Los Mochis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Los Mochis
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Municipal seat
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 Los Mochis
Location in Sinaloa
Los Mochis
Location in Mexico
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| Country |  Mexico |
| State | Sinaloa |
| Municipality | Ahome |
| Founded in | 1893 |
| Elevation | 10 m (30 ft) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 256,613 (124,228 males 132,385 females) |
| Metro area GDP (PPP, constant 2015 values) | |
| • Year | 2023 |
| • Total | $7.3 billion |
| • Per capita | $21,900 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain Standard Time) |
Los Mochis (pronounced los MO-chees) is a lively coastal city in northern Sinaloa, Mexico. It is the main city of the Ahome area. In 2010, about 362,613 people lived there.
Los Mochis is the starting point for the famous Chihuahua-Pacific Railroad, also known as El Chepe. This train travels through the beautiful Copper Canyon. The railway was planned to connect cattle markets in Kansas City with the Pacific Ocean port of Topolobampo.
Today, Los Mochis is a major farming area. It grows crops like sugar cane, cotton, rice, and many kinds of vegetables. It's also one of Mexico's biggest producers of mangoes. The city has its own airport, Los Mochis Airport. Nearby, Topolobampo is a very important port for fishing and shipping goods around the world.
Contents
History of Los Mochis
How Los Mochis Began
Los Mochis gets its name from the word mochim. This word means "earth turtle" in the Cahitan languages. It also refers to the flowers of the Boerhavia coccinea plant.
The city was started in 1893 by a group of American people. They followed the ideas of Albert Kimsey Owen, an American engineer. Owen built the first irrigation ditches in the valley. His group wanted to create a perfect society based on utopian socialism. This community lasted for 31 years.
Albert K. Owen loved Ohuira Bay. He dreamed of a future city where trains and ships would meet to send goods worldwide. Today, the port city of Topolobampo is still growing, working towards Owen's dream.
The Sugar Industry and City Growth
A businessman named Benjamin F. Johnston helped found the city. He came to Topolobampo because of Owen's city plans. Johnston saw a chance to make money from growing sugarcane. He teamed up with Edward Lycan to build a sugar mill.
This mill was first called "El Águila Sugar Refining Company." Later, it became "United Sugar Company." In 1898, Johnston started building the sugar mill. The city quickly grew around it. The first sugar harvest happened in 1903.
Johnston was a very powerful businessman. He even designed the streets of Los Mochis. He planned a modern city with wide, straight roads. Los Mochis officially became a city in 1903.
Becoming the Municipal Seat
In 1916, the town of Ahome was established. By 1935, Los Mochis became the main city, or municipal seat, of Ahome. Today, Los Mochis is the main business center for the entire Valle del Fuerte region. Its influence reaches parts of the neighboring state of Sonora and other towns in Sinaloa.
The city's economy first grew because of the sugar industry. But now, it relies on advanced farming methods used across northwestern Mexico.
Local people in La Villa de Ahome wanted their own municipality. They wanted to be separate from El Fuerte. They achieved this on January 5, 1917. The municipality of Ahome was officially created on December 20, 1917. La Villa de Ahome was named its head.
In 1918, Florencio A. Valdés became the first elected mayor. The city council later decided to move the municipal seat to Los Mochis. This was because Los Mochis had grown much larger than La Villa de Ahome. The move happened on April 1, 1935. Since then, Los Mochis has continued to grow and develop.
Geography and Climate
What is the Climate Like in Los Mochis?
Los Mochis has a semi-arid climate, which means it's mostly dry but gets some rain. It's also very hot. Summers are extremely hot, often reaching 40 °C (104 °F). Nights are warm, around 26 °C (79 °F), and feel humid. The heat can feel even hotter, up to 45 °C (113 °F) during the day.
Winters are very warm, reaching 30 °C (86 °F) during the day. The coldest temperature ever recorded was 2.5 °C (36 °F) in January 1971. Most rain falls in the summer, with thunderstorms and even hurricanes in August and September. Winters are dry with very little rain.
| Climate data for Los Mochis (1951–2010) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 36.0 (96.8) |
38.5 (101.3) |
40.0 (104.0) |
40.0 (104.0) |
43.0 (109.4) |
44.0 (111.2) |
45.0 (113.0) |
47.5 (117.5) |
48.0 (118.4) |
43.0 (109.4) |
40.0 (104.0) |
36.0 (96.8) |
48.0 (118.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.1 (79.0) |
27.7 (81.9) |
29.7 (85.5) |
32.5 (90.5) |
35.2 (95.4) |
37.1 (98.8) |
37.6 (99.7) |
37.5 (99.5) |
36.7 (98.1) |
35.2 (95.4) |
30.7 (87.3) |
26.5 (79.7) |
32.7 (90.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 18.9 (66.0) |
19.9 (67.8) |
21.5 (70.7) |
24.0 (75.2) |
26.8 (80.2) |
30.1 (86.2) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.3 (88.3) |
30.7 (87.3) |
28.4 (83.1) |
23.4 (74.1) |
19.5 (67.1) |
25.5 (77.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 11.7 (53.1) |
12.1 (53.8) |
13.3 (55.9) |
15.5 (59.9) |
18.4 (65.1) |
23.1 (73.6) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.2 (77.4) |
24.7 (76.5) |
21.6 (70.9) |
16.1 (61.0) |
12.6 (54.7) |
18.3 (64.9) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) |
4.5 (40.1) |
6.0 (42.8) |
9.0 (48.2) |
11.0 (51.8) |
13.0 (55.4) |
20.0 (68.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
13.0 (55.4) |
12.0 (53.6) |
7.0 (44.6) |
4.0 (39.2) |
2.5 (36.5) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 14.7 (0.58) |
8.0 (0.31) |
3.1 (0.12) |
0.5 (0.02) |
0.8 (0.03) |
6.3 (0.25) |
48.2 (1.90) |
87.5 (3.44) |
92.4 (3.64) |
33.4 (1.31) |
17.8 (0.70) |
18.8 (0.74) |
331.5 (13.05) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 6.4 | 8.6 | 5.8 | 2.5 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 31.9 |
| Source: Servicio Meteorológico Nacional | |||||||||||||
Sports in Los Mochis
Los Mochis is famous for its love of sports. The city has excellent sports facilities called Ciudades Deportivas. These places help people get involved in sports. There are two large facilities with:
- running tracks
- swimming pools
- tennis courts
- baseball fields
- a football stadium that can hold 11,000 people
The city is home to the Mexican Pacific League's Cañeros de Los Mochis baseball team. The local football team is called the Murciélagos de Los Mochis. The basketball team is known as the Pioneros.
Professional Boxing Champions
Los Mochis is known as one of Mexico's best cities for boxing. Many World Champions and undefeated boxers come from here.
Transportation in Los Mochis
The Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico train offers daily trips to Chihuahua, Chihuahua in north-central Mexico. This train also carries goods. It connects to the port city of Topolobampo.
| Preceding station | Ferromex | Following station | ||
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| Terminus | Chepe Regional | Sufragio
toward Chihuahua
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| Chepe Express | El Fuerte
toward Creel-Sierra Tarahumara
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| Former services | ||||
| Preceding station |  Ferrocarriles Nacionales de México |
Following station | ||
| Topolobampo
Terminus
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El Chepe | Constancia
toward Ojinaga
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Los Mochis is located on Mexican Federal Highway 15. This is a major road that runs north to south from Nogales to Mexico City.
The city's airport offers flights to Mexico's biggest cities. Several airlines use this airport.
Famous People from Los Mochis
Los Mochis is the hometown of many talented individuals, including:
- Jorge "Travieso" Arce: A boxer who was the first Mexican to win World Championships in four different weight classes.
- Francisco Arce Armenta: A boxer who competed for a title in the Featherweight division.
- Sergio Arias: A football player for C.D. Chivas USA and a World Champion with the Mexican U-17 National team.
- Luis Ayala: A former professional baseball pitcher who played for many teams.
- Miguel Beltrán Jr.: A boxer who competed for a title in the Lightweight division.
- Edwin Borboa: A football player for the Potros Neza.
- Omar Bravo: A football player for Club Deportivo Guadalajara and the Mexico national team.
- Juan Castro: A shortstop who played for several teams in Major League Baseball.
- Hugo Cázares: A boxer who won World Championships in two different weight classes.
- Daniel Cota: A boxer who competed for a title in the Heavyweight division.
- Jorge Cota: A Light Middleweight boxer.
- Antonio DeMarco: A boxer and former WBC Lightweight Champion.
- Carlos Fierro: A football player for the Chivas de Guadalajara and a winner of the 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
- Denisse Guerrero: The lead singer of the Mexican electropop band Belanova.
- Laura Harring: A Mexican actress and former Miss USA (1985).
- Teddy Higuera: A former pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers in Major League Baseball.
- Joel Huiqui: A football player for the Monarcas Morelia and the Mexico national team.
- Enrique Jackson: A politician.
- Roberto Jordan: A singer from the 1960s.
- Francisco Labastida: A politician who ran for president of Mexico in 2000.
- Rosalva Luna Ruiz: Crowned Nuestra Belleza México 2003.
- Mahonri Montes: A professional boxer.
- Fernando "Cochulito" Montiel: A boxer who won five world titles in three different weight classes.
- Andrés Muñoz: A pitcher for the Seattle Mariners.
- Javier Orozco: A football player for the Santos Laguna.
- Juan Carlos Sánchez Jr.: A boxer who competed for a title in the Super Flyweight division.
- Humberto "Zorrita" Soto: A boxer who won World Championships in three different weight classes.
- Humberto Soto: An undefeated Heavyweight boxer.
- Jesús Soto Karass: A boxer who competed for a title in the Welterweight division.
- José Félix Jr.: A professional Lightweight boxer.
- José Luis Soto Karass: A boxer in the Light Welterweight division.
- Hugo Ruiz: A former WBA bantamweight champion.
- Carlos Urías: A boxer who competed for a title in the Welterweight division.
- Alma López: An artist and lecturer.
Sister cities
See also
In Spanish: Los Mochis para niños
