Qibla direction in Lázaro Cárdenas

How to face the Qibla in Lázaro Cárdenas

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 45.0° towards east: the result is the bearing of 45.0°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “north” would be off by more than 40°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Lázaro Cárdenas.

The scholars distinguish two cases: the one who sees the Kaaba aims at the building itself, while the one who cannot see it, as anywhere in Lázaro Cárdenas, aims at its direction as well as he reasonably can. Comparing with the mihrab of a local mosque is a quick way to confirm the result. If you travel or move house, check the angle again, since it changes from place to place.

Why a flat map shows a different direction

This is a place where maps mislead badly: a straight line on a flat map from Lázaro Cárdenas to Mecca points to 88.5° (east), a full 43.6° away from the true Qibla of 45.0° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 879 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Lázaro Cárdenas first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 45.0° is the direction in which the shortest route from 17.9626° N, 102.1989° W sets off towards the Kaaba at 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. Every accurate Qibla calculator, and the plans of well-oriented mosques, arrive at the same angle for this point.

Distance from Lázaro Cárdenas to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 13,992 km from Lázaro Cárdenas as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 13,739 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 16 h 58 min, although most pilgrims from Lázaro Cárdenas connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Lázaro Cárdenas run 9 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Lázaro Cárdenas rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Lázaro Cárdenas

On 81 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Lázaro Cárdenas while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in July (31 days); for example, on 15 May 2027 it happens at 12:41 local time.

On 283 days the sun stands exactly opposite the Qibla: then the shadow of any vertical object, a pole, a door frame or a plumb line, points straight towards Mecca. This is most frequent in January (31 days), for instance on 1 January 2027 at 15:31.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Lázaro Cárdenas (03:18 and 03:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 15:29 and 28 November 2027 at 15:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Lázaro Cárdenas points straight to Mecca.

Lázaro Cárdenas compared with other cities

Compared with Mexico City, 362 km away, the Qibla in Lázaro Cárdenas is turned 1.7° further anticlockwise (45.0° against 46.6°), and Mecca is 345 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Apatzingán (126 km), prays towards 44.3°, a difference of 0.7°.

Across the 99 cities in Mexico on this site, the Qibla ranges from 25.5° in Rosarito to 54.2° in Chetumal, a spread of 28.7°. That is too large to use one national direction, so each city has its own bearing.

See all cities on the Qibla page for Mexico.

Qibla in cities near Lázaro Cárdenas

• Apatzingán44.3° · 126 km
• Uruapan44.3° · 162 km
• Colima43.1° · 214 km
• Morelia44.9° · 221 km
• Zamora43.9° · 225 km
• Ciudad Guzmán43.1° · 235 km