Qibla direction in Mazatlán

How to face the Qibla in Mazatlán

Stand where you will pray and find north first. Then turn towards north and move a further 38.9° towards east: the result is the bearing of 38.9°. Because the angle sits far from the cardinal points, a rough guess such as “north” would be off by more than 30°, which is why a measured bearing matters in Mazatlán.

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 Mazatlán, 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 Mazatlán to Mecca points to 90.8° (east), a full 51.9° away from the true Qibla of 38.9° (north-east). The map line keeps one compass heading and is 1,193 km longer than the great-circle route. Because the Earth is a sphere, the shortest way to Mecca from Mazatlán first heads north-east, and that is the direction to face.

The value of 38.9° is the direction in which the shortest route from 23.2216° N, 106.4189° 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 Mazatlán to Mecca and Medina

Mecca is 13,850 km from Mazatlán as the crow flies, and Medina, the city of the Prophet ﷺ, is 13,569 km away. A direct flight would take roughly 16 h 48 min, although most pilgrims from Mazatlán connect through Jeddah or Medina airport.

Clocks in Mazatlán run 10 hours behind Mecca all year. Prayer times, however, depend on the sun at your own location, so always use the prayer times of Mazatlán rather than those of Mecca.

Finding the Qibla with the sun in Mazatlán

On 15 days of 2027, the sun passes exactly through the Qibla direction of Mazatlán while it is well above the horizon. At that moment, facing the sun means facing Mecca. The effect is most frequent in June (15 days); for example, on 15 June 2027 it happens at 12:06 local time.

On 344 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 14:30.

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, on 28 May 2027 and 16 July 2027. Both happen at night in Mazatlán (02:18 and 02:27 local time), so they cannot be used here. Instead, on 13 January 2027 at 14:29 and 28 November 2027 at 14:09 the sun is over the point opposite the Kaaba, and every vertical shadow in Mazatlán points straight to Mecca.

Mazatlán compared with other cities

Compared with Mexico City, 865 km away, the Qibla in Mazatlán is turned 7.7° further anticlockwise (38.9° against 46.6°), and Mecca is 204 km farther away. The nearest city with its own Qibla page, Durango (200 km), prays towards 40.1°, a difference of 1.2°.

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 Mazatlán

• Durango40.1° · 200 km
• Culiacán37.4° · 202 km
• Tepic41.0° · 247 km
• Puerto Vallarta41.1° · 315 km
• San José del Cabo36.0° · 336 km
• Cabo San Lucas35.9° · 359 km