Mascota Part 1 of 6: Historic town in the heart of Jalisco's Coast Range

Early morning light bathes Calle Hidalgo, one of the principal streets of Mascota. In the distance, you can see the steeple of Parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, the main church of the colonial-era town. In the fall of 2017, I organized four carloads of my friends for a visit to this mountainous area, well-named as "the Emerald of the Sierra."

In addition to Mascota, we also spent some time in the picturesque old silver-mining town of San Sebastian del Oeste and visited Talpa, famous for the annual pilgrimages to its ancient churches. In total, we spent three days on this wonderful trip, including driving time. That is the minimum time I would recommend for anyone considering a visit to the area. As you will see from this series on our trip, we saw and did a great deal. However, there is still much left for future visits.

Overview

This was our route from Ajijic, on Lake Chapala, to the pueblo of Mascota. The map indicates that the drive will take 3 hours and 48 minutes. However, while the road is well-maintained blacktop, it has only two lanes and passes through various small towns along the way. Traveling west from Ameca, the route winds through the coastal mountain range. Buses and trucks are difficult to pass on the twisting roads and can slow your progress considerably. In addition, you will want to take rest breaks, admire the lovely vistas, and take photos. Given all that, I would allow between 4.5 and 5 hours for the drive.

Mascota nestles in a lush valley surrounded by heavily wooded mountains. The town is shaped like an arrowhead, with the point aimed at the Pacific Coast. The seaside resort town of Puerto Vallarta is about 97km (60mi) further west along Highway 70. All of that is along mountain roads, so expect a 2 hours drive if you want to see the ocean. The view above is toward the west. I took the shot from a vista point on a hill overlooking the valley. Mascota's altitude is 1,267m (4,157ft), giving the area a moderate year-round climate. Temperatures generally top out in the high 20s Celsius. (mid-80s F) during the day. At night, they drop to the high teens Celsius (mid 60s F).

We visited in October, which is the end of the rainy season. However, there were only intermittent showers, generally in the afternoon. During most of our visit, particularly in the mornings, the skies were clear and sunny and the air was cool and refreshing. As you can see in the photo above, the rains have turned the country lush and green. At this time of year, you should bring shorts and t-shirts for the warm parts of the day, and long pants and a light jacket or sweater for the evenings. And, of course, some rain gear for the occasional showers. Good walking shoes are essential, especially since all the streets are cobblestone.

Our group prepares to order at Mascota's Restaurant La Navidad. The fifteen of us arrived in town about lunch time. Anticipating this, I had planned ahead and Googled up a nice place about half way between the two hotels I had lined up. Since some of our group have a bit more disposable income than others, I had picked the moderately priced Posada Santa Rita and the somewhat more expensive Mesón Santa Elena. People made their own choices and about half of us stayed in each place. However, even the more expensive place was still fairly modest in cost compared to something equivalent north of the border.

Because I stayed at Mesón Santa Elena, I only have photos from there. However, the folks who chose Posada Santa Rita gave good reports about their stay. The arrangement proved convenient, because two hotels are each about 3 blocks from El Centro, the area where most of the town's interesting sights and activities are to be found. In addition to the two inns we used, there are a number of other hotels in town with various price ranges.

Mesón de Santa Elena

Mesón Santa Elena is located on Calle Hidalgo, about 3 blocks west of Plaza Principal. The terms "mesón" and "posada" are both Spanish words meaning "inn". The white blotches on the side wall are from fresh plaster. Walls in Mexico need touching up every year because of the mineral salts that leach into them, causing them to blister and peel. We arrived just before the plaster had dried enough for the painters to finish their work.

The rather austere exterior of the hotel belies the elegance within. When I post blog stories about places I have visited, I ordinarily devote little, if any, space to the hotel where I stayed. Usually they are comfortable but unremarkable. However, Mesón Santa Elena deserves special mention.

My friend Jim B. views some of the interesting artifacts in the zaguan. In colonial-era casonas (mansions) and the casas grandes (big houses) of haciendas, the entrance foyer is called a zaguan. These passageways lead from the main door through to the inner courtyard. Typically, zaguans are decorated with photos and objects meant to impress a visitor. Anyone walking into Mesón Santa Elena's zaguan would immediately sense the elegance and grace of the establishment. I had discovered Mesón Santa Elena several years before, while visiting the area with my wife Carole. While out for a stroll, I had peeked into this zaguan and immediately thought "this is where I want to stay the next time I visit!" So here I was, at last.

After passing through the zaguan, you enter the courtyard. As you can see from the wet tiles, it had begun raining soon after we arrived in town. There are rooms under covered arcades on either side of the courtyard, as well as others accessed through the impressive facade at the rear. Each morning, the Mesón staff served us complimentary hot breakfasts on tables under the arcades. No breakfasts are served at Posada Santa Rita, so some of the folks staying there joined us here, at their own expense. The others chose among the many restaurants Mascota has to offer.

The courtyard's arcades also offer comfortable sitting areas like this. Mesón Santa Elena was originally built in the 18th century as a casona or town mansion for wealthy Spaniards. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find out much about it, although it is always described as "historic." Sumptuous homes like this one were built by the colonial-era owners of haciendas, mines, and mercantile establishments. These people preferred the pleasures and conveniences of town living versus the more rustic lifestyle found on their farms or at the mine sites.

Over the centuries, ownership of the casonas would typically pass from one wealthy family to another. However, after the Revolution, many wealthy people lost their fortunes and were forced to give up their casonas and other properties. These places were then used for a variety of other non-domestic purposes and, as a result, suffered considerable deterioration. In recent decades, casonas like  Mesón Santa Elena have been restored and turned into boutique inns. An association called Casonas y Haciendas de Jalisco, includes a couple of dozen of these lovely old places. Over the years, I have visited many of them and stayed overnight at a few. It has always been a special experience.

The dining room. We never actually ate here, since our breakfasts were served in the courtyard. We had lunches and dinners at one or another of the many local restaurants in the area. In the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, this dining room was probably the site of many a glittering dinner party attended by local notables.

People of that class were often heavily involved in the great political struggles that took place between the beginning of the Independence War in 1810 and the end of the Cristero War in 1929. It is certainly possible that meetings were held here to ponder strategies and deal with crises related to those tumultuous times.

The fireplace room. We gathered here in the cool of the evening to share our experiences of the day and swap tales about our other adventures around Mexico. Lubricating the conversation were several bottles of locally-purchased raicilla. This liquor is sometimes called "tequila's older brother" or "Mexican Moonshine". There is a slight fruitiness in its taste and, at 100 proof, it provides quite a buzz.

Raicilla is made from a variety of different species of agave and is technically a member of the mezcal family. Tequila, on the other hand, is made only from blue agave, which is not used for raicilla. Although, it is little known outside of western Mexico, efforts are currently underway to promote the liquor. Raicilla may eventually make its way onto the shelves of US or Canadian bars that offer a wide range of beverages.

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Comfortable nooks can be found in many corners of the hotel. Like the floor in the dining room, this one is probably original. Some of the lovely furniture may be genuine antiques, but I am somewhat doubtful that any of these pieces are original to this particular casona. It is likely they were collected from antique stores and estate sales when the casona was restored.

Stairway to the second floor mirador. A mirador is literally a lookout point. Several rooms are also accessed using these stairs. The courtyard from which the stairs rise is lush with plants and fruit trees. The one by the stairs is full of ripe persimmons.

View from the mirador. The red tiled roofs in the foreground are part of the hotel. In the background you can see nearby fields filled with rows of ripening corn. Beyond them, early-morning clouds float over the heavily wooded slopes of the mountains that surround Mascota.

Plaza Principal

This fountain forms the centerpiece of the Plaza Principal. The eight frogs sitting around the rim each spout water toward the basin in the center. Mexican plazas, even in the smallest towns, can be delightful. They are full of art, sculpture, lush gardens, and benches shaded by large trees. A plaza and the streets immediately around it are generally known as El Centro (The Center). The oldest and most architecturally interesting buildings of a town will nearly always be found in this area.

This is because of a decree issued in 1573 by King Phillip II of Spain (the nemesis of England's Elizabeth I). He required that all towns in Nueva España should be built in a grid pattern around a central plaza bordered by the local church and the government building. Buildings around a plaza, particularly those with commercial purposes, were required to possess open-air arcades along their fronts. King Phillip's idea was to create spaces where vendors could conduct business out of the rain or hot sun. Five hundred years later, this pattern remains in place nearly everywhere and the arcades are still full of street vendors.

A reminder of Mascota's pre-hispanic past. This plaque, set in the tiles of the plaza, reproduces a petroglyph (ancient rock carving) found in the area. One of the many attractions near the plaza is a small but excellent archeological museum, which I will show in a later posting. Its displays include some of the boulders on which similar petroglyphs are carved. In addition there are many artifacts called "grave goods" found in tombs, including ceramics, sculptures, and jewelry. Also found in the tombs were human remains of the ancient people who once occupied this area as early as 800 BC.

These arches, called portales, support one of the arcades bordering the plaza. They are in the Moorish style which dates back to the era when Spain was dominated by the Berber tribesmen called Moors who invaded Spain from North Africa. The Moors, who were Muslim, were finally expelled from Spain when Granada fell in 1492. Christopher Columbus cooled his heels in the camp of the Spanish Christian army during the final siege. He was waiting to see King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to request their support for his voyage of discovery The fall of Granada ended more than 700 years of Muslim rule over Spain, but also launched Columbus on his epic journey. 

When the Moors arrived in Spain in 711 AD, they quickly conquered the Visigothic kingdom they found there. The Visigoths, a Germanic tribe, had themselves arrived in the former Roman province of Iberia only about 200 years before. They settled down, adopted Christianity, and prospered for a couple of centuries. However, because of internal divisions, their kingdom collapsed in the face of the Moorish onslaught. The long fight to retake Spain from the Moors was called the Reconquista (Re-Conquest). During that 700 year struggle, the Spanish Christians adopted many Moorish customs, particularly architectural styles. These styles were then imported from Spain to the New World after its discovery by Columbus. 

Café con Leche is a small coffee house near the Plaza. I stopped here just long enough to take a photo and didn't sample the coffee. However, the place was very clean, cozy, and inviting, so I will probably sample a cup on my next visit. The drink called café con leche, for which this place is named, consists of mixture of strong coffee and a substantial amount of scalded milk. Sugar or sweetener is added according to taste.

Parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Dolores borders the south side of the Plaza Principal. The original church that was built here was erected in 1649. It was replaced by this church, which was begun in 1780 but not finished for another hundred years. I will show the Parroquia in detail in a later posting. The tall steeple provides a landmark that can be seen from as far as the vista point shown earlier in this posting. As you can see above, the heavens were about to open for another drenching when I took the photo. I decided to seek shelter under one of the arcades that King Phillip II had so thoughtfully provided.

Street scenes

A pair of sombreros hangs on an impressive set of bull horns. A stroll along the arcades provides opportunities to discreetly peek into shops and the occasional private home. A visitor is often rewarded by discoveries like this. The word "sombrero" comes from the Spanish noun sombra, which means shade. Such a hat is a therefore a "shadower". 

The exact origin of sombreros is unknown, but they were probably adopted in the late 16th century by the Mestizo (mixed blood) cowboys of central Mexico. They were called vaqueros, which derives from vaca, the Spanish word for cow. The vaqueros needed such headgear while herding cattle under the fierce Mexican sun. A sombrero may be as simple as a high-crowned broad-brimmed hat made of straw, or as elaborate as the elaborately embroidered plush-felt versions used by singers in mariachi bands.

Some of us discovered another way to stay out of the rain--Café Napoles. After lunch, we checked in at our hotels and then scattered to explore El Centro. When the showers started, I found my way here and discovered that others had arrived before me with the same idea. Cafe Napoles serves excellent Italian coffee and has a limited lunch menu. It is located on Calle Hidalgo, about half way between Mesón Santa Elena and Plaza Principal.

This fine old casona is located directly across the street from Cafe Napoles. It is probably a private home, since it lacks any sign or other indicator of government or commercial use. The structure occupies about one fourth of a city block, making it quite sizable. Although I didn't see inside, it very likely follows the usual plan for houses like this, with a zaguan leading into a central courtyard surrounded by various rooms. When towns like Mascota were laid out, the wealthier inhabitants generally lived close to the plaza in casonas like this, while workers and artisans lived on the outskirts.

A peek into another doorway revealed these two fine saddles. Each is equipped with a long machete in a scabbard on its left side. The Mexican saddle evolved from the Spanish saddle, which arrived with the first Conquistadors under Hernán Cortéz. The main difference is that the original Spanish saddles didn't have a horn in front of the rider. 

The horns developed after the indigenous people taught the Spaniards to braid and throw braided leather ropes called lassos. Without such a horn, a vaquero who roped an uncooperative cow would soon find himself unhorsed and facing an angry bovine. The horn provided a place to wrap the lasso securely so that the weight of the horse could be used to stop the cow in its tracks. The main differences between a Mexican saddle and the typical western American saddle are that the Mexican version has a wider seat and bigger horn.

Yet another arcade lined with portales. These are great places to chat with friends or just hang out and watch the world go by. It is possible that this may have once been a fashionable casona, or a commercial store. In fact, it may have been both, since wealthy colonial-era merchants often lived on the second floor above their ground-floor stores. A good example of this can be seen at the family home of Ignacio Allende, the Independence War hero, which is located on the main plaza of San Miguel de Allende, in Guanajuato.

A dog of indeterminate breed enjoys the sun-warmed sidewalk. My dad, who grew up in south Texas, would have described this pooch as 100% Mexican dog. Although he wears no collar, he is well-fed and his coat is sleek, so it is likely that he has a family that looks after him. Mexicans, particularly in the smaller towns and villages, tend to let their dogs run free on the streets. Like this one, they often wear no collars or tags. 

Letting them run loose can be dangerous for them in areas with lots of traffic and it is not unusual for dogs and other animals to be hurt or even killed. However, the ones who survive develop a lot more of "street smarts" than dogs who have been penned up in yards or closely restrained on leashes. In addition, it has been my observation that Mexican dogs tend to be a lot more relaxed and less neurotic than north-of-the-border dogs. I attribute this to their having the ability to move away from other dogs or people who make them uncomfortable. 

On a side street, I paused to peek into this zaguan. This is another example of a typical casona, built around an inviting courtyard garden. I would have liked to check out the courtyard, but I didn't want to invade the privacy of the family who lives here.

A local tortilla maker plies her trade. This is a scene common throughout Mexico. Tortillas are the basic, all-purpose food in this country. They are eaten on their own, or as a side dish, as a wrap around tacos and burritos, and in many other ways. Tortillas are made from either maiz (corn) or trigo (wheat), but more usually the former. The corn is first soaked in a mixture of lime and water to break down the protective layer around the kernel. Traditionally, the kernels are then ground up on a stone tray called a metate, using a cylindrical roller called a mano. The result is a powder which, when mixed with water, forms a dough called masa. 

Tortillas are formed from the masa either by hand or through the process seen above. The woman pictured has placed a small, cookie-sized lump of masa on a wooden press. The gray material keeps the masa from sticking. She then lowers the top of the press down and uses the lever to force the masa into the large circular shapes that you see cooking on the griddle. 

In the traditional (and very ancient) process, the tortillas would be shaped by hand, the griddle would be made of clay and the heat provided by a wooden fire. Except for the modern innovations like the wooden press, the metal griddle, and the gas heat, the scene above would be perfectly familiar to anyone from 2000 years ago. Also familiar would be the sex of the person making the tortillas. In thirteen years of living in Mexico, I have never seen or heard of a man making tortillas.

This completes Part 1 of my series on our Mascota trip. I hope you have enjoyed it. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question in the Comments section, PLEASE leave your email address too, so that I can respond.

Hasta luego, Jim