Mexico, officially the United Mexican States (Estados Unidos Mexicanos or EUM), is the second largest country of Latin America and the largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world. With an east coast on the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea and a long west coast on the Pacific Ocean it has by far the longest coastline in Latin America and, as a result, the largest number of lighthouses. Mexico is a federal union of 31 states (estados) plus the capital district, and the states are subdivided into municipalities (municipios). This page lists of lighthouses of the northwest coast of mainland Mexico in the states of Sinaloa and Sonora. This coast faces mostly on the Sea of Cortés (Gulf of California). From Mazatlán southward the coast is open to the Pacific Ocean. Tourism is a major industry on much of this coast, but only a few of the lighthouses are tourist attractions. As a result, photos and visitor information are rather scarce on the Internet. If you have information on any of the lighthouses of Mexico, or photos you would be willing to share, please let me know. In Spanish the word for a lighthouse is faro, baliza is a beacon, isla is an island, cabo is a cape, punta is a promontory or point of land, péñon is a rock, arrecife is a reef, bahía is a bay, ría is an estuary or inlet, estrecho is a strait, río is a river, and puerto is a port or harbor. Mexican lighthouses are managed by the Port Captains and Maritime Affairs Unit (Unidad de Capitanías de Puerto y Asuntos Marítimos, UNICAPAM). Many of the larger light stations are staffed by resident civilian keepers. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. CF numbers are from the Mexican Cuaderno de Faros (Handbook of Lighthouses). Admiralty numbers are from volume G of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 111.
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Sinaloa Lighthouses
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![]() Harbor Channel Range Rear Light, Mazatlan, February 2022 photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberge; used by permission |
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![]() Cerro Partido Light, Topolobampo, September 2011 ex-Panoramio photo copyright festiva88; permission requested |
Sonora Lighthouses
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![]() Yavaros Light, Yavaros, August 2016 Facebook photo by Puerto Yavaros Sonora |
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Information available on lost lighthouses: Notable faux lighthouses:
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Adjoining pages: South: West Coast | Southwest: Southwestern Baja California | Northwest: Eastern Baja California
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Posted 2003. Checked and revised January 25, 2025. Lighthouses: 44. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.