Amacueca Part 1 of 2: Hillside colonial pueblo overlooking the scenic Sayula Valley

Informal vegetable market under one of the plaza's arcades. This is exactly the sort of activity envisioned by Spain's King Phillip II when he promulgated his 1573 decree on New World urban planning. He directed that arcades should be constructed around plazas so that sellers and buyers could be protected from the elements. Consequently, arcades similar to this one can be found throughout Mexico.

In this two-part series, we will visit Amacueca, a small town founded in the mid-16th century. Part 1 will focus on the central area, including the plaza, the main church, and a museum devoted to natural history and archeology. Part 2 will cover Parroquia del Dulce Nombre de Jesus, a church dating back to the 16th century. 

Overview

How to find Amacueca. Take the Carretera west from Ajijic to Joctopec. Just before entering Jocotopec, take the bypass to Highway #15. Turn right (north) on #15 and follow it to the Guadalajara-Colima toll road (#54D). Head south on #54D toward Colima for about 50km (32mi). Exit #54D at the sign for Tapalpa/Atoyac and head west toward Tapalpa. The road will cross Laguna Sayula, which is generally dry from the winter thru early summer. 

When you reach Highway #417, turn left (south) at the sign directing you toward Tapalpa. Follow #417 approximately 6.4km (4mi). Look for a sign indicating a right turn to Amacueca. After a couple of hundred meters, you will see bus benches on either side of the road. Turn right there and follow that road into town until you reach the main plaza and Parroquia del Dulce Nombre de Jesus. Here is a link to the Google map above.

Amacueca from the air, looking northeast. The pueblo was built on the slopes of the great escarpment that rises up to the Tapalpa Plateau. Just left of center in the photo, you can see the plaza and the bell tower of the Parroquia. In front of the bell tower is a large, open rectangular area called an atrium. This was a standard feature of most early colonial churches, particularly those built by the Franciscan Order.

Amacueca is the principal town of the Municipio de Amacueca (equivalent to US county). The Municipio covers an area of 131.79 sq.km. (50.88 sq.mi.). Its altitude is 1,431m (4,695ft), which gives the town a moderate climate year-round. From its position on the slopes of the great escarpment that rises up to the Tapalpa Plateau, the views of both the mountains and Valle de Sayula are spectacular. 

View of Valle de Sayula and its lake. A light-colored strip crosses the middle of the valley. This is Laguna de Sayula during the season when it is dry. The peak in the background is Nevado de Colima, an extinct volcano that I climbed in November of 2008. The peak rises to 4220m (14,240ft), making it a very challenging hike even for the experienced.  

The Spanish arrived in the area in 1522 and the fertility of Valle de Sayula made it one of the first places they settled. Salt was another major attraction. It has been gathered from around the edges of the shallow lake for thousands of years, and still is. In pre-hispanic times, salt was valued highly for food preservation and as a trade good.  

In 1480 AD, Tangaxuan II of the Tarascan Empire decided to seize the Sayula Valley's salt collection areas. To accomplish this, he sent an army 321km (200mi) from his kingdom in Michoacan across the rugged Sierra del Tigre range. Valle de Sayula's local kingdoms fought back in the Guerra de Salitre (Salt War). In 1510, forces led by a local ruler named Colimotl finally expelled the Tarascans. The modern city and state of Colima are named after him.

Plaza de Amacueca

A kiosco stands in the middle of the main plaza. Kioscos serve a variety of purposes. They are used as bandstands for concerts and other performances. Speakers at political events sometimes stand on them to address crowds. Kioscos are often lavishly decorated during fiestas such as Christmas or the Day of the Dead. In between such events, children use them as a playground. 

Although kioscos are ubiquitous features of Mexico's plazas, they are a fairly recent addition. Most appeared during the last part of the 19th century. Many were given as good-will gifts to Mexican cities and towns by the Emperor Maximillian during the French occupation of 1862-1867. The popularity of these structures long outlasted the brief reign of Maximillian and his wife. 

View from the plaza's garden toward the arcade. A decorative iron lamp post stands to the left side. Mexicans take great pride in their plaza gardens, even in the smallest pueblos. Plazas like this form cool, lush refuges from the surrounding hustle and bustle. Iron benches stand along the edge of the plaza. Although empty at the moment, benches in plazas are usually filled with people chatting, studying their smart phones, snoozing or simply enjoying the day.

The name Amacueca is from the Nahuatl language, also spoken by the Aztecs. Several translations include "Hollow round", "Place far from the lagoon", and "Place of the Amates". In 1522, a Spanish expedition under Alonso de Ávalos and Juan Álvarez Chico arrived and claimed the area for the Spanish King. Ávalos was one of several lieutenants of Hernán Cortéz who were dispatched in every direction after the fall of the Aztec Empire. Amacueca became part of the new Province of Ávalos. 

View of the portales lining the west side of the plaza. The arcade and the buildings behind it are from the colonial period. They would have been among the first of the structures erected after the plaza was laid out. The buildings served many purposes over the centuries. Some of them would have been the mansions of wealthy Spaniards. A merchant would have used the first floor as a shop or a storage room for merchandise, while he and his family lived upstairs.

Amacueca played an early role in the War of Independence from Spain. In 1810, insurgent leader Padre Miguel Hidalgo sent Jose Antonio Torres to the area. While here, he recruited men from Amacueca into his army. In 1811, the brothers Francisco and Gordiano Guzmán captured the town of Atoyac (located on the opposite side of the lake) with the help of a company of indigenous spearmen from Amacueca.

Colonial era doors hark back to a distant time. When they were originally installed, these probably opened into a merchant's shop. The security bars, added much later, turned them into large windows. Unlike the boringly utilitarian doors and windows of modern buildings, those constructed in an earlier era nearly always contain decorative elements that reflect the taste of the owner.

In 1927, one of Amacueca's native sons had the distinction of serving as Governor of Jalisco--but for only 58 days! The brief tenure of David Benitez Vasquez resulted from his backing of the wrong side in a post-Revolution power struggle. He supported Francisco Serrano against Álvaro Óbregon, who had both been revolutionary generals. During the run-up to the 1928 presidential election, Serrano was assassinated, reputedly on the orders of Óbregon. Shortly after, David Benitez Vasquez was ousted as Jalisco's Governor.

Parroquia del Dulce Nombre de Jesus

The church and its adjacent convent are among of the oldest structures in town. As is often the case around Mexico, this church has been destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries, usually due to earthquakes. The earliest version was built in the mid-16th century. The gray stone facade seen above was constructed in the 18th century. Other parts of the church have been remodeled several times since. 

Carole walks down the central aisle toward the altar. The nave ends in a curved area called an apse, which surrounds the altar. The wall behind the altar is filled with a sumptuous retablo. Its exuberantly florid Churrigueresque style was an expression of the Baroque style popular in the 17th and early 18th centuries. 

In the mid-18th century, the Neo-Classic style arose as a reaction to the emotionalism of Baroque. The spare, staid columns and largely blank sidewalls of the church reflect the sober Neo-Classic rationalism that prevailed when the church was remodeled.

To call this retablo "richly decorated" would be an understatement. The floor-to-ceiling explosion of statues, cherub heads and floral curlicues is both mesmerizing and a bit overwhelming. Three niches on either side were created to contain the statues of Franciscan saints but, in the photo above, the top two are empty. 

When I took this shot in 2013, the retablo was being cleaned and restored. Part 2 of this series will contain much more detail on the retablo, including photos that I took a year later when all the niches were filled with statues.

Museum of Natural Sciences of the Sayula Basin

The skeleton of a mastodon found in the area is displayed in the Natural History room. It is one of three sections in the museum. The other two rooms contain artifacts and information relating to Archeology and Evolution. Mammut americanum was one of the most widespread ancestors of the modern elephant. Before it became extinct about 7000 BC, it ranged from Alaska to as far south as Honduras.

The Museum of the Natural History of the Sayula Basin was founded November 22, 2001. The museum is located near the plaza at #2 Calle Pedro Moreno, between Calle Parroquia and Calle Guadalupe Yanez. Its hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 3pm. When we visited, there was no entrance fee, but that may have changed over the years. The charge would be very modest, in any case.

Russet Crowned Motmot (Motmotus mexicanus). The Natural History section also contained a wide variety of native and migratory birds. I was assisted in their identification by Tom Holeman and John Keeling of the Lake Chapala Birders. 

The Russet Crowned Motmot is a permanent resident of the forested areas in northwestern Mexico and central Guatemala. It is very sedentary and returns to the same nesting area each year. The bird feeds on small prey such as grasshoppers, snakes, and lizards, as well as fruit. The Motmot darts out to catch prey, then returns to its perch. 

Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja). Of the six species of spoonbills in the world, the Roseate Spoonbill is the only one found in the Americas. Its range is from the Southeastern US down to Mexico and parts of Central and South America. Their appearance has been compared to creatures in a Dr. Seuss book. 

As they get older, these Spoonbills lose feathers on the top of their heads, a bit like human balding. They forage while wading in shallow water and, like pink flamingos, get their coloration from the crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates they eat.

Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway). While it has been called the "Mexican Eagle", the Crested Caracara is actually a falcon. In fact, it is the only falcon that builds a nest for its young. This bird likes open landscapes like those in Valle de Sayula. 

The Caracara can often be found atop the tallest available tree or other high perch, when it is not gliding along low to the ground, looking for prey. The bird sometimes acts like a vulture, walking on the ground and feeding on carcasses. However, it also eats live food such as insects, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and other birds. 

Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis). The Cattle Egret is short and thick-necked. It gets its name from close proximity to cattle in their pastures. This bird feeds on small insects stirred up as cattle move around in the grass. Sometimes it will perch on the back of a cow to feast on the ticks it finds there. Cattle Egrets originated in Africa but managed to reach South America in 1877. From there they spread north over Mexico, the Caribbean, and the southern half of the US. 

This completes Part 1 of my two-part Amacueca series. I hope you have enjoyed it and, if so, you will leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question in the Comments section, please include your email address so that I may respond in a timely fashion.

Hasta luego, Jim