But first, let's talk about getting there. It's about a two hour drive straight up hill from Puerto Vallarta. The first stop was a little known archaeological site near Ixtapa. Here there were some recently discovered ancient pyramids built of mud and stone. We stopped at the empty lot full of garbage to see the mound of what was once a sacred pyramid. It's sad that there is simply not the money or the interest to preserve sites like this in Mexico. We have seen so many similar situations in this area as well on the Baja peninsula, where government inaction to compensate the land owners properly for ancient sites, has led to the abandonment or non-reporting of their own history. It's really a shame to see such amazing sites ignored. Anyway, off the soapbox.
We crossed this bridge over a gorge on the way up. The bridge did not look very stable!
The entry to Hacienda Jalisco.
Our next stop on the way up was at Hacienda Jalisco. This Hacienda was once owned by the director John Huston, and many famous people have stayed here. The cobblestone bridge is the same as all the roads in the area. All laid by hand, stone by stone, for miles and miles. The Hacienda was once a silver processing business for the mines above San Sebastian. There are the remains of the furnaces used to process the ore, as well as photos and other artifacts inside the house. The house has changed little over the years, still no electricity, and little plumbing. You can stay here for the night for a very reasonable price. But beware, it is supposed to be haunted!
Adobe walls.
Inner courtyard.
After a tour of the property, we were headed back up the hill to our destination. The first stop in San Sebastian was, of course, lunch! Yes cruisers like to eat, and April always picks some excellent places for us to stop. This was a nice family run restaurant that had a fantastic comida corrida, or lunch of the day. It is basically a multi course meal for a fixed price. We had cheese quesadillas, machaca ( a dried meat dish) with home made tortillas, rice, beans, pico de gallo, and chicken mole (a spiced chocolate sauce), jamaica and pineapple drinks. All this for 100 pesos.
Entering town.
Too busy eating to look at the camera!
The town plaza.
Church steeple from plaza.
One of the old bridges.
The old church bell.
Church entrance, and wait for it....
The interior.
We were not through with the tour yet. Our next activity was a hike up the hill outside of town to the old silver mines. Most of them are flooded, but there is still one that you can walk into for a few hundred yards or more if you're nuts. We chose to go in about 100 yards and turn off our flashlights to get a sense of working in the mines. The air was thick, humid and dusty. There were giant moths and bats all over the place, and it was not really the kind of place any of us could imagine building a career. However, a Canadian company has recently acquired the rights to mine the mountain. In fact while we were there they were drilling test sites. The town of San Sebastian will likely never be the same again. We were lucky to see it before it is invaded by thousands of miners.
Keep your head down. Rich tested how hard the rock was.
This was a fantastic trip for us. It really showed what the area was like in the time of the Spanish occupation. On the way down the hill, we stopped at a local coffee producer and bought some coffee that was ground with chocolate and cinnamon. Wow, great way to wake up in the morning. Hopefully the traditions of the town will not be spoiled by the introduction of so much equipment and so many workers.
The San Sebastian rose. Yup, they came from here.
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