//1// Fresh coffee beans from La Quinta, Cafe de Altura //2// Star lights at Pueblo Magico //3// Church artifacts //4// Virgin of Guadalupe statue in Church courtyard //5// crumbling Hacienda in countryside //6// Bar at El Arreiro //7// Dusk, walking back from the mines
My 'A Day In' series continues with the beautiful colonial mountain town of San Sebastian Del Oeste.
A DAY IN : SAN SEBASTIAN DEL OESTE
HISTORY
Two hours northeast of PV, San Sebastian del Oeste, was once one of the most important cities in Mexico. As a mining town and the former capital of the state of Jalisco, San Sebastian is steeped in history. The once populous town (peaking in 1830 at 20,000 inhabitants) has shrunk in size (600 permanent residents) and national importance but is so picturesque it is worth making an effort to check it out for yourself. V was so inspired he created a websitefor the town. GENERAL
San Sebastian is built for walking and you can easily traverse the entire town in an hour or so. This is the perfect place to rent a home and spend your time writing, painting or shooting the picturesque surroundings.
The town is high up in the mountains and as such has a very different climate than Puerto Vallarta. In the steamy humid months of summer many Vallartans escape to San Sebastian to relax in its temperate summer climate and slower pace of life. In the winter it gets quite cold – requiring thick blankets on beds and warm winter woolens.
MORNING
As you enter the town along a broad cobble stone street make sure to stop in at La Quinta, Café de Altura and pick up a pound or two of their coffee beans from the Sanchez Alvarado family who have been running the business for 5 generations. They also sell candy-covered nuts that make for an amazing afternoon snack.
After grabbing your morning coffee wander into the city and poke around the shops that line the zocalo (main square). My favourite shop is a two-storey folk art emporium called Pueblo Magico, which carries beautiful treasures from all over Mexico at very reasonable prices. El Fortin Restaurant & Galeria also carries some great preserves, textiles and Mexican folk art.
The church in the main square is always open and, with all of its interior architectural detailing painted trompe l’oeil, it’s one of my pueblito favourites in Mexico.
Only a handful of wandering country roads make up the town and walking along them, camera in hand, is a nice way to spend a couple of hours. Over the last several hundred years, as the population dwindled, more and more of the town became overgrown and forgotten. It’s not uncommon to walk by crumbling haciendas from the 1600’s, long since abandoned by their owners.
AFTERNOON
At the main entrance to the city sits the restaurant El Arriero, which has a nice patio overlooking a mountain valley and the towns old bull ring. The food is good and the view is even better.
From there head down to the Hacienda Jalisco – one of the oldest Hacienda’s in town which has been converted into a local museum and hotel. The main rooms are beautifully staged to represent the life of its residents in the 1600’s and it is also home to an extensive newspaper clipping archive of the local history of the past 100 years.
If you have access to a vehicle with 4-wheel drive head up to La Bufa – the top of one of the tallest mountains in the area. On a clear day you can see Puerto Vallarta and beyond. If you don’t have a car there are also La Bufa tours – just look for a green bus with a palapa roof in the main square and inquire with driver.
EVENING
My pick for the best restaurant in town is Montebello. Their pizzas and pastas are made to order by its Italian ex-pat owner and served on a quaint patio overlooking their amazing courtyard garden. There is an array of family pets that also wander under tables looking for scraps and attention, which only add to the ambiance.
If you have any energy after your delicious dinner head up behind the town and check out the old abandoned mines. The 30-minute walk takes you through picturesque countryside and the base of the local forest. A town resident gave us a tour of this area and told us that during times of conflict, years ago, the local population would head for the mines and hide there for days while their town was being looted – a truly astounding fact when you see how small the mines entryways are.
When we visit we always stay at the Hotel del Puente – a very rustic hacienda hotel that is only $12 a person per night. The Hotel del Puente offers nothing more than a room with a bed and a few toiletries but the staff is kind and the hacienda itself is quaint. We have spent many a night playing scrabble in the inner courtyard to the light of fireflies. If rustic isn’t your thing there are many options in town – from bare bones basic to high-end luxury.
