"It's already more than 80 percent done. The issue is that a few pours are missing that sit very close to the waves, and we're waiting for the sea to come down a bit so we can finish them."
That was Martín Gallardo Noriega, head of Mazatlán's municipal Public Works, speaking in mid-September about the Carpa Olivera. The same explanation fits the whole southern end of the malecón this fall. Three projects are underway along Paseo Olas Altas and Avenida del Mar: the Carpa Olivera, the monumento A la Mujer Mazatleca with its Paseo de la Fama, and the collapsed stretch beside A los Lobos Marinos. All three are moving at the pace the swell allows. The sinkhole itself was caused by the swell. City hall can approve budgets and hold tenders, but the Pacific is deciding when the work gets finished.
The Swell That Set the Calendar
On June 23, weeks of persistent mar de fondo, the long-period groundswell that built up in the Pacific through that period, opened a sinkhole of roughly 70 meters in the malecón on Avenida del Mar. It sits beside the monumento A los Lobos Marinos. Since then it has been cordoned off, and crews have packed it with balastre, a crushed-stone fill, to keep it stable. As of September 30, Gallardo Noriega said the fill had held for about 90 days and the site was still being monitored.
The swell did not stop at Lobos Marinos. On September 29, Línea Directa reported that waves had softened the lower rocky strip at Olas Altas beside the Mujer Mazatleca. Protección Civil cordoned off the area, including the pedestrian passage through it, and said the cordon would stay up during the assessment because the damage could reach the pavement. The next day, Mayor Estrella Palacios Domínguez said a new sinkhole had opened a few meters from the same monument. Municipal Public Works will repair it with city funds, as it already did on a stretch next to the Facultad de Ciencias del Mar.
So in early October there are fenced sections at both ends of the Olas Altas stretch, and both were caused by the ocean.
Three Sites, Three Different Kinds of "Almost"
From the sidewalk, all three projects look alike: barriers, rebar, crews. On paper they are at very different stages.
| Site | Latest reported status | Budget figure in latest report | Target date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sinkhole beside A los Lobos Marinos | Zofemat approved the project; public tender started | MXN 8.7 million | None given |
| Mujer Mazatleca and Paseo de la Fama | More than 80% complete as of Sept 30 | MXN 3.4 million awarded, before VAT | Possibly November |
| Carpa Olivera | More than 80% complete as of Sept 15 | MXN 1.7 million | No reopening date |
The two sites at 80% are close to finished and are waiting on the last pours near the water. The sinkhole has not started construction. Its 8.7 million pesos is the largest of the three budgets, and it is the furthest from completion.
What 101 Piles Means for the Lobos Marinos Stretch
The repair plan is far more than a resurfacing. Public Works has laid out a sequence for the 70-meter section:
- Award the public tender, which was underway as of September 30.
- Drive 101 piles, each 18 meters deep.
- Pour a foundation beam, a dala de desplante, across the tops of the piles.
- Build the retaining wall that will carry the rebuilt walkway.
Gallardo Noriega said the goal is to give this section a "very, very long" life. The design goes far below the paving, and that explains much of the timeline. Approval from the Zofemat committee, which manages Mexico's federal coastal strip, was needed before the money could be released. By the time Punto MX reported on September 29, more than three months after the collapse, Palacios Domínguez said the committee had signed off. No start date for construction had been announced as of September 30. Until a contractor is chosen and crews are on site, the Lobos Marinos section stays fenced.
The same report mentioned more waterfront work in the pipeline. The city says it has about 34 million pesos available in Zofemat funds, which it hopes to secure for beach infrastructure. Studies are underway for better beach access and new restrooms near the Monumento al Pescador. For now these are plans, with nothing yet under construction.
The Mujer Mazatleca Is the Only One With a Party Planned
Of the three, the Mujer Mazatleca and the Paseo de la Fama are closest to the finish. When the project was announced in May, it was scheduled to start the first week of June and take about 60 days. Work actually began on July 28, when crews started lifting the concrete and the stars. By September 30 it was past 80%, and the mayor said it could be done in November.
The finished area is meant to look familiar. According to El Sol de Mazatlán, the stars will stay in the pavement. Existing stars are being remade, a few new ones added, and the walkway finish will match the wave pattern of the main malecón. The statue is being preserved and cosmetically restored, with seasonal lighting added. The September update also listed new benches, new lighting, a retaining wall and ornamental planting areas.
The contract went to engineer Miguel David Morales Bueso for MXN 3,402,901.32 before VAT. That is lower than the MXN 4.2 million first announced in May.
In May, the mayor also promised a free, large-scale reopening festival as part of the Festival de la Paz. She said the federal government would cover the cost of the invited artists, and two new stars would go to figures tied to Mazatlán's music and culture. No date, artist or honorees have been announced since. Any festival date depends on finishing the work, and the softened rocky strip and new sinkhole right next to the monument could still change that.
The Carpa Olivera Is Waiting for Low Water
For years, the Carpa Olivera has been where the malecón meets the sea directly, with a seawater pool built into the rocks at Olas Altas. Its rehabilitation reached 80% around the same time as the Mujer Mazatleca. What's left is the most exposed part of the job. The final pours sit right at the waterline, and the swell has forced crews to stop work near the sea several times.
The work so far covers floors and walls, restored restrooms, plaster and paint, and landscaping. Repairs to the pool and its hydraulic system were still listed as upcoming in mid-September. The scope announced in May also included the toboggan and slide, a potable-water connection and more durable materials. In May, Punto MX put the expected duration at two to two and a half months. That estimate has been passed.
The budget has also changed with almost every report. In April, El Sol de Mazatlán described an early projection of MXN 4 to 5 million. May reports put it at 2 million, and the September 15 update gave 1.7 million for this phase.
The city says it plans to arrange for staff to be on site to look after visitors once the Carpa reopens. As of September 15, though, no reopening date had been set, because finishing depends mainly on the swell. None of the reports confirm that swimming will resume when the gates open.
The Dates That Will Hold
With every waterfront date hanging on the swell, the dates that are actually fixed this month are on the cultural calendar. The Festival Cultural Sinaloa runs October 15 to 25 across the state. Its Mazatlán closing event is José Alfredo Jiménez Jr.'s Así fue mi padre at Paseo del Centenario on October 25, at the northern edge of the Olas Altas waterfront.
Two blocks inland, these are the dates already on the calendar:
- October 16, 7 p.m. A Beatles tribute at Teatro Ángela Peralta, part of the state festival.
- October 17, 3 to 7 p.m. Café El Marino's first Mazatlán Coffee Experience at La Casona de La Machado, with tastings, latte-art stations and music.
- October 18, 7 p.m. Leïla Ka's contemporary dance work Maldonne at Teatro Ángela Peralta.
- October 30. Lola Grande, a tribute to Lola Beltrán, at Casa Haas.
Several of this year's Centro openings are within walking distance of the fenced sections. Café El Marino opened its new "Cafetería de Origen" beside the cathedral, on 21 de Marzo between Guillermo Nelson and 5 de Mayo. On the same street, at 21 de Marzo #613, Hashi Wine Bar serves omakase in three sizes: MXN 600 for three courses, 800 for five and 1,200 for seven. It has 19 seats and is open Wednesday through Sunday. Closer to Playa Sur, Plaza Doña Carmen at Romanita de la Peña #114 has turned a school that sat empty for eight years into a food hall. Trattoria Villa Fratelli opened first, and the Nikkei restaurant Makoto followed in April.
The Día de Muertos program for Centro had not been published as of early October. Last year's route and dates are not a reliable guide for 2026.
On the waterfront, the next useful update will be the tender result for Lobos Marinos. That is the step that has to happen before any of the 101 piles go in.
If the Olas Altas end of the malecón is your daily walk, these projects will shape what that stretch looks like for years. Stefan Schmitt and the Riviera Maya Homes team follow Mazatlán's waterfront projects as they move from tender to construction. Schedule a personalized consultation to talk through what the Olas Altas work means for property near Paseo Olas Altas and Centro Histórico.
