813).jpeg
| image_alt          = 
| image_caption      = The [[Aguamilpa Dam]]
| image_flag         = <!--As per the consensus reached at [[Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Mexico]] (oldid: 1007177146), this article should not use a flag because none is officially recognized by the government of the state-->
| flag_size          = 
| flag_alt           = 
| image_shield       = Coat of arms of Nayarit.svg
| shield_size        = 90px
| image_map          = Nayarit in Mexico (location map scheme).svg
| map_caption        = State of Nayarit within Mexico
| coordinates        = {{coord|22|N|105|W|region:MX-NAY_type:adm1st|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{MEX}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Capital city|Capital]]<br>{{nobold|and [[List of cities in Mexico|largest city]]}}
| subdivision_name1  = [[Tepic]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Municipalities of Mexico|Municipalities]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Municipalities of Nayarit|20]]
| established_title  = [[Sovereign state|Admission]]
| established_date   = January 26, 1917<ref>{{cite news |title=Diciembre en la Historia de Nayarit |url=http://www.nayaritas.net/content/view/105/33/ |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119150911/http://www.nayaritas.net/content/view/105/33/ |archive-date=19 January 2008 |work=nayaritas.net |trans-title=December in the History of Nayarit}}</ref>
| established_title2 = [[Territorial evolution of Mexico|Order]]
| established_date2  = [[Territorial evolution of Mexico|28th]]
| founder            = 
| seat               = 
| leader_party       = 
| leader_title       = [[Governor of Nayarit|Governor]]
| leader_name        = [[File:Morena logo (Mexico).svg|link=Morena (political party)|23px]]&nbsp;[[Miguel Ángel Navarro Quintero]]
| leader_title1      = [[Senate of Mexico|Senators]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Nayarit |url=https://www.senado.gob.mx/64/senadores/por_entidad_federativa/nayarit |publisher=Senado de la República |access-date=20 November 2022 |archive-date=9 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109150737/https://www.senado.gob.mx/64/senadores/por_entidad_federativa/nayarit |url-status=live }}</ref>
| leader_name1       = {{nowrap|[[File:PT_Party_(Mexico).svg|link=Labor Party (Mexico)|23px]]&nbsp;[[Cora Cecilia Pinedo Alonso]]<br />[[File:Morena logo (Mexico).svg|link=Morena (political party)|23px]]&nbsp;[[Rosa Elena Jiménez Arteaga]]<br />[[File:Logo Partido Movimiento Ciudadano (México).svg|link=Citizens' Movement (Mexico)|23px]]&nbsp;[[Gloria Elizabeth Núñez Sánchez]]}}
| leader_title2      = [[Chamber of Deputies of Mexico|Deputies]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Listado de Diputados por Grupo Parlamentario del Estado de Nayarit |url=http://sitl.diputados.gob.mx/LXI_leg/listado_diputados_gpnp.php?tipot=Edo&edot=18 |publisher=Camara de Diputados |access-date=March 28, 2010 |archive-date=20 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720060541/http://sitl.diputados.gob.mx/LXI_leg/listado_diputados_gpnp.php?tipot=Edo&edot=18 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
| leader_name2       = {{Collapsible list
 |framestyle = border:none;padding:0; |titlestyle = 
 |title = [[LXV Legislature of the Mexican Congress#Chamber of Deputies 2|Federal Deputies]]
 |liststyle = text-align:left;display:none;
 |1 = {{nowrap|• [[File:Morena logo (Mexico).svg|link=Morena (political party)|23px]]&nbsp;[[Félix Durán Ruiz]]&nbsp;([[I Federal Electoral District of Nayarit|1st]])}}
 |2 = {{nowrap|• [[File:Logo Partido Verde (México).svg|link=Ecologist Green Party of Mexico|23px]]&nbsp;[[Jasmine María Bugarín Rodríguez]]&nbsp;([[II Federal Electoral District of Nayarit|2nd]])}}
 |3 = {{nowrap|• [[File:PT_Party_(Mexico).svg|link=Labor Party (Mexico)|23px]]&nbsp;[[Jorge Armando Ortíz Rodríguez]]&nbsp;([[III Federal Electoral District of Nayarit|3rd]])}}
 }}
| unit_pref          = Metric
| area_total_km2     = 27857
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_note          = [[List of Mexican states by area|Ranked 23rd]]
| area_footnotes     = <ref>{{cite web |title=Resumen |url=http://cuentame.inegi.gob.mx/monografias/informacion/nay/default.aspx?tema=me&e=18 |publisher=Cuentame INEGI |access-date=March 29, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222060655/http://cuentame.inegi.gob.mx/monografias/informacion/nay/default.aspx?tema=me&e=18 |archive-date=December 22, 2010}}</ref>
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_max_m    = 2760
| elevation_max_ft   = 
| elevation_max_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |title=Relieve |url=http://cuentame.inegi.gob.mx/monografias/informacion/nay/territorio/relieve.aspx?tema=me&e=18 |publisher=Cuentame INEGI |access-date=March 29, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101208195352/http://cuentame.inegi.gob.mx/monografias/informacion/nay/territorio/relieve.aspx?tema=me&e=18 |archive-date=December 8, 2010}}</ref>
| elevation_min_m    = 
| population_total   = 1,235,456
| population_as_of   = 2020
| population_rank    = [[List of Mexican states by population|29th]]
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_rank = [[List of Mexican states by population density|23rd]]
| population_demonym = Nayarita
| population_note    = 
| population_footnotes = <ref name="inegi.org.mx">{{Cite web |url=https://www.inegi.org.mx/app/areasgeograficas/#tabMCcollapse-Indicadores |title=México en cifras |date=January 2016 |access-date=25 January 2021 |archive-date=18 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210718104723/https://www.inegi.org.mx/app/areasgeograficas/#tabMCcollapse-Indicadores |url-status=live }}</ref>
| demographics_type2 = GDP
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.banamex.com/sitios/analisis-financiero/pdf/revistas//IRAE/IRAE2023.pdf|title=Indicadores Regionales de Actividad Económica 2023|author=Citibanamex|language=es|date=June 13, 2023|access-date=August 13, 2023}}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = Total
| demographics2_info1 = MXN 205 billion<br />(US$10.2 billion) (2022)
| demographics2_title2 = Per capita
| demographics2_info2 = (US$8,171) (2022)
| timezone1          = [[Mountain Time Zone|MST]]
| utc_offset1        = −7
| timezone2          = [[Central Time Zone|CST]]
| utc_offset2        = −6
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal codes in Mexico|Postal code]]
| postal_code        = 63
| area_code_type     = [[Area code]]
| area_code          = {{Collapsible list
 |framestyle = border:none;padding:0; |titlestyle = 
 |title = [[Area codes in Mexico by code (300-399)|Area codes]]
 |liststyle = text-align:left;display:none;
 |1 = • 311 |2 = • 319 |3 = • 322 |4 = • 323 |5 = • 324 |6 = • 325 |7 = • 327 |8 = • 329 |9 = • 389
 }}
| iso_code           = MX-NAY
| blank_name_sec1    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]]
| blank_info_sec1    = {{increase}} 0.789 <span style="color:#0c0;">high</span> <small>[[List of Mexican states by HDI|Ranked 16th of 32]]</small>
| website            = {{URL|http://www.nayarit.gob.mx/|Official website}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Nayarit''',{{efn|{{IPA|es|naʝaˈɾit|Nayarit1.ogg}}}} officially the '''Free and Sovereign State of Nayarit''',{{efn|{{langx|es|Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit}}}} is one of the 31 states that, along with [[Mexico City]], comprise the [[Political divisions of Mexico|Federal Entities]] of [[Mexico]]. It is divided in [[Municipalities of Nayarit|20 municipalities]] and its capital city is [[Tepic]].

It is bordered by the states of [[Sinaloa]] to the northwest, [[Durango]] to the north, [[Zacatecas]] to the northeast and [[Jalisco]] to the south. To the west, Nayarit has a significant share of coastline on the [[Pacific Ocean]], including the islands of [[Islas Marías|Marías]] and [[Islas Tres Marietas|Marietas]]. The beaches of [[San Blas, Nayarit|San Blas]] and the so-called "[[Riviera Nayarit]]" are popular with tourists and [[Snowbird (person)|snowbirds]]. 
Besides tourism, the economy of the state is based mainly on agriculture and fishing. It is also one of two states where the [[tarantula]] species ''[[Brachypelma klaasi]]'' is found, the other being [[Jalisco]].

Home to [[Uto-Aztecan languages|Uto-Aztecan]] indigenous peoples such as the [[Huichol]] and [[Cora people|Cora]], the region was exposed to the ''[[conquistador]]es'' [[Hernán Cortés]] and [[Nuño de Guzmán]] in the 16th century. Spanish governance was made difficult by indigenous rebellions and by the inhospitable terrain of the Sierra del Nayar. The last independent Cora communities were subjugated in 1722. 
The state's name recalls the Cora people's label for themselves: ''Náayerite'', commemorating Nayar, a resistance leader.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.e-local.gob.mx/work/templates/enciclo/nayarit/mpios/18009a.htm |title=El Nayar |work=Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502155940/http://www.e-local.gob.mx/work/templates/enciclo/nayarit/mpios/18009a.htm |archive-date=2007-05-02 |access-date=2007-08-07}}</ref>

==History==

[[File:Nayarit precolombino.gif|thumb|left|Map of Nayarit before the [[Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire]]]]
[[File:Jardín de La Contaduría, en San Blas..JPG|thumb|left|The colonial ''contaduría'' (accounting offices) in the old port town of [[San Blas, Nayarit|San Blas]]]]

[[Radiocarbon dating]] estimate [[Aztatlan|Aztatlán]] colonization of the western Mexican coast – including parts of Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco – as occurring as early as 900 AD, with some evidence suggesting it might have been as early as 520 AD. Encountered on the western coast by the Spanish invaders in 1500, the cultures were descended from these original Aztatlán settlements and other [[Classic stage|Classic-stage]] cultures who had merged with them.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mountjoy, Joseph B. |chapter=Aztatlan Complex |editor=Evans, Susan T. |editor2=Webster, David L. |title=Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia |publisher=Routledge |year=2013 |isbn=9781136801853 |page=59 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vZ3DAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA59}}</ref><ref>For a map showing important archaeological sites in Nayarit, refer to: {{cite book |author=Gorenstein, Shirley |chapter=Western and Northwestern Mexico |editor=Trigger, Bruce G. |display-editors=etal |title=The Cambridge History of the Native Peoples of the Americas |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2000 |isbn=9780521351652 |page=320 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=paT9i0bq62EC&pg=PA320}}</ref>

[[Hernán Cortés]] was the first known European to enter into the area now known as Nayarit, which he claimed for Spain as part of [[Nueva Galicia]]. Under [[Nuño de Guzmán]], Spaniards took the region with considerable brutality, causing the indigenous inhabitants to revolt, in what was later referred to as the [[Mixtón War]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Pasztor, Suzanne B. |chapter=Nayarit (state) |editor=Coerver, Don M. |display-editors=etal |title=Mexico: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Culture and History |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2004 |isbn=9781576071328 |page=323 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YSred4NyOKoC&pg=PA323}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Patch, Robert W. |chapter=Indian Resistance to Colonialism |editor=Beezley, William |editor2=Meyer, Michael |title=The Oxford History of Mexico |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2010 |isbn=9780199779932 |pages=180–184 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Amt1ZXMeVYMC&pg=PA180}}</ref> After almost two centuries of resistance, the last independent Cora communities were incorporated into Spanish administration by force in 1722. Then followed intense missionary efforts by [[Jesuit]]s to convert the indigenous.<ref>Coyle, Philip E. "The Customs of our Ancestros: Cora Religious Conversion and Millennailism, 2000-1722. ''Ethnohistory'' 45:3 (summer 1998), pp. 509-42.</ref>

In the colonial period, the port of [[San Blas, Nayarit|San Blas]] was one of the most important trade ports on the American Pacific coast. [[Galleon]]s transporting goods from Manila, the Philippines arrived here before the rise of the port of [[Acapulco]].{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} Today, the town still boasts [[Architecture of Mexico#Colonial Period|colonial architecture]] from its heyday, such as the ''aduana'' (customs office), the ''contaduría'' (accounting offices) and the fortress that protected the port against pirates.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

In Nayarit, the struggle for independence from Spain was initiated by the priest José María Mercado, who conquered Tepic and San Blas before being defeated and executed by Spanish royalists. In 1824, in the first constitution of the Mexican Republic, Nayarit was a part of [[Jalisco]]. {{citation needed|date=January 2018}} In the mid-1800s Comanche Indians, from Texas and Oklahoma, [[Comanche history#Raiding Mexico: 1779–1870|attacked Tepic]] causing widespread destruction. During the second half of the 19th century, Nayarit was one of the most turbulent territories in Mexico. The population was in open revolt, demanding access to land.<ref>{{cite book |author=Morales, Leopoldo R. |title=El Nayarit de los años del general Romano: la historia documental de un gobernante |publisher=Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit |year=2001 |page=5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HqVvqxKbCh8C&pg=PA5}}</ref>

Nayarit was one of the last territories admitted as a state of the Mexican federation, which occurred on May 1, 1917.<ref name="Congreso">{{cite web |title=Nayarit y Su History ("Nayarit and Its History") |work=H. Congreso del Estado de Nayarit |url=http://proleg.congresonay.gob.mx/seccion/nayarit_historia.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714174322/http://proleg.congresonay.gob.mx/seccion/nayarit_historia.php |archive-date=2014-07-14}}</ref>

== Geography ==
{{see also|Sierra Madre Occidental}}
[[File:Sayulita-nanzalview.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Sayulita]] on Nayarit's Pacific coast, a former fishing village now mostly given over to tourism, part of the area now marketed as "La [[Riviera Nayarit]]"]]
Nayarit covers {{convert|27815|km2|sqmi|sp=us}}, making it one of the smaller states in Mexico.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elbalero.gob.mx/kids/explora/html/nayarit/orografia.html |title=Gov Mx |website=elbalero.gob.mx |access-date=16 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235141/http://www.elbalero.gob.mx/kids/explora/html/nayarit/orografia.html |archive-date=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Nayarit is located between latitude lines 23°05' north and 20°36' south and longitude lines 103°43' east and 105°46' west.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mapserver.inegi.gob.mx/geografia/espanol/estados/nay/ubic_geo.cfm?c=442&e=18&CFID=1633637&CFTOKEN=14686722 |title=Map Gov Mx |website=inegi.gob.mx |access-date=16 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301012622/http://mapserver.inegi.gob.mx/geografia/espanol/estados/nay/ubic_geo.cfm?c=442&e=18&CFID=1516608&CFTOKEN=24932775 |archive-date=1 March 2007 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Its terrain is broken up by the western ends of the [[Sierra Madre Occidental]] mountains. Its highest mountains are: [[Sierra de San Juan|San Juan]], [[Sanguangüey]], [[El Ceboruco]], [[Cumbre de Pajaritos]] and [[Picachos]].<ref name=infoplease>[http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0835046.html "Nayarit"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070217150930/http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0835046.html |date=17 February 2007 }} in ''The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia'', 6th ed. 2012, Columbia University Press</ref> Nayarit has two volcanoes, [[Ceboruco]] and [[Sangangüey]]. In the northeast are broad, tropical plains watered by the [[Río Grande de Santiago]], a continuation of the [[Lerma River]]. The main state rivers are the [[Río Grande de Santiago]], [[San Pedro Mezquital River|San Pedro Mezquital]], [[Acaponeta]], [[Río Ameca|Ameca]], and [[Río Las Cañas|Las Cañas]]. The Río Grande de Santiago is the largest river in Nayarit. The Santiago and its tributaries are of major importance for agricultural irrigation. The Ameca and the Las Cañas lie on the border between Nayarit and the states of [[Jalisco]] and [[Sinaloa]], respectively. Notable [[lagoons]] in Nayarit include [[Santa María del Oro, Nayarit|Santa María del Oro]], [[San Pedro Lagunillas]] and [[Agua Brava]].<ref>{{cite book |chapter=Nayarit |author=Pasztor, Suzanne B. |editor=Saragoza, Alex |display-editors=etal |title=Mexico Today: An Encyclopedia of Life in the Republic, Volume 1 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2012 |isbn=9780313349485 |page=459 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v49ppkhgtjMC&pg=PA459}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Fernández, Marina Anguiano |title=Nayarit: costa y altiplanicie en el momento del contacto |publisher=Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) |year=1992 |isbn=9789683616067 |page=27 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2mKWnGSG9gC&pg=PA27 |language=es}}</ref>

=== Municipalities ===
Nayarit – as with all states of Mexico – is geographically divided into [[municipalities of Mexico|municipalities]] ''([[Municipio (Mexico)|municipios]])'', creating twenty [[municipalities of Nayarit|municipalities in Nayarit]]:

{{columns-list|colwidth=22em|
* [[Acaponeta]]
* [[Ahuacatlán (municipality of Nayarit)|Ahuacatlán]]
* [[Amatlán de Cañas (municipality)|Amatlán de Cañas]]
* [[Bahía de Banderas]]
* [[Compostela (municipality)|Compostela]]
* [[El Nayar]]
* [[Huajicori (municipality)|Huajicori]]
* [[Ixtlán del Río (municipality)|Ixtlán del Río]]
* [[Jala (municipality)|Jala]]
* [[La Yesca]]
* [[Rosamorada (municipality)|Rosamorada]]
* [[Ruiz (municipality)|Ruíz]]
* [[San Blas (municipality)|San Blas]]
* [[San Pedro Lagunillas (municipality)|San Pedro Lagunillas]]
* [[Santa María del Oro (municipality)|Santa María del Oro]]
* [[Santiago Ixcuintla (municipality)|Santiago Ixcuintla]]
* [[Tecuala (municipality)|Tecuala]]
* [[Tepic (municipality)|Tepic]]
* [[Tuxpan, Nayarit|Tuxpan]]
* [[Xalisco (municipality)|Xalisco]]
}}

=== Environment ===
Nayarit's natural vegetation varies with altitude; coastal lowlands and river valleys were, historically, covered with tropical dry forest, containing many native deciduous trees that lost their leaves during the dry seasons. The [[Sinaloan dry forests]] now cover the northern coastal lowlands, and extend up the valleys of the [[San Pedro Mezquital River]] and the [[Río Grande de Santiago]] and its tributaries.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Sinaloan dry forests|id=nt0228}}</ref> The [[Jalisco dry forests]] ecoregion covers coastal Nayarit south of [[San Blas, Nayarit|San Blas]] and the Islas Marías.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Jalisco dry forests|id=nt0217}}</ref>

The [[Marismas Nacionales–San Blas mangroves]], a network of coastal Pacific lagoons and tidal mangrove forests, extend along the state's northern coast and into adjacent Sinaloa state. The mangroves are home to abundant wildlife, including migratory and resident waterbirds.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Marismas Nacionales/San Blas mangroves|id=nt1420}}</ref>

The mountains are home to [[Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests|pine–oak forests]], which vary in density with elevation. Oak forests and woodlands tend to grow at lower elevations, interspersed with smaller areas of humid cloud forest in areas of higher rainfall. The highest elevations contain forests of conifers, pines and oak.<ref>{{WWF ecoregion|name=Sierra Madre Occidental pine–oak forests|id=nt0302}}</ref>

Nayarit also contains hundreds of miles of rainforest in the Sierra. Its wildlife includes hundreds of [[bird]] species, both resident and breeding/migratory populations, including parrots, like the [[lilac-crowned amazon]] (''Amazona finschi'') and numerous hummingbirds, such as the [[Mexican woodnymph]] (''Thalurania ridgwayi''). There are also 119 registered species of mammals, including [[white-tailed deer]] (''Odocoileus virginianus''), [[collared peccary]] (''Dicotyles tajacu''), [[brocket deer]] (''Mazama americana''), several types of [[armadillo]], [[coyote]], wild felines such as [[Felis concolor|puma]] (''Felis concolor''), [[jaguarundi]] (''Puma yagouarundi''), [[bobcat]] or ''lince rojo'', [[ocelot]] (''Felis pardalis'') and many more species. Historically, the [[Mexican wolf]], [[Mexican grizzly bear]] and [[jaguar]] would have been present in the region, as well, though the bears are now extinct; the Mexican wolf and jaguar survive today only in a few fragmented locations, due to decades of hunting and human encroachment on their habitats.<ref name="Pulido">Pulido Pérez, R. (1995). Diagnostico de la fauna silvestre en el estado de Nayarit/.{{cite web |url=http://www.ordenjuridico.gob.mx/Publicaciones/CDs2010/CDForestal/pdf/D3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-07-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006102727/http://www.ordenjuridico.gob.mx/Publicaciones/CDs2010/CDForestal/pdf/D3.pdf |archive-date=2014-10-06}}</ref> Most of the rain forest has been exploited, especially around the region of [[Santa María del Oro, Nayarit|Santa María del Oro]]. The conservation and protection of the rain forest and wildlife of Nayarit is an issue of crucial importance.<ref name="Fodor">{{cite book |editor=Kealy, Kelly |editor2=Duecy, Erica |title=Fodor's Puerto Vallarta with the Riviera Nayarit, Costalegre, and Inland Jalisco |publisher=Random House |year=2011 |isbn=9781400004829 |page=33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kU3H_0QBcsC&pg=PA33}}</ref>

The [[Islas Marías]] were designated as the [[Islas Marías Biosphere Reserve]] by [[UNESCO]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |title=Islas María |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/mexico/islas-maria/ |publisher=UNESCO |access-date=13 June 2016 |archive-date=16 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616151756/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/latin-america-and-the-caribbean/mexico/islas-maria/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Flora and fauna ===
<!---Note: The animal list has left out the iguana very distinguishable in the San Blas area; fish, oysters, and many other animals from the local river are also missing.--->
<div align=center>
<!-- galería de mapas -->
{| class="toc" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=2 width=800px style="float:center; margin: 0.5em 0.5em 0.5em 1em; padding: 0.5e"
|colspan=8 style="background:#green; color:white; font-size:100%" align=center bgcolor="green"|'''Flora and fauna of Nayarit'''
|-
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Jaguarundi.jpg|125px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Micrurus tener.jpg|125px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Bark Scorpion.jpg|125px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Aquila chrysaetos Flickr.jpg|125px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Zenaida macroura2.jpg|120px]]
|-
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Puma yagouaroundi]]'', <br /> eyra cat
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Micrurus]]'', <br /> coral snake
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Centruroides suffusus]]'', <br /> bark scorpion
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Aquila chrysaetos]]'', <br />golden eagle
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Zenaida macroura]]'', <br />mourning dove
|-
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Amazona finschi -Xcaret Eco Park -Mexico-8a.jpg|125px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Crotalus basiliscus.jpg|120px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Odocoileus hemionus 20.JPG|120px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Canis latrans.jpg|120px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Falco peregrinus - 01.jpg|120px]]
|-
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Amazona finschi]]'',<br /> lilac-crowned amazon
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Crotalus basiliscus]]'',<br /> green rattler
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Odocoileus hemionus]]'',<br /> mule deer
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Canis latrans]]'',<br /> coyote
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Falco peregrinus]]'',<br /> peregrine
|-
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Agave tequilana 1.jpg|120px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Figa de moro 01.JPG|120px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Singapore Botanic Gardens Cactus Garden 2.jpg|120px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Cylindropuntia spinosior, with flower, Albuquerque.jpg|120px]]
|align=center valign=center bgcolor="white"|[[File:Pinus ponderosa 9681.JPG|120px]]
|-
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Agave tequilana]]'',<br /> tequila agave
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Opuntia ficus-indica]]'',<br /> cactus pear
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Echinocactus grusonii]]'',<br /> golden barrel cactus
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Cylindropuntia imbricata]]'',<br /> cane cholla
|style="background:#e9e9e9;" align=center|''[[Pinus ponderosa]]'',<br /> ponderosa pine
|-
|}
</div>
{{clear}}

== Education ==
[[File:Ixtlán.jpg|thumb|right|Archeological zone of Los Toriles]]
*[[Instituto Tecnológico de Tepic]]
*[[Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit]]
*[[Universidad Tecnólogica de Nayarit]]
*[[Universidad Tecnólogica de la Costa]]
*[[Escuela Normal Superior de Nayarit]]: a [[normal school]] (for teachers)
*[[Universidad Vizcaya de Las Americas]]
*Escuela Secundaria Técnica No. 51 (Emilio M. Gonzalez)
{{clear}}

== Demographics ==
=== Largest cities===
{{Largest cities
| country = Nayarit
| stat_ref = Source:<ref name=NAYARITINEGI>{{cite web |url=https://inegi.org.mx/contenidos/programas/ccpv/2020/tabulados/cpv2020_b_nay_01_poblacion.xlsx |title=Censo Nayarit 2020 |access-date=22 May 2023 |archive-date=16 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516140357/https://www.inegi.org.mx/contenidos/programas/ccpv/2020/tabulados/cpv2020_b_nay_01_poblacion.xlsx |url-status=live }}</ref>
| list_by_pop =
| div_name = 
| div_link = Municipalities of Nayarit{{!}}Municipality
| city_1 = Tepic| div_1 =Tepic| pop_1 = 371,387| img_1 = Catedral_de_Tepic,_Nayarit,_MEXICO.jpg
| city_2 = Xalisco| div_2 =Xalisco| pop_2 = 48,170| img_2 = Presidencia_Municipal_de_Xalisco,_Nayarit,_MEXICO.jpg
| city_3 = San Vicente, Nayarit{{!}}San Vicente| div_3 =Bahía de Banderas| pop_3 = 38,666| img_3 = El_colomo.jpg
| city_4 = San José del Valle, Nayarit{{!}}San José del Valle| div_4 = Bahía de Banderas| pop_4 =35,486|img_4 = Plaza_de_Valle_Dorado.jpg
| city_5 = Ixtlán del Río| div_5 = Ixtlán del Río| pop_5 =24,477
| city_6 = Mezcales| div_6 = Bahía de Banderas| pop_6 = 24,309
| city_7 = Tuxpan, Nayarit{{!}}Tuxpan| div_7 = Tuxpan, Nayarit{{!}}Tuxpan| pop_7= 22,013
| city_8 = Compostela, Nayarit{{!}}Compostela| div_8 =Compostela, Nayarit{{!}}Compostela| pop_8 = 20,322
| city_9 = Acaponeta| div_9 =Acaponeta| pop_9 = 19,976
| city_10 = Santiago Ixcuintla| div_10 =Santiago Ixcuintla| pop_10 = 18,023
}}
[[File:Cerro de la cruz.JPG|thumb|left|The state capital, [[Tepic]], seen from the ''Cerro de la Cruz''. Tepic is home to some 340,000 people.]]

{{Historical populations
|type =
|footnote =
|1895<ref name="inegi.org.mx"/> | 149807
|1900 | 150098
|1910 | 171173
|1921 | 163183
|1930 | 167724
|1940 | 216698
|1950 | 290124
|1960 | 389929
|1970 | 544031
|1980 | 726120
|1990 | 824643
|1995 | 896702
|2000 | 920185
|2005 | 949684
|2010 | 1084979
|2015 | 1181050
|2020 | 1235456
}}

Nayarit is Mexico's twenty-ninth most populous state. According to the census of 2020, the state had a population of 1,235,456 and its population density was 39/km<sup>2</sup>.

===Indigenous groups===
Nayarit is the home to four indigenous groups: the [[Huichol people|Wixaritari]] (Huichol), the [[Cora people|Naayeri]] (Cora), the [[Tepehuan people|Odam]] (Tepehuan) and the [[Nahuatl]]-speaking [[Mexicanero]]s. The indigenous groups mostly inhabit the Nayar highlands, but are also frequently encountered in Tepic and on the Pacific coast, where they have also established colonies. They are known for their crafts and artwork which they sell. About five percent of the state population speaks an indigenous language.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.inegi.org.mx/prod_serv/contenidos/espanol/bvinegi/productos/censos/poblacion/poblacion_indigena/leng_indi/PHLI.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119154928/http://www.inegi.org.mx/prod_serv/contenidos/espanol/bvinegi/productos/censos/poblacion/poblacion_indigena/leng_indi/PHLI.pdf |url-status=dead |title=Página no encontrada |archive-date=19 January 2013 |website=www.inegi.org.mx}}</ref>

== Economy ==
[[File:Casa Tesoro in Punta Mito Mexico.jpg|thumb|left|[[Punta Mita]] is a major tourist destination on the [[Riviera Nayarit]]]]
[[File:Shrimp fisherman.jpg|thumbnail|Shrimp fisherman on the coast of Nayarit]]
Nayarit is predominantly an agricultural state, and produces a large variety of crops such as [[bean]]s, [[sorghum]], [[sugar cane]], [[maize]], [[tobacco]], rice, chiles, [[peanut]]s, [[melon]]s, [[tomato]]es, [[coffee]], mangoes, bananas, and avocados. In addition to these crops, livestock and fishing are also central to the local economy. Approximately six percent of the land in Nayarit is pasture land, with the most common livestock being cattle, horses, pigs, [[goats]], and [[sheep]]. Nayarit has 289 kilometers of coastline, which provides an abundance of fish and shellfish, including [[Bass (fish)|bass]], [[Lutjanidae|snapper]], [[sharks]], and [[oysters]]. There are over 75 [[cooperatives]] related to the fishing industry alone in Nayarit. Much of the food produced in Nayarit is exported to the larger urban areas surrounding Mexico City and Guadalajara, and much of the agricultural labor is performed by [[migrant laborers]]. Although mining exists in Nayarit, it is mostly of non-[[metal]]lic substances such as [[limestone]] or [[kaolin]].<ref name="Standish">{{cite book |author=Standish, Peter |chapter=Nayarit |title=The States of Mexico: A Reference Guide to History and Culture |publisher=Greenwood Publishing |year=2009 |isbn=9780313342233 |pages=251–252 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSPjoQwNslAC&pg=PA251}}</ref>

Beginning in the late 90's, Nayarit has become known as a producer of [[Specialty coffee|specialty]] [[Coffea arabica|Arabica coffee]], regarded for its fine taste and high density beans grown in the volcanic soils of the [[Sierra Madre Occidental]]. Nayarit coffee is exported all over the world, including to the UK and Australia via the Grupo Terruño Nayarita farmers cooperative.<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Cristobal Coffee Importers |url=https://sancristocafe.com/source-work/ |website=sancristocafe.com |access-date=2020-05-08 |archive-date=20 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191120002405/http://www.sancristocafe.com/source-work/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In recent years, Nayarit has worked to build its tourism sector, marketing the "[[Riviera Nayarit]]" as a safe, beautiful destination served by [[Puerto Vallarta International Airport]]. Popular resort towns include [[Bucerías, Nayarit|Bucerías]], [[Punta de Mita]], [[La Cruz de Huanacaxtle]], [[San Blas, Nayarit|San Blas]], [[Santiago Ixcuintla]], [[Sayulita]] and [[Tecuala]]. However, some residents in these and other towns are concerned that the growth in the tourism industry might have harmful impacts on the community.<ref name="Standish" /> Timeshare scams with links to the local [[Mafia|Nayarit Mafia]] are quite common.<ref>{{cite web |title="Nayarit Vacation Rentals" |url=http://nayaritvacationrentals.com/1-nayarit-timeshare-scams |website=Nayarit Vacation Rentals |access-date=1 December 2016 |archive-date=1 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201080430/http://nayaritvacationrentals.com/1-nayarit-timeshare-scams |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Media==
[[List of newspapers in Mexico|Newspapers]] of Nayarit include: ''El Periódico en que Nayarit Opina Día a Día'', ''El Semanario que refleja qué hay en Nayarit'', ''Matutino Gráfico'', ''Meridiano de Nayarit'', and ''Realidades.''<ref name=SIC>{{cite web |work=Sistema de Información Cultural |publisher=Gobierno de Mexico |language=es |access-date=March 11, 2020 |url=https://sic.gob.mx/?table=impresos&disciplina=&estado_id=18 |title=Publicaciones periódicas en Nayarit |archive-date=2 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210802154429/https://sic.gob.mx/?table=impresos&disciplina=&estado_id=18 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://libguides.utsa.edu/latamnews |title=Latin American & Mexican Online News |work=Research Guides |publisher=[[University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries]] |location=US |archive-date=March 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307192643/http://libguides.utsa.edu/latamnews}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Mexico|Latin America|North America}}
*[[Ixtlán del Rio (archaeological site)]]
*[[Western Mexico shaft tomb tradition]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |author=Adams, Richard E.W. |title=Prehistoric Mesoamerica |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |year=2005 |isbn=9780806137025 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gWZ3nQ2ObtEC&pg=PA124}}
* {{Cite book |author=Flores-Verdugo, F.J. |chapter=The Tropical Pacific Coast of Mexico |editor=U. Seeliger |editor2=B. Kjerfve |title=Coastal Marine Ecosystems of Latin America |publisher=Springer |year=2000 |isbn=9783540672289 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=drF30PA45o8C&pg=PA307 |display-authors=etal}}
* {{Cite book |author=Weigand, Phil C. |chapter=Central Mexico's Influences in Jalisco and Nayarit during the Classic Period |editor=Edward M. Schortman |editor2=Patricia A. Urban |title=Resources, Power, and Interregional Interaction |publisher=Springer |year=1992 |isbn=9780306440687 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OH0-W5R4VNcC&pg=PA221}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Nayarit}}
* {{Osmrelation|2551642}}
* {{In lang|es|cap=yes}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20190503182754/http://www.nayarit.gob.mx/ Nayarit State Government]
* {{In lang|es|cap=yes}} [http://biblioteca.redescolar.ilce.edu.mx/sites/estados/libros/nayarit/html/nayar.html Breve Historia de Nayarit: Jean Meyer]{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
* {{In lang|es|cap=yes}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20061030111531/http://www.carrillopuertonayarit.com/ Portal de Carrillo Puerto Nayarit, Mexico]
* {{In lang|es|cap=yes}} [http://www.micompostela.com/ Portal de Compostela Nayarit, Mexico]

{{Nayarit}}
{{States of Mexico}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Nayarit| ]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1917]]
[[Category:States of Mexico]]