Mexjourneys with Isabel and Jim

WESTERN JALISCO HACIENDA TOUR

April 20, 21 & 22, 2010

 

     

                                                                                                                                       Hacienda Ahuacatepec                                                                                                   Hacienda La Sauceda                                                                                         

 

We leave by van on our tour from Guadalajara Farmacia in Ajijic at 9:00 AM and drive into the western mountains of Jalisco.  On the way we visit Hacienda La Sauceda, one of the oldest land grants in Mexico given by the King of Spain. From there we continue on to the 300 year old Hacienda Ahuacatepec where we stay for 3 days and 2 nights. This beautiful private hacienda has been in the same family for all these years though 150 years ago the family name changed because the only daughter married Colonel Labastida. Today, the Labastida family still owns the hacienda. One of the members of the Labastida family ran for President of Mexico in 2000 against Vicente Fox.  It is no longer a working hacienda, but the village including the chapel is still there. After checking in and having botanas, we then visit Hacienda Volcanes which was the cattle hacienda for Hacienda Ahucatepec and is now owned by the Magaña family.  Later in the afternoon you can rest on the veranda, hike around the hacienda village or walk to a natural pond with a waterfall.  At 6:00 pm we gather in the Great Room for wine and cheese. Alicia, the hacienda cook, will prepare and serve our delicious Mexican dinner. 

 

Our second day begins with breakfast at the hacienda prepared by Alicia.  Then we are off to the towns of Talpa and Mascota.  Talpa has long been one of Mexico’s most cherished pilgrimage sites. For centuries people have walked here from costal Jalisco and Nayarit and from Guadalajara to show their devotion to the Virgin of Talpa.  The statue of the virgin is displayed in Talpa’s basilica the Sanctuario de la Virgen del Rosario built in her honor in 1782.  We stroll the streets and visit shops where you can purchase coffee from the region, both ground or whole bean. Or try homemade, cream-based rompope liquor in a variety of flavors or a sweet treat made of cooked and pressed guava, mango and quince and made into a rollo.  But one of the most interesting crafts of Talpa is made of chicle, a natural gum. Yes, this is the original basis for chewing gum. No, they don’t chew it.  Instead they use water to soften the chicle and make exquisite objects such as baskets filled with flowers, vegetables and fruits, or statues of the Virgin of Talpa. This is a disappearing craft and there are only a few women in their eighties who still make them. We have a no-host lunch in Talpa before heading to Mascota just a few kilometers away.

 

    

                                                                                                                                     Templo de la Preciosa Sangre               Meal  at Hacienda Ahuacatepec          Sala at Hacienda Ahuacatepec  

 

Mascota is one of the best preserved villages of Jalisco.  Its streets are lined with one-and two-story homes and shops, some spruced up and others showing their original adobe brick. We visit two small museums. The first one is Rodríguez Peña Museum which contains artifacts, clothing and paintings of the area. One of the salas is devoted to Esther Fernandez, a famous Mexican movie star from Mascota. Raul Rodríguez, the owner, may be our guide and will tell us wonderful stories of Mascota. The second museum was founded by National Geographic. Here you will see what is said to be the oldest known faceted gem in the world which was discovered in this area.  A short walk from the plaza is the interesting Templo de la Preciosa Sangre (Church of the Holy Blood). Construction began in the 19th century, but the quarry stone church was never finished. The entrance is framed in a Roman arch; inside, the altarpiece is neoclassic.  Then back to our hacienda. At 6:00 o’clock we meet in the Great Room for libations before dinner which will once again be prepared by Alicia.

 

On our third day before breakfast you may go to the barn and have pajaretes, which is made of milk directly from the cow and flavored with chocolate, sugar and alcohol.  The best cappuccino you have ever tasted!   Alicia has invited us into her kitchen to watch as she prepares our breakfast. On our return home we stop in the town of  San Martin Hidalgo where we see the church and small museum.  We arrive back in Ajijic around 4:00 PM.

 

- Subject to Change-

 

Double Occupancy: $3980 pesos per person

Single Occupancy: $4650 pesos per person

  • For wine with your dinners there is a $100 peso charge per person

Payment: A non-refundable full payment must be received by April 12th, 2010.

 

For reservations email Isabel at isabelfuente@gmail.com or 766-0822

or Jim at mexjourneys@yahoo.com or 766-3070

 

Price includes transportation, two night accommodation, 2 breakfasts, 1 lunch (botanas) and 2 dinners at the hacienda, first night wine and cheese party and museum fees.