Crafts are primitive but one of the
most desired commodities.
A small plane glides over Banderas Bay, putting Puerto Vallarta
into perspective. High-rise hotels and terra cotta-tiled roofs give
way to waterfalls and rivers streaming to the sea. Pines grow thick
on steep mountains. Happy to have abandoned my plans to cruise into
the Sierras in a rental sedan, I relish the rush. Puerto Vallarta
is blessed with a spectacular
setting on Mexico’s largest bay, backed by the forested Sierra
Madre. Beyond the modern city’s excellent beaches, restaurants and
art galleries lie small villages and settlements mired in history.
It’s not easy to reach these pockets of rural indigenous culture,
since roads are few and distances great. But Vallarta Adventures
closes that gap with its air tours to mining towns and Huichol
villages in a sturdy 14-seater Cessna.
Our destination on our first air tour was San Sebastian del
Oeste, an 18th-century silver-mining town. About 600 people live in
the UNESCO World Heritage Site, growing coffee and agave and
raising livestock. We visited the La Quinta organic coffee farm,
where Rafael Sanchez picked beans from 100-year-old trees. Outside
the family home, horses clomped by on cobblestone streets and the
air was heavy with the scents of pine and wood fires. Dona
Conchita, the town’s historian, gave our group a tour of photos and
treasures from six generations in her family home. Lunch at another
family establishment included bowls of machaca, rice, beans and hot
tortillas tasty fuel for a stroll around the town. All too soon,
our guide counted his charges as we assembled by the plaza and
climbed into a truck for a ride to the airstrip. The flight back to
the city went by way too quickly. But at least we had our La Quinta
coffee with its scent of mountain earth and air to summon our
memories.
The experience was so otherworldly we signed up for another
plane ride to San Andres Coamihata, a tiny village far from paved
roads and modern conveniences. We arrived in early morning after an
hour’s flight northeast of Puerto Vallarta. Benito, our Huichol
guide, blessed us as we entered the village where two men played a
dirge on handcrafted instruments similar to violins. Although it
has only 120 registered residents, San Andres is akin to a capital
city for the 16,000 Huichol living in similar remote mountain
outposts. Among the few indigenous groups in Mexico to retain their
pre-Columbian traditions, the Huichol have little interest in
allowing outsiders to corrupt their lifestyle. Vallarta Adventures
is the only company bringing tourists to San Andres; their tours
run just once weekly from December to April.
Huichol children play in San Andres
Accompanied by our guides, the musicians and the inevitable band of
semi-shy children, we checked out the worn table where shamans
determine future events during a peyote-enhanced trance. Inside the
circular ceremonial house, Benito explained the petroglyphs
covering the walls. In the church, he showed us a hole in the dirt
floor representing the womb of the world. It was difficult to
absorb the cultural and historical information dispensed through
multiple translations. The people had the most intense impact.
Bashful women in bright yellow blouses and long blue skirts stood
half hidden behind wooden doors; many covered their faces the
moment they sensed a camera pointed their way. The kids gradually
warmed to us, kicking plastic water bottles into the air and
exchanging Spanish and English names for everything from scrawny
dogs to the sky and sun.
It seemed little time had passed when we were led to a gathering
of artists displaying their handicrafts. Were it not for the
gorgeous Huichol beaded masks and figurines sold in fine galleries
throughout the world, few outsiders would even know about this
ancient tribe. The crafts displayed for our perusal were simple and
primitive but far more desirable than any collector-quality art in
Puerto Vallarta’s pricey shops. We bought bracelets and necklaces,
beaded iguanas climbing carved branches and masks with swirling
patterns and flowers representing peyote plants. Treasures in hand,
we wandered slowly toward our plane, reluctantly boarding the
steps. Nearly the entire village gathered as we rumbled along the
dirt airstrip and ascended among the clouds.
“The contact with the people is the best thing you could ever
experience,” said our guide, Martin Aver. “We always leave with a
great emotion.”
CONTACT
Vallarta Adventures offers air tours to San
Sebastian and other mountain villages and Huichol communities near
Puerto Vallarta. Our San Sebastian tour lasted about five hours and
cost $155 per person. They also offer a seven-hour land tour for
$75 per person. The air tour to San Andres costs $210. Tours to
Guadalajara and coastal towns are also available, along with
private air charters. The company has a travel agent newsletter and
gives agents reduced fees for tours booked for clients.
888-303-2653
www.vallarta-adventures.com |
