weekend trip

Last weekend
I went along with 2 other families to an old town called Mascota, 3 hr drive west of Guadalajara , a couple of the guys grew up there, or lived there for a while so they knew their way around

Here is the main plaza in Mascota
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8744800.jpg

On the first day we went to a smaller town called Navidad , it used to be a mine some 400 yrs ago,
today there is only old people, they do manage to have really good icecream

Church at Navidad
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8636800.jpg

After some icecream we drove near a town called Juanacatlan famous for their cheese, and we went up a hill to eat dinner and enjoy the view

from the top of the hill
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8643800.jpg
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8689800.jpg

while we wanted to see the sunset, the clouds moved in and we decided to leave
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8727800.jpg
Still arrived to the hotel near 11 pm the day had started at 7 AM

2nd day
Started being invited to breakfast to the place of the Aunt of one of the guys

Entrance to the house, this part is quite old, has had its share of earthquakes it has to be demolished and rebuilt
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8747800.jpg

The kitchen, new part of the house
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8743800.jpg

Before the main drive, we stopped by a local farm to buy cheese, I took a few photos
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8763800.jpg

Hope this does not stink to much
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h..._58_0_tone.jpg

this spear was found near the farm, it is said that this place was part of the way of the predecessor of the Aztecs, who left Aztlan ,
looking for the promised land, which later turned out to be Tenochtiltlan or what today is Mexico city.
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8752800.jpg

We drove to a town called San Sebastian del Oeste, 90 mins from Puerto Vallarta, still up in the mountains, also an
old mining town, today dedicated to tourism

Here is the main plaza
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8769800.jpg

Church interior
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8770800.jpg

We went to the top of the hill, which hosted and old mine "Real Alto" today just a couple of houses and an old church
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8780800.jpg

A laminated gold altar, notice a missing picture in the top, there has been some vandalism and there are no people to take care of this place,
nor anybody is charging any money to the occasional tourist, the local families do sell typical candy, and cheese
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8789800.jpg

All the way to the top of the mountain, about 2600m above sea level, having started from about 1000m before turning to San Sebastian
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8806800.jpg

We were on top of this
http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...SC_8823800.jpg

On the third day we went to have lunch at the edge of a river
captured a few photos from the river and a damselfly
http://gallery.photographyreview.com...C_8875_800.jpg
http://gallery.photographyreview.com...C_8897_800.jpg

Thanks for reading

I like photo travelogues! These are fairly unusual, certainly the spear and the one hill. It, the hill, looks similar to several of those mini-volcanoes (there's a technical name for them I'm sure) that dot the Central and South American landscape. Do you know if it is one?

That one church with the double spire Andalusian influence reminds me a lot of a movie backdrop. Was there a film shot there in the 50's or 60's? The particular movie won't come to mind, but I really think that this may have been used. The hills in the background are almost the final clue but I can't remember what film!!

Thanks for sharing this slice of your trip!

drg,

I was told it is indeed a volcano, there are actually two of them
they can be seen in googlearth
20°33'28.34"N
104°46'18.53"W

I do not know if a film was shot in that location

Wonderful photos, beautiful colors, makes me want to go!

If those old walls could talk, what stories they could tell! There has to be a lot of history in those villages, and the landscapes are not at all what I had thought would be found in that region. It looks like a beautiful area of the country. Thanks for sharing your weekend journey.

Excellent photos Armando. The spear looks really cool.

Thanks for the comments!

Getting here from the USA, is probably easier if flying into Puerto Vallarta, and take a day to visit San Sebastian, 1.5 hr drive, maybe 2 hrs, an alternative is to take a flight on a small plane, like a Cessna, there is a landing strip outside town.But, flying over this mountains I think can be quite a ride :)

Driving during rainy season (June to Oct) might mean a closed road, as there can be rock or mud slides that will be cleaned in a day or so.

A bit of an adventure is always fun :)

looks like a great place. some of those are just begging for a little hdring.

Terrific travelogue, looks like a great place to visit.

Thanks again

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thecounsel

looks like a great place. some of those are just begging for a little hdring.

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I guess you mean the ones from inside the churches ?

Really nice, Armando.
I really prefer trips to places that aren't on the usual tourist brochures.
Spectacular scenery with lots of interest for those willing to delve a little.

That spear is not like any I've seen in any of the ancient man type things I've read.
Looks a bit large and heavy for throwing.

Frog,
I do not believe it is really a spear, but I did not know what else to call it, the other extreme looks like an ax

Nice job Armando. Love the tour and the scenic image were great.

Lots of great shots. The colors in some of them are amazing.