A colonial mining pueblo deep in the Coast Range

A lacy metal kiosco stands in the middle of Plaza Publica. The plaza dates back to 1774, but the kiosco (bandstand) and the surrounding gardens were added during an early 20th century remodeling. With this posting, I am beginning a series on the colonial-era mining town of San Sebastian del Oeste, located in the heart of Jalisco’s coastal mountains. Part 1 will give you a sense of the town itself, while succeeding Parts will focus on local attractions we visited. These include a mining museum, two haciendas, and a coffee finca. 

Overview:

Map of the coast range area, including San Sebastian, Mascota, and Talpa, all of which we visited. Our day trip to San Sebastian del Oeste occurred during an adventure to Mascota (see previous series) that I organized for a group of friends. The distance between Mascota and San Sebastian is 48 km (29 mi). The drive, which is very mountainous, takes a little more than one hour, depending upon traffic. Many tourists also come from the coastal resort town of Puerto Vallarta, a distance of about 68 km (42 mi) taking about 1.5 hours. San Sebastian del Oeste’s altitude is about 1,400 m (4,600 ft), giving it a very pleasant climate most of the year.

The coastal range is not particularly high, but is rugged and heavily forested. During a rest break in a narrow valley, I photographed this field of ripe maiz (corn) with a partially cleared mountainside in the background. The slanting rays of the early morning sun gave everything a luminescent emerald glow. Although the highway is winding and narrow in places, it is well-maintained. Occasionally, however, rainy-season landslides can block it. The stretch between Puerto Vallarta and San Sebastian del Oeste is particularly susceptible to these events, which generally occur between June and October.

Looking east over the the town from a hilltop on the western outskirts. San Sebastian nestles in the caldera of an ancient volcano. Silver and gold were discovered in the surrounding mountains in the 16th century. The town that supported the mines was founded in 1605. The layout of the town’s streets does not follow the traditional grid pattern of other Spanish colonial pueblos and cities. Instead, the calles and callejones (streets and alleyways) twist and turn, following the contours of ravines and hillsides. This sort of street pattern is similar to other old mining centers I have visited, such as Zacatecas, Guanajuato, and Taxco.

Street scenes

Puente Recto (Straight Bridge). This stone bridge was built in 1884 and is known locally as La Pareja (The Partner). The name may be due to the fact that there is another bridge in town, that one curved. The single-arch Puente Recto was built to enable easy passage over a deep arroyo. It was the main route out of town for caravans of heavily-loaded burros and carretas (two-wheeled oxcarts) carrying silver and gold to Guadalajara. Salt was vital to the mining process. Other caravans brought it from a coastal fishing village called Las Peñas. That tiny pueblo later evolved into the bustling resort of Puerto Vallarta.

Calle General Aguirre, looking east. This cobblestone street was named after an illustrious native son. It crosses Puente Recto and leads directly to the main plaza. San Sebastian is one of Mexico’s Pueblos Mágicos (Magic Pueblos). As of 2018, there were 121 of these, selected for their cultural, historical, and architectural significance.

A Pueblo Magico receives government financial support to upgrade its facilities and highlight those qualities that make it special. Many Pueblos Mágicos have the same white and rust color scheme you see here. The program has been spectacularly successful, enabling local people to proudly display their heritage while bringing in vital tourist money. Carole and I have visited 40 of the 121 sites, including Mascota and Talpa de Allende. We have never been disappointed.

A cobblestone callejon leads up the mountainside from Calle General Aguirre. Winding alleyways like this are typical of mining towns. From the early colonial times, most people lived on the hillsides overlooking the narrow valley. The ore crushing and smelting operations, as well as the government offices and merchants’ stores, were located in the base of the valley.

The original name of the town was Real de San Sebastian. The colonial-era term « real » (royal) designated a mining district. San Sebastian’s production of precious metals became so important in the 18th century that Spanish King Charles V took a direct hand in setting the rules for it. During the colonial period, the King got his « quinto real«  (royal fifth) of everything produced by New World mines.

By 1785, ten haciendas were operating more than 25 gold and silver mines in the area, along with several foundries. In 1812, the booming town was awarded the title of city. Real San Sebastian reached its peak in the 1830s, when more than 30,000 people lived in and around it.

A two story building on the hillside has the same color scheme as the rest of the pueblo. At first I thought this was a single family home. However, on further inspection of the photo, it appears to have three doorways on the lower level and another three on the upper, suggesting six small apartments. The view of the town and mountains from either level would be lovely.

The Revolution of 1910 brought mining to a sudden halt. The mining operations were owned primarily by foreigners at that time and the new 1917 Constitution forbade foreign ownership of Mexico’s mineral resources. In 1921, the last of San Sebastian’s mines closed.

Today, only about 600 residents remain in the town, with another 5000 or so in the surrounding municipio (county). The main economic activities, in addition to tourism, are agriculture, stock breeding, and forestry. For more than 60 years after the mines closed, the town was simply called San Sebastian. Then, in 1983, « del Oeste » (of the West) was added, in order to distinguish the town from the many other San Sebastians in Mexico.

A single resident relaxes on the corner of an otherwise empty street. With his straw cowboy hat and leather boots, he is definitely a local. While the overall appearance of the town is rustic, everything was carefully swept, neat, and free of trash. People here are obviously proud of their town and want it to be seen at its best. The place has a serene and somewhat otherworldly quietness that I found very appealing.

Most of the homes and other structures are of one or two stories and are made from adobe bricks covered with a layer of plaster. The buildings are roofed with traditional red tiles. Doors and window frames are of weathered wood, as are the columns that support the arcades along the fronts of some homes and stores. The cobblestone streets are narrow, having been built for horses and wagons rather than automobiles. The best way to see the town is to park at the plaza and just walk around.

A family of Mexican tourists strolls along a side street. San Sebastian gets most of its foreign tourists from Puerto Vallarta, rather than the big expat community on the North Shore of Lake Chapala. However, on our visit to San Sebastian, we saw very few foreigners and fewer still while in Mascota or Talpa.

I began setting up trips like this when I realized how few of my friends at Lake Chapala ever get very far « off-the-beaten-track » in Mexico. In fact, most are barely aware of the existence of places like this. I am not a professional tour guide and I don’t really need any extra income, so I don’t charge anything for setting it all up. I try to keep the costs as low as possible so that even those on tight budgets can participate. I take my reward from my friends’ expressions of astonishment and delight when we arrive someplace like San Sebastian de Oeste.

A couple of local residents walk by a home on the corner of Calle General Aguirre and Calle Juarez. At this point, Plaza Publica is only another block to the east. The style of this house is typical of San Sebastian, with an arched arcade along the ground level and a balcony overlooking the street. Very likely, the entrance leads to an open courtyard with a fountain in the middle. As you can see from the un-plastered upper wall, the house is made from adobe bricks, with a traditional tile roof. The pillars along the balcony, the ceiling rafters, and the railing are all of wood originally harvested from local forests.

An abuela and her nieto watch the world go by from their perch on a bench. Abuela means « grandmother » and a « nieto » is her grandson. Mexican families are close, both emotionally and in terms of physical proximity. In addition to parents and siblings, there are usually grandparents, uncles, and cousins living in the same town and perhaps even in the same household. This pair watched our approach with calm interest. They kindly agreed when I asked if I could take their photos. Except for some of the indigenous people, Mexicans are nearly always pleased and a bit amused by my desire to photograph them. It is always polite to ask for permission before doing so and to back off if it is not given.

Plaza Publica also known as Plaza de Armas

The kiosco and Portal Morelos, with the steeple of Iglesia San Sebastian rising behind them. A kiosco is usually the centerpiece of a Mexican plaza. It provides a stage for musical performances and public speakers. Kids typically use it as a jungle gym. As I noted earlier, the Plaza Publica dates from just before the start of the American Revolution. During its first 100 years or so, the plaza was used for public markets, as a gathering place for town meetings, and to stage public executions. Like many Mexican plazas, it picked up the additional name of Plaza de Armas because the open space was ideal for drilling the local militia.

In that early period, the plaza would have formed a large open space. Its bare earth would be rock hard (at least in the dry season) from the tramping feet of countless animals and people. Local women would gather at its one or more wells or fountains. There, they would fill large clay pots with water for their households and exchange the gossip of the day. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, plazas all over the country were transformed into community showplaces. Gardens, benches, statuary, and other amenities were added. Plaza Publica was part of this trend. Its kiosco was added in 1910, only months before the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution.

El Portal Morelos fills a whole block along the north side of the plaza. This two story building has a balcony running along the top of a long arcade supported by 15 wooden pillars. Constructed in 1750, it is one of the oldest buildings around the plaza. El Portal was once the center of economic activity in San Sebastian. Merchants operated stores here that sold necessities to the miners and their families and European luxury goods to the owners of the area’s mines and haciendas. Local artisans and peddlers once spread out their goods under the shade of the arcade. Some of the names of the old stores still hang above the doors, including El Nuevo Mundo (The New World), El Futuro (The Future), or Progresso (Progress). All these names give an impression of the optimism of those early times.

A state government office and a sweets shop stand on the southwest corner of the plaza. The street running between the two buildings is Calle General Aguirre. To the left is the Recaudadora, where taxes and other government fees are paid. On the right side, across the street, is a shop selling Artes y Dulces (Arts and Sweets). Both of these buildings are from the colonial era and served multiple purposes for many different owners over the centuries.

 Los Arcos de Sol was our pick for our lunchtime meal. The hotel/restaurant stands on the south side of the plaza, just east of the Recaudadora. There are tables for dining under the arcade along front of the building. Sitting slightly uphill from the plaza, the restaurant provides a fine view of all the activities happening there. It’s a great spot to people-watch while enjoying a casual meal.

Los Arcos was once the colonial-era home of a series of wealthy merchants and mine owners. According to the Los Arcos website, « the windows have stone seats where ladies sat to embroider and watch the local youth pass by, waiting to be serenaded. » The property has belonged to the Dueñas Garcia family since 1940, when Julián Dueñas Lepe bought it. At the time he was presidente of the municipio. It has been a hotel since 1953 and currently belongs to Don Julián’s daughter, Profesora Margarita Dueñas Garcia.

 Allison and Chuck, two of our group, sit on the restaurant balcony as they wait to place their orders. The restaurant offers a wide variety of traditional Mexican cuisine. The sudden appearance of twelve hungry foreigners didn’t seem to faze the staff. While we waited for our orders, I took the opportunity to explore the public areas of of the hotel. Most of the rest of our party decided to just relax and enjoy the view of the plaza and the surrounding mountains.

Restaurant y Cafe El Fortín shares the west side of the plaza with Artes y Dulces. El Fortín apparently refers to the early Spanish fort that protected the miners and their families from attacks by indigenous tribes and marauding bandits. The restaurant is very highly rated on Tripadvisor and serves a variety of dishes, including vegetarian and vegan. Among the drinks available are tequila, hot chocolate, and locally grown coffee. An attached galeria provides space for art shows and performances.

Rincon Cuevas sits on the east side of the Plaza across from El Portal Morelos. Inside this rustic old structure is a restaurant/sports bar that serves traditional Mexican dishes. The shady arcade along its front seems to have attracted a number of locals. The building was probably occupied by merchants in previous centuries.

A horseman quietly ambles down a cobblestone streets. Aside from the hat, this scene could have occurred 100, 200, or even 300 years ago. One of the great attractions of Mexico for me is its sense of timelessness. Ancient traditions and modern practices exist side by side.

This completes Part 1 of my San Sebastian del Oeste series. The next posting will show Hacienda Jalisco, one of the old mining haciendas located on the western edge of town. I hope you enjoyed Part 1. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below, or email me directly. If you leave a question, however, PLEASE leave your email address so that I can respond.

Saludos, Jim