Culiacán is a city in northwestern Mexico , was founded in 1531, the capital of and biggest city in the state of Sinaloa . With a total population of 745,532 reaching almost a million, it is the 15th largest city in the country.

The city is located in a fertile valley where the Río Tamazula and Río Humaya rivers meet to form the Río Culiacán , and is located 54 m above sea level. It is placed in the center of the state with almost equal distant to the other urban centers of the state: Los Mochis to the north, and Mazatlán to the south. Culiacán is a sister city of Saint Paul , Minnesota , USA . Average year temperature is 24°C , with minimum of 2°C and reaching as high as 47°C in summer.

The city existing today was founded in 1531 by the Spanish captain Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán and named San Miguel de Culiacán. Experts do not agree on the meaning of the name, but it apparently comes from the word colhuacan , which can mean "place where roads turn", "place of snakes", but traditionally the most accepted translation would be "place of those who adore the god Coltzin ". Before the Spaniards arrival, this site had been a small Indian settlement since 628 when passing Aztecs had first founded it.

The city is home of two professional league sport teams: baseball with los Tomateros de Culiacán from the Liga Mexicana del Pacífico and soccer with Los Dorados de Sinaloa from Federación Mexicana de Futbol . Duck , dove and goose hunting season goes from early november through march. Culiacán also holds a yearly international marathon.

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