Estado de Occidente (also known as
Sonora y Sinaloa) was a Mexican state established in 1824. The constitution was drafted in that year and the government was initially established with its capital at
El Fuerte, Sinaloa. The first governor was Juan Miguel Riesgo. The state consisted of modern
Sonora and
Sinaloa, and also modern
Arizona more or less south of the
Gila River (although in much of this area the Yaqui,
Pima,
Apaches, and other native inhabitants did not recognize the authority of the state),