Submerging in the waters of the Pacific Ocean is always spectacular, but to do it in front of the doorway shaped rocks that raise themselves a few feet over the ocean on the south coast of Puerto Vallarta, is an experience to be repeated over and over again say those whom have done it, for they never tire of it.
Los Arcos (The Arches) is a natural preserve closer to Mismaloya than it is to Puerto Vallarta. It is formed by a group of islets covered with exuberant vegetation rising between 16 and 160 feet above the water. This exquisite formation is responsible for the ports original name, Las Peñas (The Crags) which persisted until the beginning of the XX century when it was changed to Puerto Vallarta.
The force of the sea has created the crag´s erosion forming caves and arches making it one of the best places for scuba diving and snorkeling on Mexico’s Pacific Coast.
You can get to Los Arcos on a boat or water taxi from Boca de Tomatlan or Los Muertos Beach. There are also a few tour companies that make day trips to Los Arcos and then visit some close by beach like Quimixto, Yelapa, Las Animas or Majahuitas.
You can also enjoy viewing the arches from firm land standing on the viewpoint that is on the highway between Vallarta and Tomatlan, and capture the treasured sunset falling between the crags and arches while pelicans and booby birds set atop them to rest. A magnificent spectacle!
Amílcar Cupul is an oceanographer and researcher for the Coastal University Center (CUC) of the University of Guadalajara who has been studying the coral reefs of the Bay of Bandera’s area for the last 15 years.
When he first arrived in Puerto Vallarta in 1994, he began a movement to protect the coral reefs and lay rules for the tourist boats that visit the natural preserve, declared as such in 1975. The coral reefs are being damaged by climate change, warm water currents and the El Niño phenomenon, and boat anchors were contributing to even more destruction.
Today there is a buoy that marks the limit to the boats that visit. But human presence persists to damage the more than 10 subspecies of coral in the area for they are threatened by inexperienced divers when they step or crash against them.
All in all, the experienced scuba diver is received in this underwater paradise by a school of angel fish that is a marvelous sight. Even though 95% of the coral reef is lifeless, its formation gives shelter to small fish giving them refuge from larger predators.
A couple of stylized bluefish seem enamored and about to kiss swim past the Cupul Magaña. Amilcar follows them taking notes on a special tablet, and confirms the privilege of working in this environment.
The scientist goes from shallow waters to deeper ones entering a riskier area. He scubas through 80 foot tunnels between the crags. Nearby a ray moves the water that hits its body with the flapping of his fins. In the depth he sees an eel and a few morena fish. Amilcar cannot lose his concentration.
After he covers the 74 acres that comprehend the protected natural area, Amilcar’s work day comes to an end. But he scubas to the area known as La Quijada del Diablo (Devils Jaw) where there is no way of monitoring any coral formations for it has a depth of about 2,000 feet, but travels its waters in hopes of viewing the silhouette of a giant manta ray somewhere in its depths, but today he has no luck.

NOCTURNAL PARADISE
Some specialized companies offer night diving tours to Los Arcos, assuring a spectacle not visible during the day; lobsters, octopus and infinity of fish in a bioluminescent ambience that will make you lose your breath.

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Juan walks slowly and in awe on the Puerto Vallarta Malecon. It is his first time at this destiny and is surprised at seeing “so much art at the side of the ocean”. He counts the sculptures, examines them, he likes some and dislikes others. Of something he is sure, he prefers to dislike some of them rather than just find “statues of heroes that no one believes in” even if they are very well made. But not everyone thinks like John. Rosa Maria has been living in Puerto Vallarta for five years and she is indifferent to the sculptures at the Malecon. She jogs by them every morning with her dog, El Barbas. When asked which is her favorite she simply replies, “and if I tell you I never even paid attention to them, would you believe me?”. But while she works out, between sit ups, she admits, “Ok, yes, I have a favorite, the one with the strange chairs” she lets out. Rosa Maria likes The Rotunda of the Sea, which is more of an installation than a sculpture. In 1997 the Jalisco born artist, Alejandro Colunga placed this series of chairs composed of characters of his own mythology, one that he has recreated in different cities. Today the chairs look out at the ocean though that is not the original placement proposed by Colunga. Hurricane Kenna in 2002 swept them away and ironically took one back to Guadalajara and left three of the smallest in the home of Carlos Manzano, the ex director of Urban Development, which have still to be reinstalled. The actual placement of the sculptures is a mere whim of others, but still function as the author intended: as a way of demystifying art and bringing it closer to the people. “I like to sit here” says Rosa Maria. She sits on Colunga’s piece that has a long spyglass and octopus tentacles. Facing the horizon, as if looking through the fog for the long lost ship of the feared Sir Francis Drake, whom during the XVI century awaited the Manila Galleon in these Pacific waters or like the one manned by Thomas Cavendish whom around the same time, docked in this bay to strip the locals of the pearls and treasures they might find here. Rosa Maria pets her dog. He was known in the olden Vallarta days as El Pajarito (the little bird) and is one of the oldest inhabitants of the city; he misses the uninterrupted view of the ocean “they look like pure toffee candies” about the sculptures he used to say. But in fact it is one sculpture in particular that brings the memory of the twisted caramels that are sold at the market in Guadalajara; The Millenniums by Mathis Lídice.

The sculpture is structure that raises in a spiral towards the sky and tells the tale of the ascension, the history of humanity. It was the artist’s proposal to celebrate the beginning of the XXI century. El Pajarito never liked it, but is one more attraction for many of those who visit the Hotel Rosita, the oldest of the hotels still around in down town Vallarta. “Now that you mention it, it does look like toffee” says Rogelio who is visiting from Salamanca. “Maybe that is why I like it; I might just lick it” he says while taking a picture. The Millenniums is now part of the gallery on his computer. Art of toffee, the sculptures that inhabit the Puerto Vallarta malecon make it one of the most interesting open air galleries in the world. One can enjoy the gallery as Juan does, slowly walking the malecon, feeling the ocean breeze, with the sunset in the back ground and the lighting that offers a clear silhouette that is seen only in the Pacific. Or to see them as Rosa Maria and her dog do, while jogging, without any fixation, feeling her lungs fill with oxygen to later take advantage of them, taking a pause, a deep breath, without forgetting that contained in the ocean are hundreds of stories to be told, this is also valid.

But there is something that without a doubt happens, it does not matter how you look at them, they remain in your memory like part of a landscape that takes your breath away, makes you shudder and fills you with joy. Maybe that is why Don Rogelio captures them on his camera, to share with others what forever he will remember.

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Josh simply can’t picture his life away from sport fishing, which is not only his passion, but also his job. Born with the hook in between his hands, today he devotes himself to the sport fishing industry, and he certainly knows how to deal with truly big fish: his business is to find the best locations in the world for this activity, and then attract celebrities and high-end clients that want to use his fleet and his services. “This isn’t just a game; it’s my life, but it’s also how I make a living. This year only, one famous basketball player spent over $300,000 USD to use my services”, he assures.

There is no doubt that Josh is an expert in his field, and when he says that Riviera Nayarit is one of his favorite places in the world to fish, he truly means it. He first visited Riviera Nayarit ten years ago, and has been coming back frequently since. He currently lives in Vancouver, but his company has three ships docked at Marina Riviera Nayarit, at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, and he declares that he’ll keep coming to fish here at least for the next 50 years.

“I’ve been to thousands of places around the world, and I can say that this is the best place to fish. The variety of fish is amazing, so you always end up with a catch – there just isn’t a day at sea when you come back empty-handed. There’s tuna and more than one variety of marlin, but also wahoo, red snapper, dolphin fish, swordfish, sawfish and a number of other species. Therefore, when you don’t catch tuna, you get a lot of marlin; when the marlin is low, there’s red snapper; and if there aren’t any red snappers, there’s always wahoo. Simply put: it’s always fishing season”, he explains.

Josh was born in Canada, and represents the third generation of a family of commercial fishermen. He’s spent his whole life on the ocean, and not even the fact that both his father and grandfather lost their lives on their ship when he was only four years old, has diverted him from his passion. When he turned 14, he left school and started making a living by fishing and then commercializing his catch. When he turned 16 he bought his first boat, then saved and bought a larger one, and an even larger third ship that followed. He then realized that he’d spent all of his life saving money to buy boats, and had spent over a couple million dollars on them, without being able to enjoy his fortune.

“I got married when I turned 19, I started a family and began looking for an activity that would allow me better financial security and to spend more time with them; but I didn’t want to stop fishing. Now I own this business where we manage and maintain boats and organize fishing expeditions all around the world. I really enjoy it; I do what I love all the time. This isn’t something I had to learn; it’s something I carry in my blood: I was born to be a fisherman”, he insists.

With all this experience, Josh’s word weighs heavily when he speaks of fishing in the open waters. He says, for example, that the feeling you get when you catch a record-breaking fish is a something that can’t be explained with words. “This is why we go to the end of the world, to remote and wild places where the catch is excellent, but the amenities are scarce”. And this is precisely the reason why he declares that Riviera Nayarit is the best place in the world to practice this sport, because even though he knows of other places that have excellent waters where you can find all the big game, they don’t have the infrastructure and specialized personnel to maintain the equipment, they’re far away from good infrastructure, or there is simply no nightlife there.

“Here we have it all: excellent marinas, people who know how to work with fiberglass, technicians that fix all the kinds of gadgets present in a two-million dollar vessel like the one we use, specialized shops for fishing goods, extraordinary restaurants and hotels, bars and nightlife to enjoy a good day of fishing. But mostly, we have extraordinary fishing all year-round, with record-breaking fish. Usually, other destinations have some of these things, but never a combination of all of them”, he concludes.

MAJOR FISHING TOURNAMENTS ARE JUST AROUND THE CORNER

2^nd Riviera Nayarit Sport Fishing Tournament for Kids

Aims to promote the values and the passion of sport fishing in our region, though a one-day, activity-packed Sunday for the whole family, where the little ones that catch the largest game will receive prizes on the docks of Marina Riviera Nayarit, at la Cruz de Huanacaxtle.

June 6

For more information, please contact: 

50^th International Fishing Tournament at San Blas

Every year, amongst the celebrations for Navy Day, San Blas hosts one of the most important national fishing tournaments in the country. This year they’re expecting a special celebration, as they commemorate its 50^thanniversary, and will have prizes in excess of  $1,450,000 pesos.

June 9 – 13, 2010

www.clubdepescadeportivatepic.com

4^th International Tuna and Marlin Fishing Tournament at Riviera Nayarit

This tournament specializes in catching the most representative game of the Mexican Pacific: tuna and marlin. It’ll offer prizes in excess of a million pesos, and aspires to become one of the most important tournaments in this country.

August 12 – 14, 2010

www.rivieranayaritfishingtournament.com

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The fruit can be used to alleviate headaches and diminish nausea during long trips. The fruit is a three-inch oval, whose color depends on its maturity: from green to yellow to a reddish color. Kids like to eat the outer part when its yellow. Some of the nutrients that can be obtained from the fruit are tannins, beta-carotene, glucose and pentosan. The seed or little “coconut” can be obtained by breaking apart the fruit. The fruit is known as an ocean almond because it grows on the coast and the fruits are commonly found on the beach as if the tides dragged them there. Actually, that’s almost impossible: the thick and fibrous covering of the fruit allows it to float on the waves without sinking for two years or more. They can travel on most of the tropical currents and are able to germinate even after a long sea voyage. The tree is very resistant to wind thanks to its growth pattern; its pagoda shape protects it. It’s not even cowed by the salt-laden sea breeze that is fatal to so many other species!
These trees are great crop protectors. Their loss of leaves, once a year, guarantees nutrients for the soil. The lateral growth of their roots helps to contain sandy soil, curtailing its erosion even after powerful storms. Young (less than three years old), wild almond trees should be planted at a distance between 20 and 30 feet to protect crops. Once they’ve passed their maturity stage, they should be removed to non-fertile lands, since they reproduce very quickly and the land could become a forest in no time.
The fruit from these trees cannot be easily marketable because their yield is quite low. However, the fruit’s cortex is quite flavorful and is included in the diet of coastal inhabitants in small amounts. Its seed’s flavor is similar to commercial almonds, but it must be consumed right after extraction because it decomposes rapidly. One way to preserve them is to smoke them immediately; they can last up to a year that way. In the Philippines, they use the mature fruit to produce liquor. The wood can be used for construction purposes, as flooring and in furniture, but it’s not very resistant.
As you can tell, this native species has not been used adequately in this area. Aside from its aesthetic attractiveness, it’s resistant and can be used as an ornamental plant in our aggressive climate. Neither the wood nor its medicinal properties have been exploited either.

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“Good evening, Don Juan” is typically heard every night from the inhabitants of Mascota coming across the Meson del Refugio’s night watchman. They hear the answer “Good evening”, but it isn’t the old man’s voice, it was that of the new owners of the hotel. The watchman had died a few months back, but people were so accustomed to his shape sitting in the shadows on the “equipales” (typical leather and wood chairs), that it was some time before they got accustomed to Claudia Gallo, the woman who bought the place in 1993. El Meson Del Refugio, located in downtown Mascota on Independence Street, is not any old mansion. Its structure was originally designed as a hotel in 1847, when it got a license for “housing people and horses”.

“That’s the difference between others and us. Most of the other hostels around here were originally ranch houses or haciendas that were redecorated to function as hotels. That’s why ours has such high ceilings and a front gate wide enough to let carriages through. It also has stables in the back where the manager’s house is now”, explained Claudia Gallo. “While we were remodeling, some ceiling tiles were removed, but instead of throwing them away, we kept them until the structure was revamped and we put them down again. We did the same thing with the floors, which were removed to install drainage and pipes, but we placed the original ones again. Everything that could be saved, was saved” she stated proudly. Although these new owners bought the property in disarray when it was non-operational, the assets of the property are rife with significance; like Don Juan, who was ‘acquired’ with the property. The old man who sat every night on the porch had grown up there. His father, Don Jose, had been the original watch man, until his death. When Don Juan filled his shoes, he was already 80 years old!

Not much official information can be found related to the hotel, since its owners have been numerous and the title deeds have been so many that trying to rebuild some history from them has been quite confusing. However, it’s the stories that are told about it that can help recover part of its history. “About five years ago, a Vallarta family came to spend a weekend at the Meson. They were celebrating their grandmother’s 90th birthday and decided to go back to her home town. When they arrived, the old lady walked to the water trough in the middle of the patio and began to cry. The family was worried; they had wanted to give her a nice surprise and instead, she seemed so sad! When they asked her what was wrong, she said that she wasn’t sad, but that this was where she’d grown up as a child. The trough brought back wonderful memories. When she was a little girl, she’d steal some nuts and take them to the trough to peel them with a fiber. She was very excited that the water trough was still standing” tells Claudia.

This water trough that made this woman so emotional had once been used to water the horses. They had needed three or four people to roll it to the middle of the patio.

The Meson has 14 rooms now, one of which is a suite. All rooms have their own bathroom and all the amenities of modern living. They have a bar and some art exhibits on display. In spite of the stories surrounding the Meson, there are no tales involving ghosts or anything like that, so the management asks that if any are seen, please report it to the office so they can charge for the additional guest.

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This is just one more reason to visit the Riviera Nayarit. Aside from its beautiful beaches, its high quality food and spectacular views, it offers places like this narrow alleyway where more typically Mexican culture naturally flows. This alley is also part of the art gallery walk occurring in Bucerias during the winter season.

For twenty years this alley has taken people from the downtown area to the residential zone since it connects to the only bridge crossing over the Indio stream. This stream is the natural causeway that splits Bucerias in two, dividing the tourist section from the business section. It was discovered by Guy Montaigne, president of the Quebec Association of Painters and Sculptors about 20 years ago. When he discovered that the place was known to locals as the “Kissing Alley” he became very enthusiastic and had the idea of decorating the passageway with art; anything, as long as it had to do with kissing.

However, the story that’s told about how the place got is name is not extremely romantic. “There were no lights in the alley and it was really dark, so couples used to go in to get a bit of privacy; that’s how it got its name. There aren’t any legends or romantic anecdotes connected to the place like at the one in Guanajuato, but people hear about it and come to see. It’s slowly become a tourist attraction”, said Arturo Ramirez Ortiz, who owns one of the houses on the alley. Interestingly enough, Ramirez Ortiz is a sculptor. He makes one-piece wooden figures. He and Montaigne got along immediately when they met and set themselves to work right away. In no time at all the walls of the alleyway were featuring the Quebec painter’s work.

Its popularity has grown year after year, because artists from the Quebec Association of Painters and Sculptors have been invited by Montaigne to add on little artistic memoirs. The program has been so successful that the Canadian artists have almost covered it completely, including the bridge that splits Bucerias in two.

When walking away through the artisans stands and then through the art galleries, you can’t help but look back. Who knows, maybe you’ll witness something reminiscent of Casa Blanca, with Humphrey Bogart in a warm, goodbye embrace with the likes of Ingrid Bergman.

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Mexico’s Foreign Investment Law
In 1993, Mexico enacted the Foreign Investment Law (the FIL) liberalizing land ownership for foreigners in Mexico. The FIL (as amended) and its regulations dictate how foreign investors may acquire land in Mexico. If the real estate is not within the Restricted Zone, foreigners can obtain permission to acquire direct ownership of the property by simply notifying the SRE of their agreement to abide by the Calvo Clause. There are a few types of real estate (e.g. agricultural lands) that have specific rules, which are not covered by this article.
For real estate within the Restricted Zone used for non-residential activities (i.e. tourism, real estate development, commercial or industrial purposes), foreigners may acquire the land through a 100% foreign-owned Mexican legal entity (a Mexican corporation or limited liability company) that is authorized to have foreign ownership by the SRE and whose bylaws contain the Calvo Clause. If the land is located within the Restricted Zone and is used for residential purposes, foreigners may only acquire the rights to use and enjoy the land through a Fideicomiso, but may not acquire an outright title to it. Any disputes as to whether property lies within the Restricted Zone are reviewed and resolved by the SRE.

Residential versus Non-residential
Article 5 of the 1998 regulations to the FIL lists some activities that will be considered non-residential. These include those:
1. subject to a time share;
2. intended for some industrial, commercial or tourism activity, and which may be used simultaneously for residential purposes;
3. acquired by credit institutions, financial brokers, and credit auxiliary organizations, repossessed to recoup debts in their favor;
4. used by legal entities to fulfill social objectives that may consist in the transfer, urbanization, construction, and all other activities inherent in the development of real estate projects until they are commercialized or sold to third parties; and
5. real estate assets used for commercial, industrial, agricultural, livestock, fishing, forestry uses, and for rendering of services.

Characteristics of the Fideicomiso
As stated above, buyers purchasing real estate in the Restricted Zone for residential purposes must purchase through a Fideicomiso. As detailed in Article 381 of the General Law of Commercial Paper and Credit Operations (the “LGTOC”), the seller (the “Grantor”) transfers title to the real estate to a Mexican financial institution (the “Trustee”) in trust to be used for the purposes designated by the grantor, for the benefit of the buyer, or the person(s) or entity(ies) designated by the buyer (the “Beneficiary or Beneficiaries”). While the LGTOC provides the general legal framework, parties to any Fideicomiso agreement are free to negotiate most of the terms and conditions of the agreement.

The Grantor
The Grantor transfers title to the real estate to the Trustee to be held in trust for the benefit of the Beneficiary(ies) under the Fideicomiso agreement. The agreement should expressly state that the Fideicomiso is irrevocable and that the seller reserves no rights. Otherwise, the Grantor might retain some rights under the Fideicomiso during or upon expiration of its term.

The Trustee
The Trustee administers the Fideicomiso as fiduciary for the Beneficiaries, and is responsible for carrying out the terms of the agreement. In Mexico, only authorized Mexican financial institutions can act as Trustees. The Trustee can resign only for good cause, and then only after a Mexican judge has confirmed that good cause exists. The Trustee cannot do anything with the property other than what is allowed by the agreement. The Trustee is liable for loss or damage suffered by the Beneficiary as a result of the Trustee’s negligence.

The Buyer/Beneficiary
The buyer typically is the Beneficiary of the Trust. However, the buyer may designate other Beneficiaries. In fact, we recommend that the Fideicomiso agreement provide for substitute Beneficiaries, so that if the initial Beneficiary dies, the right to use and enjoy the real estate will pass to the substitutes without the need for probate. Those rights generally include the ability to use, rent, or improve the property, cause its sale or transfer, and, in general, undertake, with the Trustee’s participation, all the activities performed by any real estate owner.

Fideicomiso Agreement, Registration, and Costs
As stated, the parties can negotiate most of the terms and conditions of the Fideicomiso agreement. The Trustee must obtain a permit from the SRE to acquire the real estate in trust if the Beneficiaries are foreigners. The Fideicomiso agreement must be executed before a Mexican notary, who will register it in the Public Registry of Property. While the costs of establishing a Fideicomiso and closing on the acquisition vary depending on the value of the property, the Trustee, and the location of the real estate, costs range from 5% to 10% of the purchase price. Typical costs include the fee to obtain a certificate of no liens, appraisal fee, notary fees, and real estate transfer tax which, depending on the State, ranges from 2% to 4% of the appraised value of the property. The Trustee also charges annual fees, which may range from $300 to $2,000, and additional fees in the event of a later transfer.

Steps to Closing
Other than the fact that the buyer is purchasing through a Fideicomiso, the purchase transaction is essentially the same as any other real estate transaction in Mexico. The buyer must make sure that:
1. the seller holds valid, unencumbered title to the real estate;
2. there are no taxes due on, or liens attached to, the property;
3. the terms of the sale are evidenced by a written purchase contract or promissory contract if money is paid in advance of closing;
4. the Fideicomiso agreement correctly describes the terms negotiated with the seller and the bank;
5. the buyer obtains a certificate of no liens;
6. the buyer obtains title insurance (such insurance may be obtained from Stewart Title Guaranty Company, First American Title Insurance, Chicago Title, to name a few); ‘
7. the buyer obtains an appraisal of the real estate;
8. the SRE issues a permit for the Fideicomiso;
9. the Fideicomiso Agreement, which is incorporated into the escritura or deed, provides appropriate protections to the buyer; and
10. the escritura/deed is registered in the Public Registry of Property.
Term/Termination of the Fideicomiso
The maximum initial term of a Fideicomiso is 50 years, which may be extended upon application to the SRE. Upon the termination of the Fideicomiso (and provided that the Grantor reserved no rights under the agreement), the real estate will be transferred to the person designated by the Beneficiary, provided that person is qualified to acquire the title (e.g., that the transferee is not a foreign national or entity that cannot acquire real estate in the Restricted Zone).

Closing
While purchasing real estate through a Fideicomiso may seem complicated, the process should not be an impediment to purchasing your dream beach house. Fideicomisos have been tried and tested over time. There is an enormous amount of foreign investment flowing into Mexico now through foreign residential real estate purchases in the Restricted Zone. The Mexican government does not want to lose this source of foreign investments. In fact, it is likely that the process will get easier in the future.
In the meantime, as long as you are patient and obtain competent counsel, you should have confidence in the Fideicomiso structure.

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Building? Initial Paperwork and Procedures

Once you’ve purchased the land on which you’ll be building, and you have an architectural project and initial quote, then you need to obtain the following:
First you need a Building Permit. To obtain it, you need to show the design blueprints for the ground floor and other levels, transverse views and façade, structural blueprints containing all pertinent calculations, signed by the responsible authorized Expert (Perito), a copy of the title deed for the property, registration into the Public Property Registry carried out by a Notary Public, copy of the application with Official Number and Alignment and a position diagram showing its location on the street and pertinent side streets. The Permit Office will calculate the surface area to be built upon. The payment made is based on a fixed price per square meter of construction. You may begin construction once the application has been submitted even though the permit has not yet been granted. If for some reason the permit is not granted, then construction must be halted until it can be achieved. Otherwise you will incur in penalty fees and/or the closure of the site with subsequent fees and consequences. Normally, the procedure takes between 15 and 30 days, depending on the complexity of the project.

To begin building, you must first request a water source and drainage. This should be applied for at the local water and drainage offices. Connections could take more or less time depending on existing infrastructure disposable in the area. At the same time, you should request electricity for the property, at the CFE, the Federal Electricity Commission. You can apply for either 110 or 220 V, as the case may be.

Generally, you would build a storeroom for materials and to house the night watchman. It’s usually made of wood and cardboard, easily built and eventually discarded.

The land should be cleared of all plants and weeds. The upper layer, called the plant layer, must be removed because it contains organic matter. It’s usually about 8 in. deep. Once the property is cleared, then the surface should be filled, compacted, and leveled or terraces or levels should be made when necessary. In some cases, retaining walls are needed and should be built to delimit the leveled areas. Depending on the size, this job can be done either manually or mechanically. The filling process should be in layers with wetting in between to obtain the degree of compaction and hardness required. Mechanical testing is carried out on the soil to determine its condition and not run any stability-related risks.

Once that’s been completed, then the property is delineated, usually in chalk or lime, showing the lines that will define the building, and the location of the joints and foundation. These are dug out and compacted once again so as to contain the mortar infrastructure, some 2 in. thick. The hole must be wider than the joints and foundation so as to allow for the wooden framework. The mortar infrastructure will receive the rod iron framework for the base and joints of the foundation. The specifications should be contained in the structural and foundation blueprints: diameter, aperture, splices, joints and steel ties. This structure is raised to a height that allows the concrete to penetrate to the depth indicated in the blueprints. A common mistake is to leave them at the base. There are specialized bases or you can simply use stone.

Once the structure is made, then you proceed with the wooden boxes that will define the width and height of the bases and joints. The wooden framework is larger than the structure itself so the latter will be completely covered by the concrete poured over it.

The concrete pouring can be contracted out to concrete suppliers to get the best homogeneity or it can be done in smaller amounts. For the latter, you need small revolvers or cement mixers running on electricity or gasoline. The proper ratio of cement to gravel to sand must be strictly maintained to obtain consistent quality in the concrete produced. The quality will affect its hardness and resistance. There are tables that can be used to ensure the proper proportions.

So by now, I’ve taken you to the point where you have the necessary documentation and the foundations required.
–
By Miguel Angel Vazquez

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There are neither title deeds nor documents with which to understand the history of such a successful sugar emporium; almost everything has been lost in time. However, the one thing that’s left is the testimony of Don Roberto Avalos Castillon (1921-2001), jealously guarded in a video held by the Regional Tourism and Analysis group of the University of Guadalajara here at their coastal campus. The information taped in 1998 had not been transcribed until now.

The El Tuito Hacienda was founded in 1876 by two families that arrived from Guadalajara, the De la Madrid family and the Michel family. They first set out to find the right piece of land to establish their sugar mill. “I remember perfectly well how they processed the sugar cane and how it was staggered down to the ovens and wood burning heaters; that’s why I think they were very careful when choosing the terrain”, Don Roberto remembers. He had been the mayor of Cabo Corrientes from 1971 to 1973.
Once they chose the location, they gathered workers and populated the community. They built the hacienda with the mill to one side where they processed the sugar cane. The land they purchased for their industry was vast. “The entire area, from the ruins of the hacienda to where the hacienda’s river and the Nogalera River joined, was covered with sugar cane. Their property went all the way to Los Arcos in Puerto Vallarta. The border went down the coast to Quimixto and then up the mountain to a very important point which is Yelapatapa” he explained.

Sugar cane harvest is seasonal, so most of the hacienda’s activity was carried out at the beginning of the year. Grinding began punctually every January 2nd and didn’t end until the harvest was done, generally around the month of April. “The grinding was pretty rustic. The mill was a large, 18-foot wide stone, with a wooden axis. It had a box up top which was propelled by a water fall. The water fell about 9 feet, which allowed the wheel to turn quite rapidly. Then it had three pieces of rod iron on which they placed the sugar cane to be crushed and pressed. They could put in four, eight or even ten stalks of sugar canes, and it could work it”, said Don Roberto.

Although the hacienda was able to become productive in a short while, the owners were faced with their share of problems. “After a time, the local Indians kicked them out; they had to flee or be killed. That was around 1900. During that time, the owners had a foreman called Nabor Estrada, who came from Las Guasimas, but was originally from Ixtlahuehuey; an honest, hard working man. When the trouble came and they had to flee, they left it all in his hands, trusting his integrity”, he said. From Avalos Castillon’s point of view, the De la Madrid and Michel families did right in trusting everything to Estrada, since he was a straight and strong man. He was able to keep the hacienda running and was able to pay them every cent of what they had given him. When Nabor died, his widow, Epifania Pena operated the hacienda with one of the workers, Alfonso Garcia. He had been the person in charge of the store and understood the marketing of the mill’s products perfectly well. “He only knew about the store, not really anything about the land nor anything else, but he learned. Garcia kept the store for a little while. It was located where the billiard hall is now. However, when Dona Epifania passed away, the capital was left to her nephews, Enrique, Teodulo and Epifanio Robles. Finally, all of Nabor Estrada’s capital ended up in Alfonso Garcia’s hands, who bought it off of Dona Epifania’s heirs bit by bit”, he said.

The ex-mayor tells that Garcia was a good boss, who helped the people out and made sure the hacienda was productive. Under his watchful eye, El Tuito became a self-sufficient community. They not only didn’t need to bring things in from the outside, but they supplied sugar and “piloncillo” to the entire region.

In 1938, the Agrarian Reform came into being thanks to President Lazaro Cardenas, and the Ejido El Tuito was formed; all of Garcia’s land was shared out. “The truth is that that reform really screwed us all. That division of land finished off the population. Even though Alfonso told the “ejidatarios” (common owners): “Gentlemen, I’ll buy all your sugar cane or at least mill it for you, but please don’t let this industry die out”, they decided to plant beans and corn until the hacienda began to fall apart; they didn’t have the money to keep it going anymore” Don Roberto concluded.

Cabo Corrientes County was established in 1944 and El Tuito became its seat of government even though the sugar mill and hacienda had already disappeared. The area’s main economic activity nowadays is agriculture, producing corn, beans, watermelon, gum tree and coconut oil palm, and adventure tourism. Although the bonanza has ended, the magic of the town still remains.

Between 1876 and 1938, El Tuito was an area where you could find 1000 head strong cattle ranches, enormous sugar cane fields, coconut oil palm fields on the coast and a productive and self-sustained society. At the time, the land that runs from its urban area to the Los Arcos boulders by Puerto Vallarta was owned by just one person. Of such splendor, all that remains are the ruins of the El Tuito Hacienda and its mill, where “piloncillo” (brown sugar cones), sugar and fire water were produced. You can still see the foundations of the adobe walls that enclosed the hacienda some meters away from an Indian petroglyph that shows a Patolli ball game.

There are neither title deeds nor documents with which to understand the history of such a successful sugar emporium; almost everything has been lost in time. However, the one thing that’s left is the testimony of Don Roberto Avalos Castillon (1921-2001), jealously guarded in a video held by the Regional Tourism and Analysis group of the University of Guadalajara here at their coastal campus. The information taped in 1998 had not been transcribed until now.

The El Tuito Hacienda was founded in 1876 by two families that arrived from Guadalajara, the De la Madrid family and the Michel family. They first set out to find the right piece of land to establish their sugar mill. “I remember perfectly well how they processed the sugar cane and how it was staggered down to the ovens and wood burning heaters; that’s why I think they were very careful when choosing the terrain”, Don Roberto remembers. He had been the mayor of Cabo Corrientes from 1971 to 1973.

Once they chose the location, they gathered workers and populated the community. They built the hacienda with the mill to one side where they processed the sugar cane. The land they purchased for their industry was vast. “The entire area, from the ruins of the hacienda to where the hacienda’s river and the Nogalera River joined, was covered with sugar cane. Their property went all the way to Los Arcos in Puerto Vallarta. The border went down the coast to Quimixto and then up the mountain to a very important point which is Yelapatapa” he explained.

Sugar cane harvest is seasonal, so most of the hacienda’s activity was carried out at the beginning of the year. Grinding began punctually every January 2nd and didn’t end until the harvest was done, generally around the month of April. “The grinding was pretty rustic. The mill was a large, 18-foot wide stone, with a wooden axis. It had a box up top which was propelled by a water fall. The water fell about 9 feet, which allowed the wheel to turn quite rapidly. Then it had three pieces of rod iron on which they placed the sugar cane to be crushed and pressed. They could put in four, eight or even ten stalks of sugar canes, and it could work it”, said Don Roberto.

Although the hacienda was able to become productive in a short while, the owners were faced with their share of problems. “After a time, the local Indians kicked them out; they had to flee or be killed. That was around 1900. During that time, the owners had a foreman called Nabor Estrada, who came from Las Guasimas, but was originally from Ixtlahuehuey; an honest, hard working man. When the trouble came and they had to flee, they left it all in his hands, trusting his integrity”, he said. From Avalos Castillon’s point of view, the De la Madrid and Michel families did right in trusting everything to Estrada, since he was a straight and strong man. He was able to keep the hacienda running and was able to pay them every cent of what they had given him. When Nabor died, his widow, Epifania Pena operated the hacienda with one of the workers, Alfonso Garcia. He had been the person in charge of the store and understood the marketing of the mill’s products perfectly well. “He only knew about the store, not really anything about the land nor anything else, but he learned. Garcia kept the store for a little while. It was located where the billiard hall is now. However, when Dona Epifania passed away, the capital was left to her nephews, Enrique, Teodulo and Epifanio Robles. Finally, all of Nabor Estrada’s capital ended up in Alfonso Garcia’s hands, who bought it off of Dona Epifania’s heirs bit by bit”, he said.

The ex-mayor tells that Garcia was a good boss, who helped the people out and made sure the hacienda was productive. Under his watchful eye, El Tuito became a self-sufficient community. They not only didn’t need to bring things in from the outside, but they supplied sugar and “piloncillo” to the entire region.

In 1938, the Agrarian Reform came into being thanks to President Lazaro Cardenas, and the Ejido El Tuito was formed; all of Garcia’s land was shared out. “The truth is that that reform really screwed us all. That division of land finished off the population. Even though Alfonso told the “ejidatarios” (common owners): “Gentlemen, I’ll buy all your sugar cane or at least mill it for you, but please don’t let this industry die out”, they decided to plant beans and corn until the hacienda began to fall apart; they didn’t have the money to keep it going anymore” Don Roberto concluded.

Cabo Corrientes County was established in 1944 and El Tuito became its seat of government even though the sugar mill and hacienda had already disappeared. The area’s main economic activity nowadays is agriculture, producing corn, beans, watermelon, gum tree and coconut oil palm, and adventure tourism. Although the bonanza has ended, the magic of the town still remains.

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Coconuts? Colima’s the Place to Go

The coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is one single species with many varieties. They’re primarily differentiated by the color of their fruit: yellow or green. The plants also have a different diameter to their trunks. Their common characteristic is that their fruit has a similar taste, sweet, meaty and juicy. They’re cultivated in coastal areas thanks to their economic importance.
Coconut flowers are polygamomonoecious, with female and male flowers in the same plant. They flower continuously and the female flowers are the ones that produce the seeds or coconuts. The coconut is a very resistant seed and it can propagate at great distances by marine currents. You can see coconuts floating along the coasts of the Sea of Norway that will still germinate under the right conditions.
The coconut palm is one of the most useful plants and is exploited in a myriad of ways. The dry pulp is called copra and contains 60-70% lipids. From the copra you can get the oil that is used in the production of margarine and soap. The wood can be used for construction as well. The inhabitants of Polynesia, Kiribati and the Marshall islands eat the fresh sap from the coconut tree. They also ferment it and preserve it as an alcoholic drink called ‘toddy’. The fibers surrounding the coconut fruit are used to make brushes, mattresses and rope. In the Caribbean isles, they open the immature nuts with a machete to extract the liquid for a refreshing drink. This water can be kept within the closed fruit for up to 8 months and still conserve its properties.
According to an article published by Juan Carlos Reyes Garza, the coconut palm arrived in Colima around the end of the fifties and was readily cultivated and marketed. One of the products was an alcoholic drink (firewater) that competed with Spanish liquors for a time. The competition was so strong that its production was banned by the Spaniards. Colima is one of the largest coconut producers in America today.

Oil and Shade

The coconut oil palm, also known as “guacoyul” (Orbignya guacuyul) is very similar to the coconut palm. It grows to about 90 feet, but its leaves are much longer; some almost 15 feet long. Its leaves are what are used to make palm frond roofs – “palapas”. This species can be found intermittently all down the Pacific coast, from Nayarit to Oaxaca. It grows in dense palm forests. Its fruit looks like oval-shaped, yellowish, fibrous nuts up to 3 inches long. They contain from one to three seeds hidden in an oily pulp.
However, the coconut palm gives more than shade with its ‘palapas’; coconut oil production was one of the most important economic activities in the area for over 50 years. People would wait until the nut dried out and then broke it to sell to companies that made soap, tanning oil and cooking oil.

The Shining Star

The Royal Palm (Roystonea regia) is also found near Puerto Vallarta. It’s a species that stands out due to the beauty of its foliage. Cubans show off that this beautiful ornamental plant gives their fields their character, but we even have a town named after it: Las Palmas. The plant can grow up to 45 feet, but its trunk doesn’t have as many protuberances as its cousins. It grows in both flat and mountainous regions, preferably in fertile and humid terrain, like on river banks, streams and gullies. It doesn’t grow in savannas or in soils with a lot of sulfates. It can also be found in Florida, Santo Domingo and Haiti as well as many other countries (Roig, 1974).
Royal palm is used to decorate parks, highways and avenues thanks to its svelte beauty. However, it’s also a very useful plant. It has emollient properties, its root is a diuretic and it can be used to expel kidney stones, for diabetes, atherosclerosis, cramps, asthma, and colds, to improve circulation, to stop hemorrhaging, for leprosy, and malaria and to treat sprains. In Puerto Rico it’s also used for stomach problems and to heal wounds. The wood is used to build houses in rural areas, for pens, canes and containers for agricultural products. It’s very valuable for bee keepers, because its flowers are very popular with the little insects (Ordext, 1952). Its fruit, core or “heart” is eaten by numerous people in salads or other preparations. In many countries, when the head of the palm is cut off, the cavity left behind develops a certain type of beetle larvae that is considered a delicacy.

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