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If getting off the beaten path and a little adventure is appealing to you, Vallarta Adventures Sierra Madre Expedition offers you an exceptional opportunity to get acquainted with the "Real Mexico" while visiting some of the many small villages that lie just north of Puerto Vallarta as we make our way to the heart of the Sierra Madres.
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Daily from the Vallarta Adventure Center in Nuevo Vallarta at 8:30 am, and from our office in Marina Vallarta at 9:30 am.
Length of Tour: 7 1/2 hours
Price: $80 USD
What's Included: A barbeque lunch and unlimited beverages.
We recommend that you bring a bathing suit, a towel, a light sweater, sunscreen and insect repellent with you.
Videos of your personal tour are available for an extra fee. |
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The Banderas Valley is fertile and very beautiful; it stretches from the Ameca River to the Vallejo mountains. People here are farmers and ranchers, and along the way we will pass mango, papaya, pineapple and tobacco plantations. A number of intriguing villages, rich in local color and tradition, dot the landscape. Most all of the villages and towns of this region contain 5 basic elements:
1. Town Square
The town square is the social center where everyone in the village comes to meet - especially on Sunday, the most important day of the week. Traditionally, this is an opportunity for young people to court and find a suitable partner, always under the watchful eye of their parents or other family members. During festivals and holy days a band will play and the towns folk will dance around the bandstand, which is always situated in the center of the plaza.
2. Church
The church is the most important base of every Mexican community. 90% of the Mexican population is Catholic and the religion has very strong ties in the community. The Spanish introduced Catholicism in the 1500s during the conquest of the Americas. Before this period the indigenous Mexicans were pagans. Their most important gods were natural phenomenon such as the Sun, Moon, Rain, and Mother Nature etc.
3. The School
In México mass education did not begin until after the revolution in 1910. Before that time only noble families had access to schooling. Today children are obliged to attend school from the time they are 5 until they reach the age of 15, which is when they finish their secondary education. Education is free and secular.
4. Municipal Palace
This is the town hall where the mayor presides and where the legal and administrative work for the village or town is carried out.
5. Market
Every Mexican living in a small town or village lives their life from day to day. This is to say that each and every day they will buy fresh vegetables, fruit and meat; they will also trade their own produce. Tortillas, made from corn flour, are the base of the Mexican diet and are freshly made every day. Their round shape represents the sun, to which Mexicans worshiped in ancient times. Aztec and Mayan religions believe that the first man was made from corn and today the same could be said as the average Mexican consumes 1 pound (450g) of tortillas per day.
Visiting these small towns and villages will give you the chance to learn about the history, traditions, customs, feast days and everyday life in small town Mexico - and give you a fuller appreciation and understanding of the people who live in this beautiful region.
VALLE DE BANDERAS - Population 5000
Just 20 minutes from Bucerías, in the valley region of Nayarit just north of Puerto Vallarta, lies the small town of "El Valle." Originally known as "Tintoque," which means "Valley of the Warriors," the town was renamed Valle de Banderas, or "Valley of the Flags" by Hernán Cortés' nephew, Francisco Cortés de Buenaventura, when he conquered the Pacific coast in 1525.
Situated at the foot of the Vallejo Mountains, Valle de Banderas was once the capital of a small chieftainship of Cuyutecos Indians in the great kingdom of Xalisco, who took advantage of the fertile fields of the Valle de Banderas rather than looking to the sea for their main sustenance.
Today, tobacco, corn, beans and chiles are still being cultivated in this valley and an abundance of mangoes, chirimoyos, capomos and palms grow in the area. "Valle" is the oldest and most important town in the region, serving as the administrative center for the surrounding municipality of Bahía de Banderas, and is home to a 140 year old church.
SAN JOSE - pop 5000
The clock tower and the arches are a welcome sign to all visitors who make a stop in this small town named after Saint Joseph. The 80 year old church and main square in this quaint town feature French influences in their architectural style. San Jose's cemetery, one of the most attractive in the region, provides a wonderful insight into the fusion of ancient religions with the Catholic Church in present day México.
Every weekend, the town's dance hall, known as "Zanadu," fills up with local boys, dressed in their best cowboy hats and boots to impress the local girls, as they dance to the local "banda" music. With the main square, church, a tortilla factory, houses, and the cemetery to explore, you won't want to miss a visit the small town of San Jose.
EL GUAMUCHIL - pop 500
Guamuchil is a community rather than a village. Its name comes from a local tree, which produces edible vines called "Quemaras." Although not a "tourist town," many of the inhabitants of Guamuchil are employed in tourism in the neighboring towns of Sayulita, La Cruz and Bucerias.
A visit to Guamuchil offers a real insight into how much rural life in México is changing today and makes us realize that there are still thousands of similar settlements around the country hardly touched by the "modern world." All of the homes here are self-sufficient, they each have their own fruit and vegetable gardens, they make their own tortillas by hand, and the locals here sometimes hunt in the surrounding forests.
With a population of approximately 500 people, Guamuchil has only recently received public amenities. In the last couple of years running water, electricity, 1 kindergarten, 1 elementary and a secondary school that receives it's classes via satellite have been put into place. Guamuchil has a very small church and two small shops - but no municipal palace and no plaza.
 Sierra Madre Jeep Safari - Regular Price: $80 USD
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 Reserve and pay for 3 or more Vallarta Adventures online and you will receive 10% off plus a free tour from our bonus list. This offer applies to the purchase of three different tours per person. Your free bonus tour can only be used Friday through Monday. Reservation requests must be sent at least 48 hours before your tour date. No other discounts apply. Free bonus tours include: Wild Dolphins and Snorkeling · Yelapa & Majahuitas · Sealion Encounter
Sunset Sailing · Jeep Safari
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