In Culiacán 360 online traffic increased significantly during the pandemic and virtual tours have become an excellent option to show the public beautiful places of interest.
The Coronavirus has kept millions of people around the world at home. In the last few weeks, students’ classes in schools and universities have been online. Work meetings, family reunions and even musical concerts take place in applications such as Zoom.
Here we present Culiacán 360, the largest virtual tour in Mexico, where we can visit a great part of our city without leaving home.
A few years ago we started Sinaloa 360, a non-profit project, in which we show the world places of interest in the state of Sinaloa.
Places that stand out for their natural beauty and for being an important part of the daily life of its habitants. We really should feel proud to live in Culiacán.
That is the only goal of Sinaloa 360…
That people who live in other parts of the country and the world, get to know all these places of our beloved Sinaloa… And that those of us who live in Sinaloa can tell our friends and family:
Sinaloa… How beautiful you are!
Culiacán 360 Home Page
The home page of Culiacán 360 is an aerial spherical photograph we took one day at sunrise in the Historic Center of Culiacán.
We lifted the drone from Plazuela Obregón and placed it 100 meters above Obregón Avenue, between Benito Juárez and Miguel Hidalgo streets.
It was a very hot morning in the rainy season, in August, with lots of clouds in the sky. This allowed us to take pictures without any harsh shadows, not too contrasty and in optimal light and color conditions. The colors that stand out the most are the yellow and orange of the sun, which is about to rise, and the blue and magenta of the clouds.
We did tests at different heights of the drone, we started with 50 meters and went up to 150 meters high. In the first pictures we could see the roofs of the buildings very close, which was not very pleasant. Generally the roofs are not pretty, there are air conditioners, stairs, gas tanks and water tanks. The architecture of the cathedral, for example, is not visible at high altitudes.
Finally we decided to take the images at 100 meters, where we had details of the buildings.
Another factor that we liked was the appreciation of distant sites of interest such as the airport and the soccer stadium.
How to browse in the Culiacán 360° virtual tour
There are two ways to navigate the Culiacán 360 virtual tour. The first is through the small icons that can be seen in each and every one of the spherical photographs.
By rolling the mouse over any icon, it becomes bigger and you can see the image and the name of the following image.
If it is not the place you wanted to go to, move the mouse to another icon. When you find the place you want to go, then click on it and enter the selected image.
The second way to navigate the Culiacán 360 virtual tour is by using the miniatures located at the top of your screen.
By moving the mouse over any miniature, you can see the image and the name of the following image.
As with the icons, when you find the site you want to go to, then click on it and enter the selected image.
How to share the Virtual Tour
We will explain in detail how you can share with your family and friends a certain section of the virtual tour. At the bottom right of the virtual tour there are four icons.
Click on the second one from right to left.
A box of options pops up. Now choose one of them; you can do this in three ways:
Sharing via your social networks on Facebook and Twitter. Sending the scene via email. If you have a website and want to insert the virtual tour in it, copy and paste the HTML code
What will you visit in Culiacán 360?
In the virtual tour Culiacán 360 you will get to know many places of our beautiful city. You will understand why Culiacán is known as the Pearl of Humaya. You will walk through parks and gardens, such as Las Riberas Park, the Asta Bandera, Orabá Island and the Culiacán Botanical Garden.
You will visit the Seminary of Culiacán, the Cathedral, the Church of Our Señora del Carmen, La Lomita and other temples. El Buen Pastor Spirituality Center. The Art Museum of Sinaloa and the Regional Museum of Sinaloa. We will make a tour through La Obregón, the main avenue of Culiacán. From La Lomita, to Las Riberas Park, passing the Cathedral and the City Hall.
We will be at Frida Kahlo Gallery and the Casa de la Cultura de la UAS. The Tomateros de Culiacán Stadium and the Dorados Stadium. The Universidad de Occidente and the Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa. The Tec de Monterrey, the Colegio de Sinaloa and the Escuela Libre de Derecho de Sinaloa (Law school of Sinaloa).
Sushi Factory and El Presidio Restaurants. The Mercado de Abastos and the Forum Shopping Center. The Garmendia Market. The famous Black Bridge and the Culiacán International Airport. You will be in a place you have surely never known…the cockpit of a volaris airplane and the radio booth of the MAXIMA 103.3 FM station.
We will be virtually in towns belonging to our municipality, Imala, with its colonial church and the hot water spa, we will visit the Sanalona Dam. And many more places…
What do you think?
How this Virtual Tour was made
It has been many months of hard work to make the Culiacán360 Virtual Tour. Getting up at dawn to take advantage of the “Blue Hour”. Getting permissions so that in some locations the shots could be taken without people, perfectly clean and illuminated. From temples and museums to the Culiacán mayor’s office.
Many hours at the computer developing, stitching, making the virtual tours. Publishing them on the website through Cloudways and Amazon Web Services servers. Managing the social media networks Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Roundme, Flickr and Pinterest. Making presentations in schools, universities, governments, with friends and everyone who wants to know how Sinaloa360 works.
But in the end it’s very fulfilling to hear the comments of acceptance from the public when they tell you…
How beautiful Culiacán is!
Use our Photos
English translation made by Isabella María Barragán Soto, student at PrepaTec Campus Sinaloa. Tecnológico de Monterrey.
