San Sebastian del Oeste, Jalisco

The steep incline and winding, rough road slowed the van to a crawl every couple hundred yards.   We travelled 40 km and a full morning to this old silver mining town nestled at 4,400 feet in the lush Sierra Madre Mountains above Puerto Vallarta.

About a mile before we reach town, we stop at the beautifully restored, 17th century Hacienda Jalisco where silver ore was processed. 

 

Stepping through the crumbling arch portico we wander through the house admiring its thick walls, massive beams, and trompe l’oeil ceilings.  Oil lamps and candles grace tables and stairways as there is no electricity.  There is a fire pit in the patio for evening conversations.   Lush gardens surround the house; plump red coffee beans dangle from tall plants while picked beans are already drying on the patio where ore used to be ground; the sweet fragrance of orange blossoms hovers in the hot air; avocados hang temptingly on high branches. I run my fingers over the rough remains of an adobe wall now held together by tree roots.

Another ten minutes up the hill and we’re bumping along the narrow, cobblestone streets of San Sebastian del Oeste.  Today, 800 people live along the streets and alleys of this designated “Pueblos Magicos de Mexico”, a far cry from the 20,000 who lived here when the town was enjoying the riches of the silver mining industry.  The designation recognizes the town’s historical and cultural relevance: the buildings are painted traditional colors of white and brick red; handmade tiles, all different depending on the size of the man’s thigh who made it, line the roofs; cobblestone streets too narrow for cars; a graceful central plaza that provides a meeting place in the soft afternoon air adjoins a stunning, white gothic church filled with frescoes, crystal chandeliers, and gold.  The town exudes the charm of old Mexico. 

 

 

We inhale the sweet smell of pine as we hike up a dusty road in the afternoon heat to one of the old mine entrances, now almost engulfed by the forest.  We enter the damp air of the dark, narrow chamber and turn on our flashlights.  Standing 100 yards into the shaft, we turn off our lights and imagine the lives of the nine-year-old boys who worked in it.

The mine has not been in production since 1921; however, it was recently sold to a Canadian company with plans to begin mining in 2014.  This vein is so rich that they expect to extract hundreds of tons of silver ore.  The impact on this “Pueblos Magicos de Mexico” is unimaginable.  I’m grateful to have walked its quiet streets on this day.