Concepcion de Buenos Aires

My first short expedition after hernia surgery not quite 3 weeks ago. Short because even extended sitting makes me uncomfortable and they say 4-6 weeks is normal recovery.

So anyway a drive down the south side of Lake Chapala was the plan maybe to Petatán and see the pelicans if they were still there. Thoughtful me without my map I didn't know how far Petatán was and made it as far as Cojumatlán - both in Michoacan. Cojumatlán is a large town and Sundays are the day for everyone to meet at the plaza. Couldn't find parking within 4 blocks and didn't feel like being the only gringo with a camera in the huge crowd - so back to Amacueca and maybe head inland.

A friend told me about Concepción de Buenos Aires somewhere off the new road to Mazamitla as being an attractive place to visit. The turn off is about 10-12 miles up the hill from Amacueca to the right. Putting that name on a road sign is next to impossible so you'll see something like - Cocep de BA. About 12-15 miles on this secondary road full of not very deep potholes appears the gates to Concepcion.  Without a map in this area it's hard to tell if you are in Jalisco or Michoacan.

The town reminds me of a number of Colonial mountain towns like Tapalpa, Mazamitla or even Patcuaro with the tile roofs, buildings painted similarly and lots of wood. However this town was only founded in the 1850's and became head of it's municipio in the 1880's. The sign on the entrance to town says - 'Land of the friendly people'

Laguna Sayula

We took a little loop drive a few days ago heading around Cerro Garcia and thru some back roads towards Amacueca and back on the 54 libre. We went around the lake from Jocotepec to Tuxcueca where the highway to Mazamilta takes off south. Just about a mile on that road there is road to the right that heads to Citala, Teocuitatlan de Corona, across Laguna Sayula to highway 54.

Pretty country but it's dry and brown now including the Lake. We made stops in Citala, very small and not much there and Teocuitatlan quickly to check the old sugar mill. There are much better preserved and larger mills around Mexico but this one has been converted to housing, hay storage and various other things. Didn't get to see much of Teocuitatlan because we got a late start and my partner had been there before. Gonna have to start earlier next time by myself or with another 'newbee'.

Anyway, we did make it to Amacueca for coffee and did not get rained out this time. However what really interests me about that area is the lake and how it changes from season to season. Some years it has lots of water (looks like a lake) and right now it's dry .... but not as dry as it's going to be. When it's really dry it turns to dust and with a good wind the storms can be like a 'white out' with snow. In the opposite season it is green and filled with migratory birds.

Then there are stories of the ancients living on the lake, salt deposits and collection, arrow and spear heads found and pottery shards. Interesting stories and history

View Larger Map

Dry lake and the valley

The lake with water looking across at Cerro Garcia

Rained out in Amacueca

We made a big loop from lake Chapala to Tapalpa yesterday with the idea of seeing a few things I've not seen before First stop was Ferreria de Tula, just outside Tapalapa, which has a very interesting Colonial era dam. On to Tapalpa which is a story itself ... and on to Amacueca.

Amacueca is back down in the valley where the dry lakes are (not so dry now). It was supposed to have some good organic coffee, a museum and a skeleton of a mastodon or dinosaur of some type. Sadly just as we pulled up to the coffee place the sky let loose and the street became a river. That was enough for us and I was the only one to get out of the car just for pictures.