After arriving at our winter destination, our first priority is hitting
the beach and enjoying what the three small towns of La Peñita, Rincón de
Guayabitos and Los Ayala have to offer. But as the season lingers we try
not to get caught thinking that sun, surf and restaurants are all the magical
interests Jalisco and Nayarit states offer. Each season we’ve managed
road trips to the states’ interiors. The interior towns we’ve visited host
a less hectic, more working day routine complete with long standing customs
and strong family ties with traditional Mexican restaurants, although we
did deviate to dine in a Chinese restaurant! With few foreign tourists and
little or no English heard on the streets, a truer Mexican picture is
presented.
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| Hotel El Centenario's courtyard |
Late in the 2015 tourist season, the morning finally arrived when with
packed bags and a coffee pot necessary for our early morning room coffees,
we climbed into our Nissan Xterra and began this season’s one and only
road trip. Leaving Los Ayala behind, we drove Highway 200 to Compostela,
entering the town to enjoy lunch at the Camahuer Restaurant located in the
town’s beautiful plaza. After enjoying an excellent Mexican lunch, we
returned to Highway 68 for a short distance going to the toll booth taking
Highway 15, the cuota road to Magdalena where we left it and backtracked
through the town to find the highway going toward Etzatlán, our day’s
final destination. In route we encountered road construction resulting in
a slow bumpy ride for ten to fifteen kilometers, but we made it without
incident.
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| A dance studio taking photos |
Having been to Etzatlán before, we drove directly to the town’s main
plaza where our favorite Hotel El Centenario is located. The hotel is a
hacienda style home with a beautiful interior open central courtyard withA rooms flanking the central fountain complete with a wide spiral staircase
leading to the second floor. A hotel with very comfortable furnished
rooms right in the center of Etzatlán.
Once registered and unpacked, our first task was to visit the Casa de la
Cultura to arrange a guide to assist with our proposed next morning visit
to El Penal. While explaining our proposal to staff employees, Manual and
Lucy, they suggested visiting El Palacio de Ocomo, a newer larger site
that was currently being excavated. Something new, something bold, we
instantly agreed to include the site creating an attractive double header
for the next day.
It was finally decided that we would visit El Penal in the morning and
El Palacio de Ocomo in the afternoon. Since Manuel had prior commitments,
we were introduced to another employee who would serve as our guide and
interpreter. As we met our guide, Jack, we surprisingly discovered that he
was blind! At first this struck us as rather different being unable to see
and having to climb over uneven terrain. This was going to be interesting.
But the cultural center had a solution with a program that provided Jack
with an able assistant, and our short lived concerns were dissipated. It
was great to experience a situation whereby a handicap person was accepted
and provided with a rewarding career in his area of expertise. The
cultural center arranged for Umberto to join our morning expedition and he
would provide directions and assist Jack in maneuvering around the two
sites. We soon discovered they worked together smoothly and made an
excellent team providing us with direction and information. Well sort of,
but that will become clearer later on in our adventures! The four of
us would use our vehicle for transportation so we were all set for the
next day’s adventure.
The remainder of the afternoon, we wandered the town and employed
Jack’s suggestion to dine at a newly established Chinese restaurant. Our
meal was “okay” and probably better suited for a lunch meal. After a brief
evening visit to the plaza, it was early to bed to be rested for an
intrepid busy day of hiking and exploration.
After a quick breakfast we drove to the cultural center and found Jack
ready and waiting. Soon our young road guide/helper Umberto arrived.
Fortunately, while we were getting acquainted, Manuel phoned a friend to
inquire on road conditions. This was a stroke of planning luck on Manuel’s
part as the steep gravel and mud road to El Penal was impassable due to
recent heavy rains. A visit to El Penal was impossible. Plans were quickly
changed and off we drove to visit the nearby town of Oconahua to visit El
Palacio de Ocomo. El Penal would be a next season visit.
Once arriving in Oconahua, we discovered that Umberto was not all that
sure of the best route to the site. As a result, we were driving a short
narrow grass-covered track connecting to a major street, when with a loud
“bang” we came to a sudden halt. Once the dust settled and with a sinking
heart, I climbed out and peered under the Xterra’s front end, expecting to
see oil dripping from the engine. What a huge relief to view no oil
dripping from the pan and to see just behind the motor a large, now
exposed, boulder! Popped the hood to further check and there seemed to be
no engine damage and the dip stick registered “full.” Fantastic luck!
Peering under the vehicle’s left side, I saw that the boulder had caught
the vehicle’s main frame and completely missed the engine and
transmission. While we were hung up on the now exposed boulder this was a
minor inconvenience as to what could have occurred. By this time,
two Mexican men had arrived and with their directions we were able to free
the vehicle and drag the rock out from under the Xterra. Imagine my
initial thoughts that here we are stuck in a small town in the middle of
nowhere and the Xterra needing extensive engine repairs. A minor disaster
as it turned out and with the help of two Mexicans and a few pesos was
easily solved! Needless to say we found an easier and safer route when
returning to Etzatlán!
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| No dripping oil! |
Arriving at the site, good fortune finally smiled on us as John Smith
Marquez (Monte), the main archeologist who has spear-headed the excavation
from its start was on site and readily agreed to guide us. Monte’s
enthusiasm and site knowledge was soon apparent and infectious and his
detailed explanations drew us back in time as we marveled at the site’s
current exposures and its project size and forthcoming wonders. One of the
many future projects Monte outlined for the site stuck in my mind. Since
the town has been built on top of a portion of the site, one of Monte’s
future plans is to lease/rent an individual’s home for a time and excavate
the home’s floor to discover what lies hidden beneath the floor. Can you
imagine renting your home for a month or two while individuals dig up your
floor? However for now, the team is content to explore a large government
land purchase acreage and see what it has to offer.
Once Monte left to tend to duties at the nearby Teuchitlan site we
were escorted by Michelle, a recently hired university graduate, to view
the work stations located in an on-site house. Walking through the
house/museum rooms, Michelle explained the cataloguing and newer
technologies being employed to further understand and unlock the ancient
site’s secrets. For us it was just amazing what can be constructed from a
few found pieces of pottery.
The experience and information overload left us in utter awe of El
Palacio de Ocomo and its potential to become a well known and major
visitor archeological site. In the future, I visualize numerous tour buses
making a day circuit tour from Guadalajara to visit El Palacio de Ocomo
plus the nearby Teuchitlan site.
Currently, the team has concluded that the site was inhabited from 450
AD to 900 AD. Further findings indicate the people were peaceful and
co-existed with nearby villages. The main or central structure consists of
a platform, a sunken patio and an exposed wall. There are many more
mysteries waiting for the archeological team to unlock. We left having our
expectations surpassed and a promise to ourselves to return in the future
to check out the progress.
We returned to Etzatlán, and after saying our goodbyes to our guides, we
headed for lunch at La Negra Restaurant. Over lunch we decided to visit
the nearby Teuchitlan site. The major feature of the Guachimontones is the
circular stepped pyramids. The largest is 18 meters in height. The
circular stepped pyramid is surrounded by a series of rectangular shapes.
Monte, our morning guide, mentioned that the Guachimontones is Mexico’s eighth
ranked tourist attraction based upon the number of yearly visitations.
This information is amazing as the ancient site is somewhat isolated and
doesn’t have a nearby drawing card like Mexico City or Cancun that sponsor
nearby Uxmal and Chichen Itza.
Thanks to Philip Weigand, the original archeologist who in 1958
resurrected the site and began the excavation we see today. Currently the
archaeological gem features ample parking, sidewalks, signing, and an
interpretive museum. Interpretative Guachimontones is certainly worth a
visit.
Tired and thrilled with the unfolding of the day’s experiences, we drove
the 22 km back to our Etzatlán hotel. After a shower and change of
clothes, we walked across the street to enjoy a dinner at Mi Casa. I
selected a chicken enchilada dish and Doreen ordered a hamburger followed
by a freshly made flan dessert, the final cap to an exciting day. We
turned in early.
The following morning we again ate breakfast in our room. Following
our backpacker history, we had brought our own coffee maker and supplies
to enjoy our own in-room breakfast! Thus able to enjoy our early morning
coffee plus a cost saver habit. After breakfast we gathered our belongings
and began a leisurely drive home to Los Ayala, as we reflected on the hope
to return to the area next season and check on the progress at the El
Palacio de Ocomo location and to visit El Penal.
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