Mascota and Highway 70

Highway 70 construction and Mascota
from Vallarta, Jalisco - Mexico

Highway 70 leaves Vallarta just south of the Nayarit border, north of the airport and next to the new Vallarta Home Depot. It's about 40 kilometers of small towns and farmland before you start into the mountains. The road is actually very good except they have cut thru some impossible hillsides making yearly roadwork a necessity. Right now (November 2007) they are working on about five major sections both east and west of Mascota. Most of the work is on the west side.

After crossing the bridge below it mostly flat land until you drop back down into Mascota. Mascota is very Colonial in a non-fancy way with one church in ruins looking as if it was a religious center for the area many years ago. Lots of classic construction and cobble stone streets.

The last few fotos are from one of the very few scenic lookouts along the road after leaving Mascota and heading toward Talpa and Ameca.

Looking down on Mascota from the east


Mascota church


Mascota house


Mascota church and ex-convent

Mascota trip fotos

Autlan de Navarro

The city of Autlán de Navarro (or simply Autlán) is located in a valley at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, in the south coast region of the state of Jalisco. Autlán is referred to as “La Puerta de la Costa” (Door to the Coast) because of its warm, humid climate and its geographical location, as an important stop in the highway from the Pacific coast to Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco. Because of it's location, Autlán is a very important regional commercial and agricultural centre for the state, as well as the location of the University of Guadalajara’s south coast campus.

Another town that has some feel of the Colonial Era but has not been preserved as such so new is mixed with the old. It's a good sized town with lots of downtown activity - market, plaza and a number of chruches. The bull ring (Plaza del Toros) is close to downtown and one of the fanciest ones I've seen. I really should have tried to get a few fotos of it - even if only the outside.

After coming out of Ayutla onto highway 80 there is a large drop in elevation into the valley where Autlan is (those famous hair-pin turns). I cruzed downtown and then stayed at Hotel Autlan near the bus station - nice place for about $40us. The next morning I walked around town, had breakfast and headed downhill again towards Purificacion and La Huerta (more hair-pin turns).

Entrance to Autlan and bus station from in front of my motel


Colorful intersection near the mercado


Lots of parks


Autlan Church

More Autlan pictures

Mezcala Island - Lake Chapala

Mezcala Island
Lake Chapala, Jalisco - Mexico

Mezcala Island is a few kilometers southeast of Mezcala on the northern shore of Lake Chapala. It is also known as El Presidio. From 1812-1816, a small band of rebels held off the Spanish army and navy against overwhelming odds. Tired of the humiliation the Spanish finally negotiated a peaceful surrender with the insurgents. The island then became a Spanish prison for many years.

It's rumored that there existed indigenous structures and hieroglyphics on the island before the fortifications were built but all traces disappeared with the construction. There are tours to the island from both Mezcala and Chapala-

Aerial view of Mezcala

Ruins of the fort

More ruins

Mezcala island from Mezcala town

A few more Mezcala fotos

sur de jalisco mexico turismo tourism

este es un video que muestra la belleza del sur del estado de jalisco, los lugares que puedes visitar, conocer y disfrutar de un buen dia, donde puedes gozar de su rica gastronomia y belleza natural, ademas de los servicios que ofreceen los municipios de ciudad guzman. tuxpan y tapalpa.



Jalisco Mexico Sur Tourismo

Mazamitla - an Alpine town

Mazamitla has a population of something above 15,000 people, and with an elevation of about 7200 feet is located some 2200 feet higher than Lake Chapala. Less than a two hour drive from Chapala and a little over 2 hours from Colima. Both times I've been to this pretty little town was from Colima taking the Tuxpan exit just after entering Jalisco.

Mazamitla is very small, narrow one way streets and built on the hillside. It's not a place to go for action - but rather just to relax. There are many country casitas and places to camp in the area. Eco Tourism is growing with road signs that map the area. I really wish I had some of my old pictures of the country side because the pine forests are really beautiful and a relief from the tropical coast.

Vive Manzamitla

Monteverde Resort