On April 8, 2024, '99% totality' does not exist! Why you need to get to the path for April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse
REMEMBER to NEVER look at telescopes and binoculars must have solar filters placed in front of their lenses.
The path of totality through Mexico
Many international eclipse chasers are bound for Mexico (Image credit: Michael Zeiler/GreatAmericanEclipse.com)The shadow of the moon will first strike Earth about 370 miles (600 kilometers) off the west coast of Mexico at Isla Socorro — a diver's paradise for sharks, humpback whales and enormous manta rays — before visiting three of the Islas Marías just 60 miles (100 km) from the mainland. Mazatlán, on the country's western coast, will be the first region of mainland Mexico to experience totality, followed by Durango, Torreón and Monclova as the path tracks northeast toward the U.S. border at Piedras Negras.
Total solar eclipse timings for Mexico
Are you lost when it comes to eclipse maps?
(Image credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)Our solar eclipse anywhere in the path of totality with clear skies, some spots stand out. Here are the best places in Mexico to see the 2024 total solar eclipse.
1. Malecón de Mazatlán
Mazatlán Malecón; Mazatlán, Sinaloa
Local time and duration of totality: 11:07 a.m. MST; 4 minutes, 16 seconds
There's a high chance that the first place to experience totality will also have the best views. A colonial beach town in northwest Mexico that plays second fiddle to the likes of Cancún and Los Cabos, the heart and soul of Mazatlán (population 500,000) has the malecón, a 4-mile (7 km) paved boardwalk lined with sandy beaches that are sure to be packed on eclipse day.
"We will have 10 or 12 stations along the malecón for local people and visitors, each with astronomers and solar telescopes, where we will give out according to timeanddate.com.
2. El Faro Lighthouse
El Faro Lighthouse; Mazatlán, Sinaloa
Local time and duration of totality: 11:07 a.m. MST; 4 minutes, 18 seconds
If you're in Mazatlán and you're after particularly scenic views, head for El Faro Lighthouse, the highest lighthouse in the Americas, in the city's port area. "El Faro Lighthouse, a landmark of Mazatlán, will be a wonderful place to enjoy the event," Estrella Palacios Domínguez, secretary of tourism for the state, told Space.com in an email.
Be prepared to hike for about 25 minutes up a gravel path that includes 336 paved steps. At the top, there's a glass-bottomed lookout, Mirador El Faro, that costs 20 Mexican pesos (around $1). It's been cloudy here on April 8 about 28% of the time since 2000, according to timeanddate.com.
4. Torreón
Torreón
Location: Torreón, Coahuila
Local time and duration of totality: 12:16 p.m. CST; 4 minutes, 11 seconds
An industrial city in the Mexican state of Coahuila, Torreón (population 735,000), located on the Mexican Plateau, isn't exactly the dream place to experience totality. It's also got far fewer hotels than Mazatlán. However, its position on the arid Mexican Plateau makes it likely to have clear skies. It would make sense to drive an hour north from Torreón to maximize totality, though southwest of Torreón, on the centerline, are the rugged Sierra de Nazas mountains (famous for hiking and camping) and the Cañon de Fernández, a canyon carved by the Nazas River. It's been cloudy in Torreón on April 8 about 27% of the time since 2000, according to timeanddate.com.
5. Durango
according to timeanddate.com.
6. Concordia
Concordia
Location: Concordia, Sinaloa
Local time and duration of totality: 11:08 a.m. MST; 4 minutes, 26 seconds
About an hour southeast of Mazatlán, in the foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains, is the village of Concordia (population 9,000), one of the oldest colonial cities in Sinaloa and another "pueblo mágico." Attractions include wide cobblestone streets and colonial buildings — notably, the 18th-century church of San Sebastián. It's also where the Mazatlán Astronomical Society goes stargazing.
"It's a small rural community with according to timeanddate.com.
7. Cuatrociénegas Biosphere Reserve
Photographers hoping to capture reflections of the eclipse in water and anyone interested in birds' reactions to sudden darkness could consider Poza Azúl, the best of a series of bright turquoise lakes. Part of the Cuatrociénegas Biosphere Reserve, it's about an hour's drive west of Monclova, an industrial city just inside the southern limit of the path of totality. It's been cloudy here on April 8 about 29% of the time since 2000, 
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