Palma's Place

Melaque Wanderings

Colima - I hired Ray, the owner/operator of The Only Tours Costalegre, and we left at an ungodly hour for Colima, about 2 hours away.  Along the way we got stopped for a school parade in Chihautlan and then took some back roads through the countryside.  

Colima was the first town the Spanish settled in Western Mexico, in the 1520's.  After breakfast and a briefing on the town, I set off to photograph the historic central district.  I wondered into the Palacio de Gobierno and got some great shots of the old, colonial style building and met a guy from the tourism office who told me to go to the balconies on the 2nd floor for some high shots of the town.  I also got good shots of the Teatro, the municipal palace, and of the Jardin Libertad (the central square), along with some shots of the surrounding area.  I eventually met up with Ray at the museum run by the University of Colima, recouped in the A/C, and then we made our to the roof of the parking structure for some great shots of the town.  

Next we went to the Hacienda de Nogueras in Comala, a great, 200 year old hacienda, last owned by Alejandor Rangel Hidalgo, a famous Mexican artist, who gave the Hacienda to the University of Colima to carry on his support for the arts.  The hacienda includes a museum, with examples of his work, including several series for Christmas Seals he did in the 60's, and three galleries of local pottery recovered from local shaft tombs dating back two millennia.  I especially loved the Colima dogs, or Cebados dogs, or Perros Colimotes, and the posed Perros Bailando (dancing dogs) all done in a great red glaze.  Given Sparky, how could I not love these dogs.  They were ancestors to Chihuahuas and Mexican hairless breeds.  Apparently Colima was the only area where the Indians did pottery dogs.  Also, the early culture created figures based on ordinary people and not just royalty and warriors.  The Hacienda also has the oldest surviving church in the state, seen in the background of the photo below.  The region is in a very active seismic region with frequent large earthquakes.

Next we went on to Suchitlan to visit some famous mask makers.  We went to their home workshop and I got to see how they make the masks, which are used in local celebrations.  They are hand carved from various local woods and have great designs (See my photos).  At the time we were there, the two brothers were painting a couple of masks in some amazing colors.  I bought three, for mom, a friend, and my self (to add to a collection of masks I am building).  Suchitlan is a small town up in the hills above Colima and before you get to the famous volcanoes.  It has its own square and central Jardin.  

Finally we went to Comala for lunch at a Botanero on the main square.  A Botanero is a restaurant where you buy a drink and they bring out plates of small finger food.  We had perfect timing, while  I had a welcomed beer or two, some good food, and listened to the Mariachis, the rain started up.  The restaurant we went to was on the south side of the central square/Jardin.  On on the square was another great old church, San Miguel de Archangel.  After a late lunch we headed back to Melaque via Manzanillo.  

Manzanillo & Fishing - I charted a 26ft boat and we went fishing off of Manzanillo.  We left at about 8:30 and got back after 1pm.  We cruised an area of about five miles off shore.  On the way out and then coming back in we hooked into about 10 Bonitos, a type of mackerel I guess.  Not particularly large but they fought a bit and with 40 feet of line or so it took some effort to reel them in, especially when there where two back-to-back.  We also hooked int about a 5-6ft sailfish, that got off the line in about a minute, but seeing it jump really was a thrill.  We released all but a couple of very small fish, which we used for fresh bait.  We also hooked into a bird that was trying to steal the bait.  He eventually got free as we reeled in the line.  All in all it was a fantastic time.

Laguna de Navidad - The day after the storm, I had another early day and went over to Barra, got breakfast and then hired out a panga from the fisherman cooperative to tour the lagoon and then cruised off the beach over at Melaque.  Along the way I got some great morning shots and some great bird photos.  Carlos de Dios Babadilla was the capitan and was a great guide.  BTW, he can be reached at dossypiolo_2425@yahoo.com.mx, or at 315-10-40-506.

Other local towns and stops - On Highway 200 I passed through Chihautlan (the equivalent of the county seat for where I was staying and Jaluco (a small town at the junction of highway 200 and the road to Barra) often, including going through a Mexican Army checkpoint just outside Jaluco.  The checkpoint mainly looks for large shipments of drugs and guns (I guess there is no right own a firearm in Mexico), though one time, coming back from the fishing trip in Manzanillo, my taxi was stopped and we were searched.