Tequila Has it All, Except the Mexican Riviera Beaches
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| GOING ON TOUR |
Story and Photos
by John and Doreen
Berg
When Mexican tourists mention Tequila, numerous images spring
to mind. Certainly, one thought that is
often overlooked is to consider Tequila as a multifaceted tourist
destination. The majority of tourists
visiting Tequila simply tour a distillery and partake of its famous drink then immediately
return to the Puerto Vallarta coastal area or to the Guadalajara region. Tequila and the surrounding countryside has
much more to offer. The inquisitive
tourist is able to plan excursions to visit exceptional museums, historical sites,
natural springs, concentrical pyramids, spherical boulders and photographical
landscapes as well as taste-testing tequila, and all at a reasonable price. What more could the intrepid tourist wish for?
Each winter season, Doreen and I abandon the damp chilling British
Columbia rains to enjoy the warm dazzling sun and clear sparkling waters of the
Mexican Riviera, Nayarit. Basking on the
beach with warm sands trickling between our toes, with pristine waters washing
against the shore, and with frequent fitness hikes continue to be our Mexican
activities. However, after a month or so
we require an alternative to enjoying our beach paradise and our decadent
lifestyle and must seek different destinations.
Last season we visited Tequila and enjoyed the town's ambiance so we
decided to revisit Tequila and expand our travel plans to include excursions to
two nearby archaeological sites: Los
Guachimontones and Piedras Bola. The
interior destinations seemed the ideal region for us to visit as we both enjoy
exploring Mexican ruins and learning more about the regional history.
An 8:30 a.m. start, saw us loading our one suitcase into the
back of our rented Jeep Cherokee. We
drove from Rincón de Guayabitos, stopping at Las Varas to enjoy a breakfast in
our favorite restaurant, La Birra de Angelita.
After hueves rancheros and a Mexican omelette washed down with numerous
cups of coffee, we headed toward Compostela, where we switched to the toll road
(cuota) and continued driving to Chapalilla and here changed back to the free
road (libra). Along the roadside many
small pottery stalls can be found. It's a
great place to pause to purchase pottery gift items. Our purchase was four different shaped and
coloured coffee mug sets for family Christmas gifts! Nice when you luck out as the four kids loved
the gift mugs!
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| Lunch pool side |
We returned to Highway 27 driving to Etzatlán junction where
we turned north to Magdalena to join the toll road to Tequila. The secondary road is satisfactory but expect
rough sections. If in no hurry, Highway
15 is a scenic drive passing through farmlands and small villages. An alternate to consider is to drive back to
Ahaucatlán and take the faster toll highway directly to Tequila. From the elevated Tequila approach highway
you can enjoy sweeping views of the agave fields. The area was declared a World Heritage site
in 2006!
This trip we managed an earlier mid-afternoon arrival at
Hotel La Rienda Mision Tequillan's enclosed parking area. The hotel is centrally located in Tequila's
historic downtown area. Once checked in
it was a short walk to visit the 17th Century Santiago Apostol Church and a few
meters away is the Plaza de Arms, complete with a colourful bandstand. Located just off the square is the Sauza
Family Grandparent's Museum. The museum
is certainly worth a visit! Here you'll
find personal artifacts that once belonged to the Sauze family, as well as
displays depicting the traditional tequila-making process. After our museum visit we noticed tequila
keg-shaped vehicles parked nearby. Couldn't miss them! After inquiring we booked a distillery tour
for the following morning. Next was a
search for an evening meal. After
checking out several restaurants we decided to dine at Cafe Rossy and later
watch the social interactions in the plaza.
A few night photos and it was back to the hotel to tuck in.
Probably the most popular distillery tour is the José Cuervo
Distillery as its within easy walking distance from the plaza. Having visited three distilleries over the
seasons, José Cuervo, La Cofradia and Romo, we recommend the Romo Distillery
Tour. The tour provided a visit to the
original distillery area where we were able to view the old washing stands
where once ladies chatted as they washed their clothing. Did these ancient wash stands evolve into our
present day laundromats? Next stop was a
visit to Distillery Reyes, an older equipped factory which only operates part
of the year. After a brief tour and a
few sample drinks we felt an obligation to purchase an almond tequila drink
which, I'm sure, pleased everyone.
Back on the Tequila bus to visit a blue-tinted agave field
followed by a tour of the Romo Distillery.
At the time of our visit the plant was in full operation enabling us to
enjoy the sweet smell of cooked agave nectar wafting through the spotlessly
clean distillery. I was surprised, for
safety reasons, at how near the tour guide brought us to moving tractors and
operational machinery. The keg tour bus
returned us to Plaza de Arms where a visit to an obsidian (volcanic rock) stall
led to a home factory visit! As we
chatted and admired the curved obsidian shapes the owner invited us to his home
workshop to view how the beautiful obsidian pieces were made. A short taxi ride brought us to his abode.
We entered the living quarters and passed through to the rear
factory area. Not a large workshop where
four or five workers were busy working at various machines cutting, shaping and
polishing obsidian pieces. Out of all
the designs the ever-popular heart shape was the favourite as it allows one to
appreciate the beautiful colours of the rainbow obsidian and it sells well
too! Doreen fell in love with a
beautiful 20 -25 cm tall female statue of silver sheen obsidian. At the time, the price caused us to
reconsider its purchase. However, in hindsight,
Doreen wishes she had purchased the lovely lady. Over time the price would be forgotten but
the statue's beauty would continue to be enjoyed in our living room. Or this is what I'm being led to believe! The
final event of the day was a dinner at El Palmolar Restaurant on the church
square.
The next day after a breakfast at the market we visited,
Nunat, the National Museum of Tequila. The
museum depicted the history of tequila making complete with tequila bottles
from three generations of Sauza production.
We returned to Hotel La Rienda to collect our baggage and check out. We retraced our drive back to Magdalena but before
turning off to Etzatlán we browsed the local shops selling opal and obsidian
handicrafts. I'm sure their beautiful store
displays will tempt a purchase or two.
From Etzatlán we drove Highway 27 to Teuchitlán watching for
the turnoff to Los Guachimontones, the archaeological site of the round step pyramids. The site is easily located with highway
signage to keep you on track and a paved road into the site's parking lot.
We observed a tour guide and his student group performing
ancient chants. Later we spoke with the tour guide and he informed us that each
year previous to March 21st, people come to Los Guachimontones and for two
days, dressed in white, they take part in indigenous rituals which includes
native dances and concerts with pre-Hispanic music.
Climbing a hill behind the main pyramid presented us with an
excellent overview of the site with La Iguana in the foreground and Teuchitlán combined
with Lake Presa de la Vega in the background.
A great photo opportunity! Los
Guachimontones is a splendid archaeological site to visit, and is especially
important to the Jalisco region which only a few years ago was thought to
contain few if any archaeological finds.
At the day's end was a return drive
to Etzatlán where Hotel El Centenario, our hotel choice for the night, is
centrally located. The hotel can be
found just off the corner of the town's main plaza. The hotel has great ambiance with an airy
courtyard ringed with antique furniture plus our room was spacious and well
appointed. The courtyard was a great spot to relax and enjoy a card game before
our rumbling stomachs encouraged us to venture out for an evening dinner. Unfortunately, we found it difficult to
locate a suitable restaurant. The one
that was recommended turned out to be mainly for lunch or breakfast
dining. Finally finding a restaurant, we
consumed an "okay" meal and after watching dancers in the plaza and
enjoying an ice-cream we returned to our hotel for a well-earned sleep.
After our morning breakfast we
visited the Oaxicar Museum with its recreations of shaft tombs, clay pottery
and many more artifacts. Next on our
agenda and our main goal for the day found us enroute on Highway 27 driving
toward Ahualulco de Mercado to find the protected area of Piedras Bola (round
boulders). Just before Ahualulco we turned
onto Highway 608 driving towards Ameca for 14 km. The highway climbs from the valley floor into
the mountains. Just past the 14 km
marker is a pullout area complete with a clearly illustrated park map. Well worth taking time to study the map to
obtain an understanding of the parks layout and the location of the round boulders. Unfortunately, we failed to notice the
pullout and signage on our journey into the park. As a result we missed the park's signature
display of tall compacted soil mounds each supporting a single round stone
ball. Apparently they're located about
1.5 km from the amphitheatre and behind the main boulder find! The 5 km single lane dirt/gravel road was in
good condition and while we navigated it slowly we encountered no difficulties
or other vehicles. It would appear that
the park was an ecotourism project that is either seasonal, or didn't gain
popularity, or monetary funds were withdrawn.
We passed camping spots, hiking trails and zip lines in disrepair and without
seeing a soul. The park seemed deserted. And what a shame as there appeared to be much
potential for a variety of outdoor recreational activities.
Naturally questions sprinkled our discussions as we asked
ourselves how were these many perfectly round boulders formed and how did they
get here? As you can imagine there are
many theories and legends to explain the phenomena. After much "intellectual"
speculation our theory is that centuries ago gigantic giants occupied the park
area and the Piedras Bola site was their outdoor bowling alley! Visit and research the site to formulate your
own theory! Our return drive back to the
main highway was quicker and more comfortable as local road conditions were now
known to us.
Once we rejoined the highway our focus was to return to our
coastal hotel before night fall, for us avoiding Mexican night driving is a
cardinal safety rule. Since we knew the
route it wasn't long before we reached the Magdalena junction , switching to
the pay highway brought us quickly to Compostela. The next driving segment found us arriving at
Rincón de Guayabitos late afternoon. A
brief visit to the shops to purchase dinner items and we soon found ourselves
safe and sound in our bungalow preparing our evening meal.
The three-day road trip exceeded our expectations. With a variety of Mexican towns,
archaeological sites, informative museums and active tours we were exposed to a
great host of experiences to recall and share.
For us the trip was not only a learning experience but also provided an
alternative to our beach life. One thing
for sure- this was a journey to remember and one we encourage others to travel and
to expand the time frame to include visits to other interesting nearby spots.
Helpful
Facts: Jalisco, Mexico
Tequila
Hotel
Hotel
La Rienda Mision Tequillan
Abasolo
#47 Centro
www.tequillan.com.mx
Phone: 374 742-3232
Great location with secured
parking. Rooms well appointed 450 pesos ($37.50)
Restaurants
Real
Marinera- Seafood Restaurant
Juarez
# 92 Atrás de Parriquia Cáfe
Rossy
and Pasteleria
Two restaurants located beside each
other on the square in front of the church.
Great spot late evening for eating and people watching.
Local
Market -located beside church plaza
*Many
small restaurants
*
Great for breakfast
Tours
Tranvias Turisticos de Tequila -Look for tequila keg van
Tour
time - two hours approximately every 30 minutes
Mon
- Fri 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Sat.
- Sun. 10:00 a.m.- 5:30 p.m.
100
pesos ( $10 approx. )
www.vistandojalisco.com.mx Phone: 045-33-12-99 7536
Museums
Sauza
Family Museum
Vicente
Albino Rojas #22
Central
Plaza behind the bandstand
Features family memorabilia. 10 pesos
($1 approximately)
National
Museum of Tequila
Ramón
Corona # 34
Well designed displays of photos and
artifacts detailing the history of Tequila.
Water Park
Parque Acuatico La Toma
La Toma water park
is an often a missed destination .
Cascading natural spring water, swimming pools, panoramic views and much
more. La Toma is located approximately
two kilometres on the right hand side of the highway driving towards
Magdalena. While we didn't partake of
the swimming it was enjoyable to visit and wander the walkways and take
advantage of an opportune photo shoot.
Take a few hours to kick back and enjoy La Toma water park.
Barranca de Oro
Located a short
drive from Ahaucatlán off Highway 15.The canyon development is a man's life
time dream project and he has done a wonderful job of developing the
location. There are a variety of
swimming pools to enjoy and paths to follow providing an opportunity for the
camera buffs to photograph the steep colourful canyon walls. Great spot to spend a day swimming and
relaxing.
Etzatlán
Hotel
Hotel El Centenario
Escobedo
290, Etzatlán 500 pesos ($50)
Rooms are well -appointed, secure
parking , splendid courtyard
Museum
Oaxicar Archaeological Museum housed in
the House of Culture has a collection of pre-Hispanic artefacts. A short walk from the main plaza
Escobedo
# 359 Centro, Monday to Saturday 10:00
a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Sunday
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Telephone: 386 753 3052
Teuchitlán
Hotel
Hacienda El Carmen described in James
and Sonia's TTS September 2011 article
is nearby.
Museum
Museum of Archaeology: Located in Teuchitlán's cultural center. The museum exhibits artifacts, obsidian
objects, and stone utensils.
16
de Septiembre 10, Monday to Friday
9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday
to Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Amatitán
You will find the
Inmaculada Concepción Church with a beautiful plaza and picturesque surrounding
area approximately 11 kilometres from Tequila on Highway 15.
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