Road Trip Mexico

Bus Trip, Alta Vista Ruin Site, Chalchihuites, Zacatecas, Mexico

2015-03-12T15:42:00.000-07:00

Alta Vista Ruin Site, Chalchihuites, Zacatecas
Update, March 2015

I reached the town of Chlchihuites via bus from Sombrerte. The following day I hired a taxi to take me to Alta Vista Ruin Site, a long downhill glide from Chalchihuites. I was soon in the small museum looking over the ceramic objects and site scale models.

The caretaker approached and greeted me, the only visitor. He explained that the site had the same name carried by the nearby town but was more commonly called Alta Vista, the official name given it by the Government.
The caretaker told me that researchers at Alta Vista had found solar significance in the construction of the buildings situated on a gently sloping hillside at 7, 200 feet above sea level. The researchers cite deliberate placement by the builders of the ritual center at latitude 23* 28' 58", smack on the Tropic of Cancer, give or take a mile. The tropic line moves a few feet each year, I would learn, so the builders in ancient times could be forgiven their GPS and computer-less error.

City of Zacatecas

What they had built though was an ideal spot for the observation of the summer solstice or zenith day. At that location the sun would appear to stand still in its movement north over the earth on June 21 and would not only linger for a day directly overhead at Chalchihuites, but appear to reverse direction and start its (apparent) annual movement south.

As I toured with the caretaker, he pointed out peaks in the distant hills where stone markers indicate a use of the center by builders of Teotihuacan to track the movements of the sun.
The site was occupied from 100 AD to 1400 AD but was in active building stages between 400 and 850 AD, this according to archaeological researchers. Some suggest that the Teotihuacan culture built the complex as a ritual center in the 4th century AD.

Archaeological investigation of the site began with the work of Mexican archaeologists Manuel Gamino who first explored the site in 1908. Later in 1971, Charles Kelley began digs at Alta Vista that spanned five years. His studies of the site and region continued for 45 years.
Archaeoastronomer Anthony F. Aveni of Colgate University, famed for his work with sun and star alignments on many Mexican sites, wrote, along with Kelly, in 1977 about the ruin and its solar significance in the alignment of walls and sight lines to the rising of the sun over distant mountains.
Aveni, Anthony, F. Horst Hartung, and J. Charles Kelley. 1982. "Alta Vista (Chalchihuites): Astronomical Implications of a Mesoamerican Ceremonial Outpost at the Tropic of Cancer." American Antiquity, vol. 47, pp. 316-335.

Zacatecas Zip line, hiking Tour

The caretaker didn't remember me from past visits as he pointed out features include a solar equinox alignment and a summer solstice alignment of the sun over the mountain peak, Picacho, in the distance to the southwest, and to ridge called Chapin at dawn, where investigators found two cross-shaped petroglyphs similar to ones used by the builders of Teotihuacan when they designed that city. Those markers at Chapin Mesa were the telling link between Alta Vista and its use by the distant City of Teotihuacan as a ceremonial outpost at the northern limit of Mesoamerica.

It became evident that the caretaker was out to prove all of this to me as he had me squatting and sighting along walls this way and that. He had many quirky facts to tell but I was relieved that he didn't pull out of his bag of tricks the lost tribe of Israel as a guide had done to Lorraine and me when we visited Monte Alban in Oaxaca.

I suspect that the indigenous of Mexico didn't need help from the Egyptians, the Africans, spacemen, or lost tribes to build their grand stone cities; they were keen observers of nature who built their religion around observed natural events.

Alta Vista Chalchihuites, Zacatecas

La Quemada, Chicomostoc Ruin Zacatecas

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Review, The Hotel Concordia, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

2015-03-05T16:07:00.000-08:00

Review, The Hotel Concordia, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

The entrance to the Cathedral of San Luis Potosi is just a half
minute walk from the Hotel Concordia

The Hotel Concordia, in the center of the historic district of San Luis Potosí, is just a half minute's walk from the incredible, baroque cathedral, the red stone church that dominates the central plazas, the Plaza de Armas and the Alameda Park.

The rooms offer ceiling fan, cable TV, and in-room Wi-Fi. The private, tiled bathrooms offer hot water showers and toiletries.

The hotel offers a restaurant and cafeteria serving international and regional food. Within a short walk there are many other restaurants located around the main Plazas. For an additional charge there is covered parking just beside the hotel.

From the Hotel Concordia you can walk to the Plaza Fundadores Square and the Federico Silva Museum, and the Teatro de la Paz.

Taxis from the hotel reach the Ponciano Arriaga International Airport in 20-minutes and the central bus station in ten minutes

This hotel is not super modern but is ideally suited for sightseers. The location at the edge of the pedestrian streets makes the Hotel Concordia a good value at 400 pesos per night.

Feed Shark

Bus to Alta Vista Ruin from Zacatecas

2015-02-27T12:45:00.000-08:00

Ruin Site of Alta Vista or Chachihuites, Zacatecas

State. The builders displayed a knowledge of both

magnetic north and geographic north

by the placement of buildings.

Bus to Alta Vista Ruin Site from Zacatecas

Zenith Day Sundial

Update, February 2015

The archaeological ruin site of Altavista is a rarely-visited site located in the small farming and mining town of Chalchihuites in Zacatecas State. Although the site remains obscure, some very unique events happen at Altavista several times a year, solar events that shape our lives but events that we rarely consider.
This June 2014 I visited by taking an Omnibus from Norte Station in Mexico City to Zacatecas and from there taking an Omnibus to the town of Sombrerete. From Sombrerete I reached the town of Chalchihuites by local bus, a two hour ride for 53 Pesos.
On this trip I was in Chalchihuites on the 15th and 16th, not quite Zenith Day at the Tropic of Cancer, June 21-22, but close enough to observe the diminishing shadows formed at the standing stones as the sun moves north.

Hall of Columns

Chalchihuites filled me with a sense of mystery as the taxi glided down across a wide, grassy plain and we approached the ruin. My thoughts didn't reach the lyrical pitch of this writer, however, (read Alanna Roethle's "Love In the Hall Of Columns" for some inspiration).

I rode to the site in a taxi operated by Manuel, (tel. 457-105-1041.)
I arranged pickup with him, 130 Pesos each way.

On my first visit several years ago I fell in love with this massive stone timepiece built into the plains of Chalchihuites, a ten-acre sundial built almost 2000 years ago by a culture that had a passion for tracking the movement of the sun over the earth.

Altavista Ruin is so out of the tourist track that few people visit, the caretaker told me, except during the annual Zenith Day of June 21-22, and during the equinoxes of March and September when the sun can be observed to rise over certain peaks in the distant mountains.
The caretaker explained the sight-lines to the distant mountains created with wall placements by the people who built Alta Vista. The builders put much thought into the phenomenon of the sun's movement over the earth; so much so that they built standing stones and stone columns throughout the site to track that movement. On Zenith day the sun casts no shadow at the base of standing stones at mid-day.
It wasn't until a few years before my first visit to Altavista that I had given any thought to the apparent seasonal movement of the sun over the earth and the resultant zenith days, the seasons, daylight savings times, and the winter doldrums of latitude 43 weather in New England. The phenomenon came to prominence for me at the ruin site of Monte Alban, high above Oaxaca City, where the ancients built a zenith observation tube and a standing zenith stone, both to record the May and August Zenith days at Monte Alban.

This photo taken in October shows the suns shadow

falling to the north of the stones as the sun moves

south over the earth towards the December equinox.

After that visit I did some reading and would learn that it is not the sun that moves over the earth, but the tilted angle of the earth's axis that causes the apparent movement of the sun, north to south each year as the earth revolves around the sun. That is the little considered phenomenon that gives us four seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres.

The zenith days and equinoxes have Northern Hemisphere-centric names given by various European geographers over the years including first century Rome's Pliny. Anyone who has lived well north of the Tropic of Cancer, as Pliny did living in Rome at latitude 41, knows that their climate makes drastic changes throughout the year. The same happens for those living well south of the Tropic of Capricorn. During the winter months when it is cold in the northern hemisphere, the Summer occurs in South America and Africa, which have their longest periods of daylight and hottest weather during December. On December 21 the sun is at its zenith on the Tropic of Capricorn and appears to be directly overhead in the mid-day at latitude 23* 26' 16", over the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert of Chile.
Most of us don't give this much thought, nor did I until that trip to Monte Alban where I saw the shadow of the zenith column and the elegant simplicity of that standing stone's ability to record the apparent movement of the sun.
After December 22, the earth has moved around the sun enough to move the northern hemisphere closer to the sun and the sun appears to move north over the earth each day towards its zenith day over the Tropic of Cancer at Chalchihuites at latitude 23* 26' 16" on June 21-22, during the Summer Solstice.
Because of the tilt of the axis of the earth the northern hemisphere moves closer to the sun. This zenith day at the Tropic of Cancer is the longest day in the northern hemisphere. If you traveled north from Chalchihuites, the duration of daylight would increase until at the north pole the sun would not set at all on the 22nd of June.

Conversely, in the southern hemisphere, June 22 is the shortest day of the year; at the South Pole on June 22 the sun does not rise.

Between these apparent extreme movements of the sun over the earth are the Fall Equinox, which occurs on September 22, and the Spring Equinox, which occurs on March 22. These two dates are zenith days of the sun over the equator at Belem in Brazil, near latitude zero, half way between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. On these dates the period of daylight and darkness are equal in the northern and southern hemisphere at the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. See more at Equinox , Wiki
It is odd that the people of Mesoamerica would take notice of this apparent sun movement considering that in the tropics the periods of daylight and night are nearly the same throughout the year. The period of darkness to sunlight will only vary throughout the year in the northern and southern hemispheres and will become extreme at the poles.

The builders of Altavista constructed

walls that provide sight-lines to solar

events over distant mountains.

The builders of Alta vista did take great notice of the suns movement according to archaeologist J. Charles Kelley and archaeoastronomer Anthony Aveni, two researchers who analyzed and wrote about the solar significance of the ruin.

Reach Altavista.
Omnibus serves the 100 miles between Zacatecas and Sombrerete with first class bus service. Local buses serve four trips daily the 35 miles between Sombrerete and Chalchihuites. 7am, 11 am, 3 pm, 7 pm.
Three-hour Omnibus de Mexico bus trips each hour from Zacatecas to Sombrerete for 160 pesos.
I have ridden with Omnibus before and find the service of good quality. They run from Mexico City all the way north to the US Border at Agua Prieta and Nogales while covering a huge area of northern Mexico north of Mexico City including service to Tampico and the US border on the Gulf of Mexico side.
From Sombrerete the Omnibus service goes north to Durango where they continue down over the mountains on the new highway over the western slope to the resort town of Mazatlan. Reach Altavista from Mazatlan via Omnibus or Estrella Blanca (Estrella Blanca Bus Terminal, Mazatlan) to Durango and Sombrerete.
Reach Sombrerete from Chihuahua via Omnibus, 440 Pesos

Note: There was only one hotel available in Chalchihuites during my June 2014 visit. (the mining companies have contracted the three other hotels)

Next, The Ruin of Alta Vista

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Bus to Alta Vista, Chalchihuites, Zacatecas Stone Observation Buildings

2015-02-27T01:14:00.000-08:00

This row of stones laid east to west would
have shown an ever decreasing shadow
at mid day on the north side as the sun
approached zenith day of June 21

Bus to Alta Vista Chalchihuites, Zacatecas
Update Feb 2015

Solar Observations, Zenith Day

Alta Vista ruin site's position on the Tropic of Cancer would allow the observation of the one Zenith day each year for this point on earth. The people living south of the tropic of Cancer in the ancient MesoAmerican cities would have observed two zenith days annually. Alta vista being on the Tropic of Cancer would observe just one: June 21 or June 22.
When I saw the Hall of Columns at Chalchihuites I was reminded of Stonehenge. The literature claims that the tightly grouped columns, 28 in all, supported a roof in ancient times but this is hard to swallow; the columns are too closely packed and appear to be significant in themselves. I suspect that they were used to observe the movement of the sun over the earth in its seasonal changes. (28 columns)
With the standing stones of Stonehenge still in my mind I remembered other standing stones a lot closer to Chalchihuites, a group of isolated columns at the ruin site of Izapa in Chiapas. At Izapa, a sprawling ruin site in the thick, humid jungle along the coast of

Hall of Columns, Alta Vista Zacatecas

Mexico's Chiapas State, three stone columns with no apparent utility stand widely spaced at three Cardinal points in a plaza below a pyramidal structure located at the fourth cardinal point. The columns, about eye level in height, support only round stone spheres that are approximately equal in circumference to the diameter of the columns.

Stone column at Izapa
Ruin Site, Tapachula, Chiapas

Izapa is an old site with early Olmec influence in its artwork. The area grows abundant chocolate and has been desirable turf for many cultures over the years including the Olmecs, Zapotecs, Mixtecs and the Aztecs. The columns at Izapa Ruin site would have been elegantly simple devices for observing the zenith day. On those two zenith days per year at Izapa, the sun would have cast no shadow at the base of those columns at mid day on May first and again on August twelfth. Of course the columns would need to be perfectly plumb but archaeologists have found plumb bobs in ancient sites. Could the Hall of Columns at Chalchihuites have served a similar purpose as those columns at Izapa I wondered.

It is tempting to believe that all the civilizations in Mesoamerica followed plans formulated by the Olmec culture of 1200 BC. When you see these columns and stones with no apparent utility you could imagine a sun worshiper religion that developed their observational skills over thousands of years to evolve into the use of mathematics and detailed observations of planets and stars. These observations later fluoresced into the complex calculations evident in the later Mayan civilization.

Other standing stones on the Alta Vista site which seem to have no structural significance could also have been sun trackers. A row of low stone blocks runs roughly from east to west and another crosses it that runs north to south. These would make a perfect solar time piece and calendar. By observing the length and direction of shadows throughout the day and throughout the year, one could track the seasonal progression of the sun and its approach to the annual zenith day.

Walls at Alta vista Ruin that create
sight lines to the distant peaks

The caretaker told me that many Europeans visit Chalchuhuites during the zenith days of June 21-22 to note the alignments created by the builders. I could only imagine from what I had seen of the equinox serpent shadow at Chichen Itza and the 5000 visitors watching it, what tiny Alta Vista would look like when a few thousand sun worshipers arrive to watch the solstice sunrise over Mount Picacho.

The town of Chalchihuites could provide lodging and limited services for visitors but it must be some scramble for lodging on the runup to the 21st of June. On a recent 2014 trip I found only one hotel open due to the influx on mine workers occupying all other hotels. I didn't need to worry about a hotel on this trip I was on a day trip so I caught a late afternoon bus back to Zacatecas where I spent the night in the Hotel Condesa, a solid place in the Historic Center and not a bad value at $39.00 USD although it did not offer WiFi.

Early the next day I went about 30 miles south from Zacatecas City by local bus to the town of Vilanueva where I could get a taxi back north nine miles to another enigmatic Zacatecas ruin site, the ruin of La Quemada.

Next, Ruin of La Quemada or Chicomostoc

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Tucson, AZ to Oaxaca Mexico by Bus

2014-12-26T19:30:00.000-08:00

Phoenix/ Tucson through Chihuahua to Oaxaca By first Class Bus
Updated December 2014

For travelers to Mexico from the Southwest USA there are several ways to get from Tucson, AZ and cross into Mexico. The two most commonly used bus routes, because of their transportation services, are the crossing at Nogales and the one at Douglas Arizona/Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. If you are vacationing in the USA and want to visit Mexico, these bus and shuttle services make it possible.
The route into Mexico could depend on where you are going in Mexico. On the trip described here, the route is direct to Mexico City and beyond to Oaxaca City, so the Douglas, Arizona route is the shortest. This is a distance of 1,600 miles and is a little more direct than the coastal route through Nogales to Mazatlan and Guadalajara.
The route through Douglas will take you to Chihuahua, Zacatecas, and into Mexico City, and a whole lot of great Colonial Cities in between if you wish to tour.
The first leg of this trips starts with the shuttle from Tucson to the border. The Douglas shuttle starts trips in the early am, 7-8 am. There are a few Douglas shuttles all located on or near South 6th Street in Tucson. The Douglas Super Shuttle and others cost $25-$30 USD.
If you are going deep into Mexico you will need to get a six-month tourist card (Permission to visit Mexico) at the border crossing. You can change money at the bank ATM in Agua Prieta
You might pass through the border at Agua Prieta without a check of any papers, or luggage. Nogales is a different story; they have the red light/green light system and you might be checked by US and Mexican officials or you might just pass through.
In the Agua Prieta crossing and the Nogales crossing, apply for the tourist card and pay 280 Pesos at the nearby (same building) bank.
On walking out of immigration at Agua Prieta look for the ATM a short distance down the street at the crossroads, or find a casa de cambio to change some money. The bus station will take USD but you are better off to have Pesos. They do have the figure in their head to make a currency change, however.
As you travel beyond the border you should use pesos.
Catch a cab at the border for 70 pesos ($6 USD) and head for the Central de Autobus de Agua Prieta. (Estrell Blanca Bus)
At the station you will find an Omnibus station on the same street. Also find Chihuahuenses service to Chihuahua. The Omnibus station is across the street from the Central de Autobus, so you have options; they go to Mexico City Norte Station as well. I prefer the Chihuahuenses Bus because I like their leg rests and deeply reclining seats for a long trip.

If you are not fluent in the language, write your name, destination, and ticket price on a paper or note book and hand it to the ticket seller. Also be sure to pick a seat that will be comfortable for you; towards the front is quieter and a smoother ride.

see Tips, destination and ticket price

The buses are frequent and you could book directly to Mexico City (28 hours) or to an intermediate city such as Chihuahua, San luis Potosi, or Zacatecas for rest and and some great sightseeing.

Chihuahua/Copper Canyon .

Zacatecas Ruin Sites

San Luis Potosi photos

Oaxaca Guelaguetza Parade July Youtube

Copper Canyon Train Station, El Fuerte, Best For Scenic Ride

2014-10-21T14:08:00.000-07:00

Copper Canyon Best Scenic Ride, El Fuerte Train Station

If you bus from the USA to visit Copper Canyon you can take Tufesa Bus from Tucson that runs a route to Mazatlan and its resorts and beyond to Guadalajara.

On the way, stop at the town of Los Mochis, (Baja Ferry Terminal, Toplopampo) the western terminus of the Copper Canyon train line. From Los Mochis head northeast by bus or auto to El Fuerte and the train station on the Copper Canyon train line.

El Fuerte is 50 miles inland from the Pacific Coast start of the CHEPE train line and its western terminal, Los Mochis.
The rail line runs for 400 miles from the Pacific Coast through the Copper Canyon, and east to the City of Chihuahua in North Central Mexico.

For those who want the longest possible train ride on Mexico’s last regularly-scheduled passenger train, Los Mochis is the place to start. For those who just want to reach the Canyon stops at Creel or Divisadero, the station at El Fuerte offers a better option.

The train is scheduled to arrive at 8:55 am at El Fuerte. Good hotels in town and a great zocalo make El Fuerte interesting.

The first class train offers a dining car.

The later leaving train makes it more convenient. The first 50 miles of track from Los Mochis to El Fuerte is through flat farmland offering little to see. East of El Fuerte the train starts into the mountains and the scenery gets interesting.

The train leaves the Los Mochis Station at 6 am and reaches the center of the Copper Canyon area at the village of Creel at between 4:00 and 4:30 in the afternoon.

Creel offers plenty of lodging options and tours to the various Copper Canyon Villages and sights.
(See second class train and save)

The Tarahumara people live throughout the area and visit Creel

to sell their woven cloth and baskets to visitors.

At El Fuerte find train station parking for the night in the “camp ground” beside the train station. The family charges 100 peso per night for parking and they lock the gate after the evening train arrives from Chihuahua, about 7:30-9:30.
See Copper Canyon Train Schedule. Copper Canyon Best Way

Beside the rail station in El Fuerte a family

offers secure, long-term parking.

They lock the gate after the evening train

arrives from Chihuahua,

If you are driving south from the USA through Nogales to El Fuerte, watch for the turn-off , 1-14, for El Fuerte, just south of the Sonora border on Route 15.
If you bus south from Tucson or Nogales, go to Los Mochis and find the local bus for El Fuerte.

The Copper Canyon offers an Adventure Park with
cable car (teleferico) a zip-line, and rapelling,
about a mile from the Divisadero train stop.
A canyon rim trail reaches the teleferico from
the train stop..

Copper Canyon is a group of several

canyons in the Tarahumara mountains

reached by bus and train from the east

and train from the west.

The train station at the village of Creel

The Tarahumara people weave baskets

of reed and pine needles in caves where

they once lived

The town of creel offers hotels and tours from its

location 7,640 feet above sea level in

the Sierra Tarahumara mountains.

The Tarahumara people weave cloth

and baskets to sell to visitors.

Copper Canyon Map

Fort San Diego Museum, Acapulco,

2014-09-06T12:57:00.004-07:00

Fort San Diego Museum, Acapulco, Mexico

Museo Historico de Acapulco, Fuerte de San Diego

Acapulco is known for its beach hotels but also has some great museums. One of the best is the Fort San Diego Museum, (Fuerte de San Diego) just across from the cruise ship terminal.

Great views of Acapulco Bay from the fort

Fort San Diego was built in the early 1600s overlooking the harbor to protect shipping from pirates during the age of trade with the Philippines.

Trade with the Philippines was conducted by the annual flotilla of the Manila Galleons. This shipping trade from the mid 16^th to the 19^th centuries brought exotic luxury goods from Asia to Acapulco's harbor for shipment to Europe and the Americas.

Treasured cargo aboard the ships was a target for pirates

The richness of the cargoes attracted pirates. The fort was thus built and rebuilt after destruction in battle with pirates and by earthquake.

The fort was self sustaining, with kitchen, storage, quarters, and
a chapel

The Museum Fort San Diego, is an Acapulco cultural highlight. See historic items and learn about life in Spain's American colony

Find the fort just beside the cruise ship terminal

Bus Travel Oaxaca Mexico to Tucson Arizona

2014-07-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

Bus, Oaxaca, Mexico to Tucson, Arizona
By First Class Bus
Update and Bus Fares, July 2014

Tufesa Bus serves between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona,
through Nogales to Mazatlan on the Pacific Coast and on to
Guadalajara, Mexico

First Class Bus Travel Mexico
Bus travel in Mexico has become a luxury ride as the systems continue to improve with the addition of modern buses, new, high-speed roads, and new bus terminals. The improvements make long trip bus travel in Mexico convenient, safe, and comfortable.
This article describes the bus routes from Oaxaca , in South Central Mexico, to Tucson, Arizona. (44 hours) through Nogales, Mexico on the US Border. This route is one of three possible routes for a bus trip the length (north south) of Mexico and is offered as a guide to choosing the best bus ride through Mexico.

Oaxaca, Mexico to Tucson, Arizona, USA

Oaxaca City, Mexico is a bus hub served by a first class terminal where ADO Buses make many runs north to Mexico City and south to all of Southern Mexico. ADO Bus also runs to the Gulf Coast and north along the Gulf Coast to Tamualipas, Matamoros and Reynosa on the US border at McAllen, Texas.
For a trip from Oaxaca to Tucson, Arizona, several levels of service are available for the first leg, the 6 to 7- hour bus trip from the City of Oaxaca to Mexico City.

Bus Fares

The best option for price and comfort from Oaxaca to Mexico Norte Terminal (Terminal Central Norte) would be the ADO first class bus at around 580 Pesos (July 2014) or around $45.00 US Dollars. Upper levels of service are also available at a higher price. They offer fewer seats and more legroom. The GL service offers deeply reclining seats and can often be found and booked online at discount prices. Platino Service offers three across seating.
The regular ADO first class bus will offer the option to sleep, especially on a night bus where no movies play. Unless you need lots of legroom, the ADO normal service should be adequate.
For the run to Tucson through Nogales, make your first stop Mexico City Norte Station; (Terminal Central del Norte) there you will find many options for bus routes going north. (There are four first class bus terminals in Mexico City)
Ticket Price: Oaxaca to Mexico City Norte Station, 580 Pesos, Trip duration 6-7 hours. Night buses offered ADO Tickets and Schedule

Terminal Central del Norte in Mexico City offers many bus routes

for travel throughout Mexico. This is the best terminal for trips
going north. Find here also bus service to Teotihuacan Archaeological
ruin site and the Tula ruin site.

Terminal Central del Norte, Mexico City

Terminal Norte

Primera Plus.

Ticket Price, Terminal Central del Norte to Mazatlan,

Trip duration

Mazatlan To Tucson

Tufesa Bus,

Ticket Price,

Tufesa Bus, Mazatlan to Nogales,

Trip duration

Cross Border Tufesa Bus

Mazatlan

Bus Hub Cities, Oaxaca, Puebla, Mexico City

Mexico's first class, long-haul buses use hub cities such as Oaxaca, Merida, Mexico City, Puebla, Guadalajara, and Mazatlan among many others to serve the country.
Passenger trains no longer run in Mexico except through the Copper Canyon so the bus becomes a convenient way to visit the elegant colonial cities that are worth a day or two stop to tour and make travel photos.

Colonial cities such as Morelia make interesting stops

during a long bus ride through Mexico

Bus Routes

Buses run the length of the country from southeast to northwest over three main routes.

The Pacific Coast Route runs from Tapachula, Chiapas to Tijuana.
The Central Alto Plano Route runs through Oaxaca City, Mexico City, and Chihuahua to Juarez and El Paso, Texas.
The Gulf Coast route runs from Cancun through Merida to Veracruz and through to Matamoros and Brownsville, Texas.

Many cross routes connect these north south routes and allow great flexibility in Mexico Bus travel.
First Class Bus is a great way to sightee in Mexico because of the many options for bus routes and some great luxury bus lines.

Primera Plus is one of the best of the long distance

bus lines. Primera Plus serves between Mexico City

and Mazatlan while serving many other cities in

Central Mexico

How To Buy Bus Tickets

ADO offers a web site where you can buy tickets online. You can also buy tickets at the stations. You rarely need to order tickets ahead, however, except during holiday season. (Christmas, New Years, Easter, Day of the Dead, October)
When buying at the station, if you are not fluent in the Spanish language, write your destination, price and departure time along with your name on a piece of paper beforehand. Take the info from the posted schedule at the station. The clerks will often assume that you want an elevated level of service so by writing the information, you will make sure that you receive the service that you want and the price and departure time. Choose your seat at the same time; otherwise the ticket sales person will assign a seat that might be too far back in the bus, near the lavatory noise and the noise of the back wheels.
Oaxaca and much of Mexico uses military time; 2300 hours is 11 PM. If you miss your ADO bus you will be asked to pay an additional half price to take the next bus.

Alternate Bus Routes Through Mexico, Chihuahua

You will have a choice of three routes north through Mexico at Terminal Norte You can choose the Central Mexico Route and choose between Chihuahuenses Bus, Omnibus, and Futura Bus. Service on each of these bus lines covers Central Mexico to the US Border. Futura service is just a touch better.
At Agua Prieta Bus Station on the US border with Douglas, Arizona you can choose to go on to Nogales or you can cross the border at this less-busy port of entry at Douglas and take the Douglas Shuttle ($25 USD van) to Tucson, Arizona.

Once you leave Mexico City’s Terminal Central del Norte you will have a relatively uninterrupted ride to either Mazatlan (Primera Plus service ends in Mazatlan) or to Chihuahua. You might book all the way through to Nogales at Terminal Norte if you go the Chihuahua route with Omnibus, Futura, or Chihuhuenses.
You could also choose the Gulf Coast bus route at Norte by going through Veracruz to Matamoros and Brownsville. ADO runs bus routes through Veracruz to Matamoros.

Bus Travel Details

It is good option is to buy a roll of toilet paper in a plastic bag at the small convenient stores in the Norte Station. It is best to carry toilet paper, toothpaste and brush, aspirin, and Imodium in your pack for the extended bus trip. Buy bottled water every chance that you have. Good food will be tough to find in the stations. (healthy food)
Buy dried fruit and granola ahead and pack it. (Note that in the agricultural areas of Northern Mexico you are not allowed to transport fresh fruit or vegatables) Only Central del Norte, Guadalajara, and Morelia bus stations are likely to have decent food options.

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Oaxaca Street Parade Youtube Oaxaca Parade and regional dance

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Guelaguetza Festival Schedule, July, 2014

2014-07-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Guelaguetza Oaxaca , Cultural Festival Of Regional Dance, July 2014
Updated July 2014

Guelaguetza dancers perform in Oaxaca City.
July 16th to the 30th is a festive time in Oaxaca

Guelaguetza

Guelaguetza is a word for communal sharing in the Zapotec language. The annual Guelaguetza celebration in Oaxaca City includes Zapotec, Mixtec, Chatino, Mixe, Chontal and other indigenous groups who congregate in the city of Oaxaca to celebrate their agricultural way of life.

The modern Guelaguetza is a celebration that includes performances by groups of dancers who come to Oaxaca City from the eight distinct regions of the State of Oaxaca where seventeen or so indigenous languages are spoken.

The tradition goes back several thousand years to the thanking of the Gods for favorable crops and the communal sharing of gifts.
In the modern celebration the performers dance and enact stage plays and shower the audience with offerings typical of their region. This is the essence of the Guelaguetza, (link) a sharing and reaching out in the spirit of community.

Guelaguetza Events

The Guelaguetza celebration starts with parades in the City of Oaxaca and then performances at the theater built in the 1970s on the hill del Fortin, above and to the west of the city. The celebration is one of costuming and performing the regional dances. The event includes the election of a woman chosen for her knowledge of the history of the traditions. She will represent the Corn Goddess.
The parades start around the 15th of July. There will be the election of the Corn Godess Centeotl. This will take place in the Jardin Panuelito near the Santo Domingo Church in the morning during the second week of July.
Folkloric Parades will take place on Saturdays of the third and fourth weeks of July. These parades form at the park of the Stone Cross on the pedestrian-only street Alcala or at the Llano Park and march to the Zocalo.
The feast of the Corn Godess and of the Virgin del Carmen take place around the 15th of July. Parades are held on various dates (Check with the tourist office for exact dates and routes of the parades. Parade routes and times can change and deviate from the published schedule)

The stage play depiction of the story of the Princess Donaji, the last Zapotec empress, takes place on the two Sundays before the two Monday Guelaguetza performances.

Parades

Parades take place on the two Saturdays before the Monday performances.
The parades form at around 6 to 7pm at the park of the Stone Cross or at the Llano Park.
The parades head south down Benito Juarez Avenue and Alcala to the Zocalo.
Youtube, Parade Video

The Parade of Delegations could include as many as 40 delegations represented. The parades start at the Park of the Stone Cross near the Pochote Garden or at the Llano Park and walk to the Cathedral and the Zocalo The two Parades of the Delegations take place the Saturday before the Monday Guelaguetza performance.
The staging area and route to the Cathedral and Zocalo can change depending on street conditions so it is best to check ahead at the tourist office.
(Check with tourist info as these dates and times could change. See website listing below. We will update these as dates are announced by the tourist agencies)

Guelaguetza 2014 Schedule and Ticket Price

2014 dates:  Two days of performances; July 21 and July 28,
Two performances daily, 10 am performance and 5 pm performance
Ticket Price:  Section A, 1237 Pesos, Section B, 960 Pesos,
Section C and D, free
Book with TicketMaster

Parades, Saturday 19th and the 26th, forming between 5 pm and 6 pm at the Llanno Park. Parade route is south on Benito Juarez Avenue, around the Park Consatti, South on Benito Juarez, and then west on Abasolo to the pedestrian-only Alcala and then south to the Zocalo and ending in front of the Cathedral.

Guelaguetza Performance

The Guelaguetza festival performance takes place on the first Monday after the 16th of July. A second performance takes place on the following Monday.

July 16 is significant as the day honoring the Corn Goddess Centeotl.

The 16th of July is also the feast of the Virgin del Carmen (Virgin of Mount Carmel) in the Spanish Christian religion. The Colonial Spanish combined the ancient religions and Christianity to make the 16th of July the important date of this event.
The Goddess is elected a few days before the start of the Guelaguetza.

The date for the first performance of the Guelaguetza can change to the following Monday if the Monday after the 16th happens to fall on July 18th, the anniversary of the death of former Mexican President and Oaxaca native Benito Juarez. The Guelaguetza event is also called the "Los Lunes del Cerro" or Mondays On The Hill.

Princess Donaji Performance

The Princess Donaji enactment takes place on the two Sundays before the Monday Guelaguetza. 8:00pm, 100 pesos for section A and B (Proceeds benefit the Oaxaca old peoples home)

Musical groups perform starting at 5:30 pm

Where

The Guelaguetza tradition has been combined with the Catholic Virgin del Carmen and as a result, one of the parade staging areas could be the church of Carmen Alto on Calle (street) Garcia Vigil.
The other staging area for the smaller parades is the Stone Cross Park. The larger parades will form at the Llano Park, three blocks east of the Stone Cross Park.
The Saturday parades will form up in staging areas eight blocks north of the Zocalo at the Llano Park located on avenida Benito Juarez.

On Monday, the participants walk to the hill to the west of the city, Cerro del Fortin, and the auditorium, where the stage plays and regional dances take place.

Tradition

Regional dancers perform in the auditorium
and at locations around the City of Oaxaca
during the weeks of July 16th to the 30th

This tradition is a continuation of ancient rituals based on the connection between the Gods and the favorable conditions for agriculture. Corn was a primary crop of the ancients and was first developed or hybridized around 5,000 years ago in Oaxaca State. There are long standing traditions in Oaxaca of honoring the Rain Gods and Corn Gods and of offering regional foods as gifts.

The Guelaguetza has become a popular cultural event throughout the country particularly after 1987 when Oaxaca reached UNESCO World Heritage status. The modern, high-speed highway built in 1994 has made the event easily accessible to visitors from Puebla, Veracruz, and Mexico City. Oaxaca's small but modern jet airport with direct flights from Houston and Mexico City has made the City of Oaxaca (link) a destination for international travelers.

Rainy season will be well established by July so umbrellas could be important in case of afternoon showers.

Oaxaca Hotels (links to Oaxaca Info)

Oaxaca Flights
Oaxaca Airport transfer

Tourist Office, City Tourist Information is a good source of up to date information
The City Tourist Office is located at 102 Matamoros.
They are across from the club La Tentation at the big i Between Calle (street) Garcia Vigil and the Alcala.
www.oaxaca.travel
The State Tourist Office will provide information and ticket sales They are located at the edge of Llano Park on the west side.

Bus Phoenix, AZ. to Mexico City

2014-06-23T16:10:00.003-07:00

Bus Phoenix AZ to Mexico City
Update 2014

Park in Aguascalientes.

Phoenix to Mazatlan
One of the popular routes to cross from the USA into Mexico is the route from Phoenix, AZ. through Tucson, AZ that crosses into Mexico at Nogales. This crossing could be via Tufesa Bus, a cross-border bus that goes through Nogales and could include the red light/green light system at customs and an immigration check by US and Mexican officials.

If you are vacationing in the USA and want to visit Mexico, the shuttle services located in Phoenix and Tucson and the cross-border Tufesa Bus service make it not only possible but fairly simple. The Tufesa Bus runs a bus route southeast on the Pacific Coast to Mazatlan and then inland to Guadalajara.

Tours in Guadalajara

In Nogales, Mexico there are also Tap and Omnibus (Estrella Blanca Bus) that run bus routes south and southeast through Mazatlan and through Chihuahua to Mexico City.

From Tucson there are two popular crossing routes offering transportation services, the crossing at Nogales and the one at Douglas Arizona/Agua Prieta, Mexico. The best crossing point could depend on where you are going in Mexico.

Mazatlan

If you are traveling to the Central Mexico Alto Plano and cities such as Chihuahua, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, San Luis Potosi, and Mexico City, you might choose Douglas AZ/Agua Prieta border crossing as the quickest route. This is a distance of 1300 miles to Mexico City and is a little more direct for Central Mexico than the coastal route through Mazatlan and Guadalajara. The route through Douglas will take you to Chihuahua, Zacatecas and into Mexico City.
(and a whole lot Colonial Cities in between if you wish to tour.)

   The first leg of this trip could start with the shuttle from Phoenix or Tucson to the border.
I made this trip in April 2014, through Douglas AZ. with the Douglas Shuttle leaving Tucson at about 9 am. There are a few Douglas shuttles all located on or near South 6th Street in Tucson.
The Sun Tran Bus out of the Ronstadt Center in Tucson will reach south sixth.
The shuttle price is $25 for the two-hour trip to Douglas.
For Nogales the price is $12 USD.

     We arrived at Douglas AZ on the the Mexico/US border at 11:00 AM and I walked through without a check of any papers, or luggage.
At the Douglas crossing I got a six-month tourist card. (permission to visit Mexico) $26 USD. I went to an ATM in Agua Prieta at a bank a half block from immigration to get some pesos and then took a cab for 60 Pesos to the bus station, the Central de Autobus de Agua Prieta.
At that bus station you find Estrella Blanca Bus running Chihuahuenses Buses and Futura Buses as far south as Mexico City.
Across the street find Omnibus first class buses running the same bus routes.
I entered the Estrella Blanca station and handed the ticket clerk a paper with my name and destination. The ticket price to Chihuahua was about 750 Pesos.
see Tips, destination and ticket price

The bus arrived after a short wait. I visited Chihuahua and Zacatecas on the way to Mexico City.

Related Links

Chihuahua Bus to Copper Canyon

Chihuahua.

Oaxaca Guelaguetza Parade July Youtube

Chacahua Lagoon Tours from Puerto Escondido

2014-05-30T10:10:00.001-07:00

Puerto Escondido Chacahua Lagoon Tours

Zipolite is noted for its sunrises and sunsets

We booked an all-day Chacahua tour that included a guide, transportation, boat tour, and crocodile farm tour. The price was 500 pesos per person if we had three people. We needed at least one more and perhaps two to lower the price for each person. We did find a third and were on our way around nine am the next morning in the guide's car.

Route 200 northwest passes two large lagoons where migratory birds winter and nest: Manialtepec, at about ten miles out of Puerto Escondido, and the connected lagoons of Chacahua and Pastoria at about 45 miles out.

After an hour and a half, about five miles west of Rio Grande and 35 miles before we would have crossed the Rio Verde, called the the Rio Atoyac in Oaxaca City, we reached the crossroads for the village of Zapotalito, a village on the Laguna Pastoria. At Pastoria we boarded a small launch that took us to the village of Chacahua, located on a sand spit, barrier beach.

To get there we crossed a great expanse of lagoons that included Pastoria and Chacahua on our way to the village. During the trip we visited the nesting areas of Ibis, white and brown pelican, roseate spoonbill, frigate bird, several types of egret, heron, and cormorant. The guide claimed that about 150 different land and water bird species made the area home.

We could believe it when we approached the islands where the birds nested and were shocked to see surreal, glowing white lumps of land jutting from the blue waters. As we neared we realized that the guano of thousands of nesting birds that crowded into the islands had turned the trees and rocks white.

The not unpleasant smell of fish wafted in from the guano as the boat captain did his best to get us close for photos while our guide pointed out the many varieties of birds.

After a couple of hours of photographing nesting birds and wading birds we beached at the village of Chacahua for a visit to the crocodile farm.

The preserve is attempting to re-establish the two types of crocodile native to the area that had been hunted to near extinction for their meat and hides.

How to reach Chacahua

From Puerto Escondido take a local bus that serves Pinotepa Nacional. Head to the town of Rio Grande and ask the driver to stop at the crossroads for Zapotalito, about five miles beyond Rio Grande. There will be taxis at the crossroads to take you the five miles to the village of Zapotalito.

Local people resident on an island in the lagoon work

as fishermen and guides

Coming from Oaxaca City take Highway 131 over the mountains and through the town of Sola de Vega and connecting with Highway 200, the Cost Road between Puerto Escondido and Pinotepa Nacional . Head northwest on Route 200 for Rio Grande and the crossroads of El Zapotalito.

Once you reach Zapotalillo, you will find parking and boat transportation for tours of the lagoons.

Puerto Escondido Ecotouring, Pacific Coast Oaxaca

2014-05-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Ecotour From Puerto Escondido, Pacific Coast Lagoons, Oaxaca

Sunset at Playa Marinero, Puerto Escondido

In January we went to the Pacific Coast of Oaxaca to see the lagoons where exotic birds such as stork, roseate spoonbill, grey and white pelican, teal, egrets, heron, and frigate bird winter and nest.

Zicatela Beach, Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca

From Oaxaca City we took an OCC night bus to Huatulco where Sur Buses and local buses run north and south along Route 200 with stops in Pochutla, Mazunte crossroads, and Puerto Escondido. We left the bus at Pochutla for the beaches of Mazunte, the turtle museum, and Ventanilla where our lagoon tours would start.

Ventanilla Lagoon Crocodiles

A collective cab took us to the village of Ventanilla where a tour by boat through the lagoon got us a look at several crocodiles sunning themselves on the beach.

My companion on this leg of the trip was David Rice who had just backpacked from Antarctica to Prudhoe Bay and seen his share of wildlife along the way including penguin, grizzly bear, and wolf so as you might guess he wasn't too impressed with a few basking crocs.
See David's Book at Amazon

Our guide told us that the crocs don't

hunt humans, they prefer stray dogs.

On the way in to Ventanilla on the access road I saw a dog sniffing along the shoreline and thought that the edges of the croc lagoon is probably not a good place for a dog to be prowling. Sure enough the tour guide later told us that dog was one of the favorite foods of the 70 or so crocs that live in the lagoon.

These photos are from several trips to the lagoons over the last couple of years

The crocs don't hunt man, the guide assured us, as we approached a few big crocodiles that were sunbathing on the shore. When we got close they would just scurry off into the water.

Puerto Escondido Lagoon Tour Chacahua

From Ventanilla we headed by taxi to the Route 200 crossroads and caught a Sur bus for the 35 miles northwest to Puerto Escondido to meet a friend from Europe and tour the lagoons of Manialtepec and Chacahua.

Sunset at Zicatela Beach

Clubs and restaurants on Zicatela Beach are great for sunset watching

Puerto Escondido, Playa Marinero and Playa Principal

In Puerto Escondido I met up with Renata and we did our swimming in the calm bays of Puerto Angelito and Play Marinero.

Puerto Escondido is known by most travelers for the surfing on Zicatela Beach and even travelers who don't surf visit to dip their toes into the Pacific beach where the legend of the Mexican Pipeline was born. The previous year we arrived in time for the November surfing competitions and saw lots of wildlife but not of the animal kind. bikini contests, skateboard competitions, skydiving and of course the three days of surfing kept us busy.
Puerto Escondido Camping

Playa Marinero at Puerto Escondido is a small wave beach

Puerto Escondido Surfing

We were visiting this time for the ecotours in the lagoons but watching surfers on Playa Zicatela is always fun on Puerto Escondido's surfing beach.

Surfing competitions are held in August and again with the annual Zicatela Pro in November, an International competition attracting over 100 competition surfers.

Zicatela surfing

Zicatela Beach is open to the ocean to the southwest and can, in the peak swell period of mid July through the August and September hurricane season produce twenty-foot tube waves. Zicatela will regularly produce eight to twelve-foot waves with an offshore wind blowing northeast and this makes it one of the worlds best surfing beaches.

Not being athletic swimmers we avoided the waves of Zicatela and stuck to the small-wave beaches at Playa Marinero and took taxis to the Carrizalillo and Puerto Angelito coves located in protected bays a mile northwest of the village center.

Puerto Escondido Diving

Puerto Escondido has a PADI dive shop at the center of Play Principal. They will provide all equipment, lessons, local info and boat trips. Cove beach dive spots for snorkel are Playa (beach) Carrizalillo, and Puerto Angelito.

Lagunas de Chacahua National Park

Chacahua Lagoon Tour

After a couple of days of beaching we booked an all-day, Chacahua Lagoon tour that included a guide, transportation, boat tour, and crocodile farm tour, for 500 pesos.

Our guide explained that over 150 species of birds

inhabit the Chacahua Preserve
There is also a crocodile nursery located inside the
Lagunas de Chacahua National Park

The boat captain knew where to find the birds and how

to get us close for photographs

Brown pelicans in Chacahua Lagoon

Oaxaca Photo Walks

2014-05-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

A Mile From Here, Oaxaca Photo Walks
David Hilbert

Walking the neighborhood in the early light and the cool of a morning in the mountains.

The Soledad Church gives a nice view of the mountains and the distant archaeological site of Monte Alban.

Hand made, wool rugs from the village of Teotitlan Del Valle

A house built for the Cortez Family is now an art museum.

Windows and doorways catch our attention

Hand made cotton clothing for sale on the pedestrian-only street
Oaxaca Markets

Later in the day a parade enters the plaza and the people from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec parade through the Zocalo.

Related Links
Oaxaca Artisans
Oaxaca Museums

Oaxaca Photo Walks. Oaxaca Centro Historico,

2014-05-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

Oaxaca, Centro Historico, A Mile From Here
Text and Photos by David Hilbert

Traveling all over to make photos one neglects the place where they live and work. True for me. Same for you?
I walk each day in the Centro Historico of Oaxaca city but rarely give enough notice of the interesting sights to make photos.
Here is some pics of the neighborhood that I have shared with G+.

The trees Flamboyants, according to Blanca from Cuba, are brilliant at this time, just before the rainy season. I called them Acacia, some call them Poinciana. What is the name for them in your country?

Had breakfast with the poet in the ex-convento of Camino Real

Courtyards are typical in the old colonial houses. Church buildings were elegant in the colonial period

The shoeshine remains a tradition but one with more than shiny shoes at stake perhaps. A Canadian friend did a study of the shoeshine from an anthropological perspective.

The markets are also about more than just shopping, a social event for the indigenous who live in the distant mountains.

Hand made, local goods are available in the markets. Several artisan markets are in the area along with vegetable markets selling local produce.

Look up to see forgotten architectural details from a different century.

Meat roasted to your order at Carnes Asadas on Miguel Cabrerra, the Mercado 20 de Noviembre.

Meat, cheese, or mole, cactus leaves, squash blossoms, or roasted grasshoppers; what will it be. "Diga me, que le doy," say the market ladies.

Galleries on the Pedestrian-only Alcala offer art and artisan works.
Text and Photos by David Hilbert

See more Oaxaca photos info
Oaxaca Artisans

Worlds Highest Cable-Stayed Bridge, Durango

2014-04-20T07:07:00.003-07:00

Tucson To Oaxaca Via Durango's New Cable-Stayed Bridge

The bus to Durango uses the new highway

where the highest cable-stayed bridge in the world,

the 403m (1,321ft) tall Baluarte Bridge, spans

a deep canyon in the Sierra Madre

Occidental Mountains between Mazatlan

and Durango.

After my visit to Tucson I headed back to Mexico to see the world's highest cable-stayed bridge, the 403m (1,321ft) tall Baluarte Bridge. This high bridge spans a deep gorge in the Sierra Madre Mountains on the new highway between Mazatlan and Durango.
I first went to the Saguaro Shuttle in the 4,000 block of South Sixth and took the van shuttle to Nogales.
The trip actually started with a Sun Tran from the "Ronstadt Transit Center." ("Transit Center" ? please, you won't find an information booth, decent signage, maps that a human can read, lavatory, etc; unless you are a local you are forced to ask the angry drivers for directions.) (read some funny Sun Tran reviews)
But the bus is a bargain at $1.50 USD.

Saguaro Shuttle charges $12 USD for a trip to Nogales.
I walked through the Mexico border crossing with no check of luggage and stopped at the immigration office (INM) to get a six-month tourist pass, FMM.
After paying the $28 USD for the pass I then caught a 70 Pesos taxi to the Tufesa Bus station.
At the Tufesa location there are bus options. Next door you find an Estrella Blanca Bus station serving Omnibus, TAP, and Turistar buses to Mazatlan and south.

At that point I booked a Tufesa Bus to Mazatlan ( no waiting line) but considered Omnibus because their service has greatly improved with the addition of Plus Service that utilizes the latest in bus luxury.
The reason for my Tufesa choice had everything to do with the huge Easter weekend line at the Omnibus and TAP ticket window. Bus Guide, Mexico

Tufesa service is decent enough but they do not stock paper in the lavs and you realize that although the bus is labeled "High Class," in English no less, the service is just what you would find in normal economy service, well-worn lavatories with no paper. (Tufesa gets high marks in US reviews, except for this humorous one)

Tufesa's "High Class" service, a decent ride

but no paper in the lavatory on the Mexico buses.

The Tufesa Bus departed Nogales at 5 pm and reached Mazatlan at 9 am. I slept much of the way.
After breakfast I took a taxi to the Mazatlan Central bus station where I booked a Chihuahuenses Bus to Durango. The bus uses the new highway where there are cable-stayed bridges, one of them the highest in elevation in the world, the 403m (1,321ft) tall Baluarte Bridge. This bridge spans a deep canyon in the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains between Mazatlan and Durango.

The new road between Durango and Mazatlan,

with 60 tunnels and nine high bridges

will replace the notoriously dangerous,

"Devil's Backbone."

The new highway cuts about six hours from the usual trip between Mazatlan and Durango by using nine bridges over 300 meters high and 60 tunnels to replace the notoriously dangerous, "Devil's Backbone," a winding road through the towering Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains that I will not soon forget driving with great fear from Mazatlan to Durango.
The road is a marvel of engineering and the cable-stayed bridges quite a sight.

Durango offers a small colonial center with pedestrian-only streets and a zocalo. The town also offers bus service to Mexico City and many other locations.

Omnibus Plus provided luxury service to Mexico City, Norte Station, for around 1000 Peso. Luxury TV screen at the seat back, menu of entertainment. WiFi , ear phones, leg room, two lavs, paper in the lavs, and lunch with water and beverage, that's luxury bus service.

Omnibus Plus service offers airline type seating with

menu TV screens, WiFi, leg room, sandwich and drinks

I reached Norte Station in Mexico City, drew some cash from the ATM and then booked an AU Bus from ADO for Oaxaca.

Durango Bus station offers Omnibus Plus service to

Mexico City

The AU bus does not have a lavatory but does make many stops. In fact so many stops that a six or seven hour trip turned into nine hours. We arrived at 3:00 pm, time enough to walk to the zocalo for coffee and get ready for Oaxaca's Silent Parade.

Oaxaca's silent parade, a Good Friday

tradition during Easter Week

Oaxaca Bus Service

Bus Puerto Escondido to Acapulco

2014-04-10T17:19:00.002-07:00

*Bus Puerto Escondido to Acapulco**byDavid Hilbert*

Bus Experts Update April 2014

Puerto Escondido Playa Marinero at sunset

Puerto Escondido Bus to Acapulco

To reach Acapulco from Oaxaca's Huatulco or Puerto Escondido, find the Estrella Blanca Futura Bus from Huatulco or the Alta Mar Buses running seven trips daily from Puerto Escondido's Central Station.

Puerto Escondido dining on the beach at Playa
Principal

Alta Mar Bus

Alta Mar Bus serves seven trips daily form Puerto Escondido to Acapulco for 395 Pesos. Find the buses at the Puerto Escondido Central Bus Terminal

These buses can not be booked online so it is best to taxi to the station prior to to desired departure (25 Pesos) and inquire about the latest schedule and buy a ticket if you find a suitable trip.

The bus route is over coast road, Route 200, through Pinotepa Nacional and takes 8 hours. The buses stop at Ejido Station, an Estrella Blanca bus terminal.

Zihuatanejo Dining

Costa Bus

On a March 2014 trip I bought a ticket from Ejido Station in Acapulco for a trip to Zihuatanejo. The bus was an Estrella Blanca, Costa Bus with a fare of 180 Pesos for the five-hour trip.

My hotel in Zihuatanejo was just on this corner to the right,

about a block from the beach

From Zihuatanejo there is bus service in all directions. I booked a first class Elite Bus to Guadalajara for 611 Pesos.

After a visit in Guadalajara I headed for Mazatlan via Primera Plus first class bus. 460 Peso, 230 Pesos for seniors, 8 hours

Related links
Acapulco Vacation
ADO Bus, Oaxaca
Mexico Index Page
Mexico Sightseeing Destinations

Mexico Bus Experts, Oaxaca, Zihuatanejo, Mazatlan

2014-04-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

"Bus Experts" Report, Mexico Coast, Oaxaca, Zihuatanejo, Mazatlan

Updated Bus Fares, April 2014
Update Jan 2015

OCC Bus Oaxaca City to Huatulco

Bus lines, bus fares, bus routes, and bus terminals do interest us. In fact our contributors write web pages and posts as they log thousands of miles on the bus systems of the Americas and particularly Mexico. We do consider ourselves bus experts and will continue to include reviews of the bus lines, the bus routes, and the latest bus fares to help other travelers get around in Mexico and the Americas.

Mexico Bus Lines

No doubt in the opinion of our contributors who have traveled in Europe, Canada, the US, and South America by bus that Mexico has some of the best bus systems going. The downside for some travelers is that the bus websites in Mexico just don't function well enough to buy tickets online. The vastness of the mountainous country has prevented a full integration of the online booking process with the exception of ADO Bus and Primera Plus Bus. Don't fret, however, you rarely need to buy tickets in advance except perhaps at Christmas week and Easter week.
So many first class buses cover so many bus routes that you just show up and buy your ticket.

Oaxaca Mexico, Zihuatanejo, Mazatlan

Two of our contributors recently toured the beaches of the Pacific Coast, including Acapulco, Zihuatanejo, and Mazatlan, and reported on the bus service. I will try to summarize here.

OCC Bus serves Oaxaca's Pacific Coast,

Oaxaca to Huatulco for 480 Pesos

Zihuatanejo Transportation link

Mazatlan Bus link

Oaxaca City To the Pacific Coast, First Class Bus Service

From the Oaxaca City ADO bus station, several night buses via OCC Bus make the eight-hour trip to the Pacific Coast resort town of Huatulco for around 480 Pesos. This bus route follows the Pan American Highway, Route 190, over the mountains and into the coastal plains of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. From the Isthmus the bus route heads southwest on Route 200 to Huatulco. This mountain bus route is not too severe and should not require motion sickness medication.

The OCC bus uses the bus route over Route 190,
through the southern mountains, a route to the
Pacific Coast less steep than the Route 175 bus routes

Route 175

Two other bus routes reach Oaxaca's Pacific Coast beaches, Route 175 to Pochutla and Route 131 through Sola de Vega to Puerto Escondido. These two routes are served by vans out of Oaxaca City as well as second class buses. Travelers on the van routes recommend motion sickness medication because of the steep switchbacks through the mountains. (Van 160-180 Pesos)
As one who has been sick on the van route from Pochutla to Oaxaca City I now stop at the farmacia and buy the Dramamine medication before departure. One pill lasts the six-hour trip and the stuff does work.

Vans make the six hour trip between Oaxaca City

and the Pacific Coast for 160-180 Pesos

Huatulco Bus Service

From Huatulco the bus options are plentiful at both the ADO first class station and the Central Station where Estrella Blanca serves first and second class buses a few blocks away.

Buses North: Puerto Escondido, Acapulco, North to Zihuatanejo

To go west along the coast to Zipolite, Mazunte, or Puerto Escondido find the Sur Bus running hourly at the ADO first class station. (on the hour from
7 am to 8 pm)
The Sur bus stops in Pochutla and will stop at the Mazunte crossroads on its way to Puerto Escondido (Pochutla to Puerto Escondido 42 Pesos)

Sur Bus runs hourly between Huatulco

and Puerto Escondido from the

ADO first class stations.

(7 am to 8 pm, on the hour)

Acapulco Bus

To travel beyond Puerto Escondido to Acapulco, find the Alata Mar and Futura buses, run by Estrella Blanca Bus, at the second class terminals in Huatulco and at the central bus station in Puerto Escondido. Buses going northwest from Huatulco stop at Pochutla. (Puerto Escondido to Acapulco via Alta Mar and Futura Buses, 395 Pesos)
In March 2014, I took an Alta Mar bus from Puerto Escondido to Acapulco. They are a good ride except that they don't stock paper in the lavatory. This is usually the case with Estrella Blanca on their Futura and Chihuahuenses buses. Difficult to call this a first class ride when you must bring your own paper.

Alta Mar Bus runs seven trips daily from Puerto
Escondido to Acapulco. Lavatory on board, no paper
in the lav.

Futura Bus by Estrella Blanca runs Huatulco

to Acapulco. (two buses daily from Huatulco)

Pochutla, Zipolite, Mazunte, San Agustinillo, Ventanilla

Sur Bus and the second class local bus reach Pochutla from Huatulco. (28 Peso Sur Bus, running hourly on the hour, 7am to 8pm)
From Pochutla reach the Pacific Coast beach villages by taxi, (100 Pesos) collective taxi, or Camioneta. (12-15 Pesos)

Camoineta, a pickup truck with a covered bed
with wooden bench seats. A cheap but uncomfortable
ride to Puerto Angel Zipolite, and Mazunte

Puerto Escondido

Reach Puerto Escondido from Pochutla or Huatulco via 2nd class Sur bus or the local local 2nd class bus. (no Lavatory aboard, 40 -60 Pesos for Sur Bus)
Reach Acapulco from Puerto Escondido's Central Bus Station via Estrella Blanca Futura Bus or Alta Mar Bus, seven trips daily to Acapulco Ejido Station. (lavatory aboard, bring your own paper)

Bus Routes South

ADO Bus runs service to Salina Cruz, Tapachula, Chiapas, San Cristobal de las Casas with connection to Palenque from the ADO station in Puerto Escondido, from the first class station in Pochutla, and from the ADO station in Huatulco

Puerto Escondido Central Bus Station, Centro Camionera.

Bus service from Pochutla, 2014 prices (The IVA has driven the prices up of late, the final price is the third column)

Bus service from Pochutla

Oaxaca Pacific Coast

Related Links Google Map Huatulco
Vans
Lagoon Tours

Bus First Class Huatulco From Oaxaca City

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Huatulco Resorts From Oaxaca First Class Bus

Tangalunda Bay, Huatulco

OCC Bus leaving from Oaxaca City's ADO first class bus station serves Huatulco from Oaxaca City. This is an eight hour trip. (380 Pesos)

Conejo Bay, Huatulco

The buses arrive at the Huatulco first class bus station where taxis are available. The first and second class bus stations are within five blocks of one another in the Huatulco town of La Crucecita.

Tangolunda Bay Golf Course

La Crucecita's bus station is a modern station with bus service to Puerto Escondido, Pochutla, and south to Chiapas. Taxi service available to any location.

La Crucecita was created in 1987

Bus to Huatulco from Acapulco
Estrella Blanca Futura bus serves to Huatulco from Acapulco.
Alta Mar Bus also serves to Huatulco from Acapulco's Ejido Station.

Alta Mar Bus serves to Puerto
Escondido and Huatulco from Acapulco

Sur Bus

Sur Bus runs local, second class bus service along

coastal Highway 200 between Puerto Escondido and

Juchitan/Salina Cruz

Sur bus from Huatulco serves with hourly runs to Puerto Escondido. Two hour trip no lavatory aboard. Buses stop in Pochutla and at the Mazunte crossroads.

La Crucecita, Huatulco

Bus Service From Huatulco
Buses serve from Huatulco to many locations along the coast and to distant locations. Estrella Blanca's Alta Mar and Futura bus serve to Mexico City, and Acapulco.
OCC bus from ADO serves to Tapachula, Chiapas, and Palenque, through San Cristobal de las Casas. OCC Bus serves to Oaxaca City

Reach Oaxaca Beaches From Huatulco

Zipolite Beach Dining

Puerto Escondido Lagoon Tours

Beaches Oaxaca, Huatulco to Puerto Escondido

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Beaches, Huatulco to Puerto Escondido

Updated 3, 2014

Huatulco Resorts such a Secrets offer beaches such as Conejo,

located in a sheltered cove

From the beach resort of Huatulco, Sur buses run bus routes north on Coastal Highway 200 to Pochutla, with access to Zipolite Beach, and with a stop at the Mazunte crossroads, for access to Mazunte Beach, San Agustinillo, and Ventanilla. The buses cover the 60 miles between Huatulco and Puerto Escondido.

Zipolite Beach located between Huatulco and Puerto Escondido.

Reach Zipolite via taxi or collective taxi from Pochutla

Puerto Escondido is famous for the surfing on Zicatela Beach but there is a lot of other reasons to go there Even if you don't surf you might want to visit for the August and November surfing competitions where there are lots of activities such as sky diving, skateboard competitions, bikini contests and live music.

Puerto Escondido Surfing
Big time surfing takes place on Playa Zicatela where waves can top 20 feet. The norm is about 8- 12 along Puerto Escondido's surfing beach.

August and November International

competitions

Zicatela Beach is open to the ocean but there are other beaches sheltered where recreation swimming and snorkeling can be done.

The other protected (Small wave) beaches nearby have gentle surf and little undertow or rip current.

To the right of Zicatela as you face the water you will climb over some rocks and come to Playa Marinero, a protected beach with a couple of palapa restaurants, beach chairs, and small waves. There is even enough wave action for the beginning surfer. Other beaches are a short cab ride to the northwest, Carrizalillo Cove and Puerto Angelito, two beaches in a protected cove. Arrange with the taxi for a return.

Puerto Escondido Diving
PADI diving is offered at Puerto Escondido based out of a shop at the center of Playa Principal. The shop provides all equipment, lessons, and the boat for trips to sheltered coves.
Find snorkeling at the cove beaches of Playa Carrizalillo and Puerto Angelito.

Puerto Escondido Camping
Tent camping and RV camping
Find tent and RV campgrounds located in the center of Puerto Escondido. The smaller of the two in the center, Palmas de Cortez, offers full hookups and shady tentsites 60 pesos per person plus a charge for the vehicle. The manager, Rubin, speaks English and Spanish. Look for a discount if you plan to stay a month or more.

Puerto Escondido is a fishing village with a fleet of small boats that work from the main beach. In the morning the families of the fishermen set up tables at Playa Marinero to clean and sell fish. Buy a fillet to go or get one cooked at the site on on a charcoal grille.

In the morning Families set up tables

to clean and sell fish

Common fish offered are the Dorado and the Huachinango or Red Snapper. You will find red snapper on many beachside restaurant menus grilled or broiled whole. The Dorado fillet is another favorite, cooked in garlic, al mojo con aljo.

Puerto Escondido Lodging
Puerto Escondido offers a variety of lodging for every budget.
Hotel Casa Vieja offers 350 Pesos per night lodging on the main street (pedestrian-only at night) at Playa Principal.
Across from Zicatela on Calle del Morro (street) you find a good variety of lodging from the four- star Hotel Santa Fe at the northwest end of the beach to the more moderately priced lodging at the Arco Iris or even as low as $20 dollar Posada as you move away from the beach.

When to Go
For surfing, most experts agree that beginning in May the swells start to appear. By August surfing is at its peak and continues into November for the competition surfing.

Surf Photos Puerto Escondido

Eco Touring
For bird watching the best time is during January /February when migratory birds are nesting in the lagoons
See Chacahua
For general beach recreation any time is ideal except that during Christmas and New Years many families vacation on the coast and the rates increase.

Alta Mar Bus runs bus routes over Route 200 from

Acapulco to Huatulco with stops in Puerto Escondido

and Pochutla

links to Oaxaca beaches Zipolite
Turtle Rescue Mazunte
Eco tours Chacahua

Alta Vista, Stone Calendar Zacatecas

2014-03-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

Alta Vista, Stone Calendar In Zacatecas

Zenith Day

A unique event happens on June 21 at the archaeological ruin site of Alta Vista. We rarely consider this phenomenon although we all feel the tug of seasonal change as the sun moves over the Tropic of Cancer at Alta Vista on zenith day.

Standing stones arranged east and west show the movement
of the sun by the changing length of the shadow.

On Zenith Day at Alta Vista there will be no shadow
falling to the sides of the stones during the mid day.

Another group of stones such as these are laid out north
and south and they will show the daily change

in the sun's shadow and allow for tracking the
sun as it moves north and south. during the year

Alta Vista Ruin is a massive stone timepiece built 1800 years ago into the plains of Chalchihuites in Zacatecas by a culture that had so much passion for tracking the movement of the sun over the earth that they built a ten-acre sundial.

While Alta Vista archaeological ruin site is so out of the tourist track that few people visit except during the annual Zenith Day, the designers of Alta Vista considered the seasonal movement of the sun over the earth so important that they built standing stones, groups of columns, walls with sight lines, and sundial stones to record the sun's movement.

Standing stones arranged east and west show
shadows on every day except on Zenith Day
at Alta Vista.

Another group of stones such as these are laid
out north and south and they will show

the daily change in the sun's shadow and
allow for tracking the sun as it moves

north and south. during the year

Squat and peer through slits in the walls to see sun alignments on the distant mountains and you will peer into the world of zenith days, seasonal change, daylight savings times, the changing of the leaves, the running of the salmon, the midnight sun of the arctic and the winter doldrums of the northern latitudes. Shadows on the many columns and rows of stone north and south will quickly demonstrate the elegant simplicity of a standing stone's ability to record the apparent movement of the sun.

Standing stones show shadow on every day
except on Zenith Day at Alta Vista.

Stones such as these are laid out east
and west, north and south and they will show

the daily change in the sun's shadow and allow
for tracking the movement of the sun

both during the day and during the year

Northerners rarely connect the movement of the sun over the earth with the resultant four seasons. The phenomenon may only come to consciousness at ruins sites such as Monte Alban in Oaxaca City where the ancients built a zenith observation stone to record the May and August zenith days, at Chichen Itza where a snake shadow moves down a staircase on the equinox, or at the Izapa ruin site where stone columns are set in the cardinal points, and perhaps at that circle of stones on the Salisbury Plain, Stonehenge.

At the archaeological site of Monte Alban
a standing stone shows no shadow

on the two Zenith Days at the site, May
and August. The stone shows the daily

change in the shadow and allows for tracking
the movement of the sun both during

the day and during the year

Mexico's first century observers could record the movement of the sun by measuring shadows on the ground but likely didn't know that it is not the sun that moves over the earth but the tilted angle of the earth's axis that causes the apparent movement of the sun, north and then back to south each year as the earth revolves around the sun. They could see the shadows change but perhaps could never have imagined the four seasons and the midnight suns in the far northern and southern hemispheres.
Then again, since their ancestors had crossed the polar regions during the ice age, they might just have had legends full of the disappearing sun and its long winter absences.

Sun positions over the Zenith stone

at Monte Alban archaeological site

Oaxaca

European geographers such as first century Rome's Pliny living at latitude 41 knew that the climate went through drastic seasonal changes throughout the year. And the Greeks, three hundred years before Pliney, determined the circumference of the earth by measuring the suns shadow.

For those living well south of the Tropic of Capricorn the Summer occurs during the winter months when it is cold in the northern hemisphere. In South America and Africa the longest periods of daylight and hottest weather occurs during December and January. The sun is at its zenith on the Tropic of Capricorn on December 21 and appears to be directly overhead in the mid-day at 24° 30′ 0″ S, 69° 15′ 0″ W, over the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert of Chile.

Standing stones and standing columns show no shadow on Zenith Day at Alta Vista.

Stones laid out east and west, north and south will show the daily change in the shadow and allow for

tracking the movement of the sun both during the day and during the year

After December 22 the sun appears to move north over the earth each day towards its zenith day over the Tropic of Cancer at Chalchihuites, latitude 23° 28′ 58″ N, 103° 52′ 39″ W, on the Summer Solstice. The northern hemisphere warms in June because the tilt of the axis of the earth has positioned the northern hemisphere beneath the direct rays of the sun. Zenith day at the Tropic of Cancer is the longest period of daylight in the northern hemisphere. If you traveled north from Chalchihuites, the duration of daylight would increase until at the north pole the sun would not set at all on the 22nd of June. At Prudhoe Bay for example the sun does not set from mid May to mid July.

The walls are designed with sightlines to distant

mountains

Sightlines to clefts in the distant mountains can track the

movement of the sun during the year

Concomitantly, in the southern hemisphere, June 21 is the shortest day of the year. At the South Pole on June 21 the sun does not rise at all. Between these apparent extreme movements of the sun over the earth are the Fall Equinox, which occurs on September 22, and the Spring Equinox, which occurs on March 22. These two dates are zenith days of the sun over the Equator at Belem in Brazil, near latitude zero, half way between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. On these dates the period of daylight and darkness are equal in the northern and southern hemisphere at the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn.

Walls are constructed to allow sight lines to distant mountains to track the

movement of the sun during the year

With the stone observatory of Alta Vista and other solar-related structures like it the people of ancient Mexico appear to have worshipped the sun. They were deeply concerned with the readily observable change each day in the suns shadow as they tracked the sun's movement north and south. Perhaps they feared that someday it would not return, so much so that they built the marvelous stone calendar at Alta Vista

Stones laid out east and west can track the

movement of the sun both during the day

and during the year

Bus to Alta Vista Ruin Site from Zacatecas.
Three-hour Omnibus de Mexico bus with trips each hour the 100 miles to Sombrerete for 160 pesos. From Sombrerete another 35 miles to Chalchihuites via a local bus. Taxi to Alta Vista archaeological site, arrange for return

Related Link Alta Vista Columns
Monte Alban
Chichen Itza Equinox Event

Archaeoastronomer Anthony F. Aveni of Colgate University, famed for his work with sun and star alignments on other Mexican sites, collaborated with Charles Kelly in 1977 Aveni, Anthony F., Horst Hartung, and J. Charles Kelley. 1982. "Alta Vista (Chalchihuites): Astronomical Implications of a Mesoamerican Ceremonial Outpost at the Tropic of Cancer." American Antiquity, vol. 47, pp. 316-335.

June Magic In The Hills Of Central Mexico

2014-03-04T15:58:00.001-08:00

June Magic In The Hills Of Mexico

Tropic of Cancer Archaeological Ruin Site.

On June 22 some magic happens in the hills of Central Mexico. The sun appears to stop on its northward journey through the sky and hover over the archaeological ruin site called Alta Vista, a 1,600 year old settlement in Zacatecas built directly on the Tropic of Cancer.
Chalchihuites is another name for the site, the same name as a nearby town. What is magic here is the ancient settlement's placement on the Tropic of Cancer, the place where the sun stops in its movement north and then hovers for a day before rising and setting further and further south as the days progress and it works its way back south.

Stone Calender Buildings

Did the ancients plan this placement on the Tropic of Cancer and if so why?

If you visit you will quickly learn that it was no accidental placement of this settlement. In fact the place could be a stone sundial, celestial observatory, and carved rock calendar all in one.

Alta Vista Archaeological Ruin Site

Reach the Alta Vista archaeological ruin Site on a long downhill glide from the town of Chalchihuites in Zacatecas State, Mexico. Reach the town from the nearest large town Sombrerete, reached from Zacatecas.
You enter the small museum and learn that the Teotihuacan culture built the site and that they built it with sight lines to the distant mountains where notches and ridges would mark the solar events.

Research at Alta Vista began with Mexican archaeologists Manuel Gamino in 1908 and continued with Charles Kelley who began digs in 1971 and studied the site and region for 45 years.

Solar Significance

The Archaeologists found solar significance in the construction of the buildings situated on a gently sloping hillside at 7200 feet above sea level. The research by Kelley cites deliberate placement by the builders of the ritual center at latitude 23°28′58″N 103°52′39″W, on the Tropic of Cancer, give or take a mile. Since the tropic line moves a few feet each year the ancient builders could be forgiven any error.

Chalchihuites Museum

From the museum, enter the site itself and look for the calendar stones and columns. At the northern end of the site you will find stones aligned east to west and another group crossing that runs north and south. It appears that the ancient builders constructed an ideal spot for the observation of the summer solstice or zenith day. Those north south and east west stones would announce the coming of that day with diminishing shadows and announce the day itself when no shadow at all falls beside the stones . At that location the sun would appear to stand still in its movement north over the earth on June 21 and would not only linger for a day directly overhead at Chalchihuites, but appear to reverse direction and start its (apparent) annual movement south.

Researchers found cross-shaped petroglyphs on the mountain peak, Picacho, in the distance to the southwest, and on a ridge called Chapin, similar to stone glyphs used by the builders of Teotihuacan when they designed that city. The sight lines to the glyphs would track the movements of the sun.

Since no shadow would fall to the side of a standing column on Zenith Day it seems likely also that the so called Hall Of Columns had its ritual purpose as well.
The site was occupied from 100 AD to 1400 AD with active building stages between 400 and 850 AD according to researchers.

While it might seem like magic to us users of the compass and the GPS it appears that the indigenous of Mexico were keen observers of nature who built their religion around observed natural events.

Archaeoastronomer Anthony F. Aveni of Colgate University, famed for his work with sun and star alignments on other Mexican sites, collaborated with Kelly in 1977 Aveni, Anthony F., Horst Hartung, and J. Charles Kelley. 1982. "Alta Vista (Chalchihuites): Astronomical Implications of a Mesoamerican Ceremonial Outpost at the Tropic of Cancer." American Antiquity, vol. 47, pp. 316-335.

Zacatecas City, Zip line, Hiking Tour

Alta Vista Chalchihuites, Zacatecas

La Quemada, Chicomostoc Ruin Zacatecas

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Google Map Zacatecas

Huatulco Resort, Oaxaca

2014-03-03T17:37:00.000-08:00

Huatulco Resort, Oaxaca, Santa Cruz, Huatulco

Each year in February we head to the Pacific Coast of Oaxaca for a week-long beach vacation. This year the destination is the resort of Huatulco and the tidiest little town in all of Mexico, La Crucecita.

Huatulco is a federally developed resort area on the Pacific Coast of Oaxaca State built on twenty two miles (as the crow flies) of coast within the nine bays and 33 beaches in what was once a small fishing community.

The resort was built by The Fondo Nacional de Fomento al Turismo, FONATUR, a Federal agency that developed the sparsely inhabited bays along the coast in the 1980s while setting aside a large bio reserve area that includes four undeveloped bays protected from further development.

The resorts were built to be ecologically compatible with the natural surroundings and include modern sewer systems with no ocean dumping and a fresh water system that supplies drinkable water to the taps of the resorts. These resorts consists of five major sites, la Crucecita, Santa Cruz, Bahia Chahué, Bahia Tangolunda, and Bahia Conejo.

La Crucecita

The zocalo at La Crucecita, Santa Cruz Huatulco

Our favorite is La Crucecita, mainly because it is small, walkable, and much like many other of Mexico's small colonial towns. Crucecita is not old, however, it was built during the 1980s development of the resorts as a low-rise village center with a plaza, church, and surrounding restaurants, clubs, and lodging inns and small hotels.

La Crucecita village provides low and moderately priced accommodations for visitors and provides a neighborhood for resort employees. La Crucecita includes a first class bus terminal serving ADO, OCC, and Sur Buses, and a second class terminal serving Futura Bus with two trips daily to Acapulco, Alta Mar Bus serving Acapulco, and local buses. Taxi and collective taxis are also located in Crucecita and the modern, international airport (HUX) is a 15 minute drive or 150 Peso taxi ride distant.

Santa Cruz

The bay at Santa Cruz Huatulco

From La Crucecita we catch a taxi or colectivo a mile west to Santa Cruz beach at the end of a broad bay and the village of Santa Cruz. This beach-side community provides resort lodging, a marina, and a cruise ship terminal designed to host about 80 cruise ships annually.

The chapel at Santa Cruz Huatulco

Hotels here include all inclusive resorts such as the Binniguenda all inclusive and the Hotel Marina Resort. Santa Cruz offers a small wave beach and a short drive to snorkeling at the small wave beach La Entrega

Interior of the chapel at Santa Cruz Huatulco

The beach at Santa Cruz Huatulco

Tangolunda Bay

The resorts on Tangolunda Bay are of the luxury and all inclusive variety including some major providers of luxury resort lodging: Camino Real, Dreams Resorts, Crown Pacific Resorts, and Barcelo. Nearby is the 18-hole, Tangolunda Club de Golf, a course at the center of controversy at the moment with its new 6000 Pesos green fees (450 USD), a price that tops the fees at Pebble Beach. On a Sunday morning in March of 2014 the coarse was empty

Santa Cruz Huatulco resort,

Bahía de Chahué

Bahía de Chahué (bay) is a moderate to high priced area of hotels, such as the Marina Park Plaza Huatulco and the Villa Blanca, grouped within a walk to the beach, Playa Chahué, and to the 80+ slip marina.

Bahía de Conejo

Bahia Conejo is a small circular cove with a new Secrets Resort complex built into the hill that circles the cove.

Just a few years ago I would taxi to the hilltop and take a trail through the woods for a swim from the half-mile, deserted beach with just one fishing shack at the southeast end. Now the new resort occupies much of the hillside above the bay.

Oaxaca Beaches, First Class Bus

2014-02-24T12:18:00.001-08:00

Bus First Class, Oaxaca Beaches, Huatulco, Zipolite, Mazunte, Puerto Escondido

Update March 2014

OCC Bus from Oaxaca City's first class ADO terminal reaches

Huatulco where nine bays and 33 beaches offer all kinds of lodging

options

Bus To Oaxaca Pacific Coast Beaches

Oaxaca's Pacific Coast Beach bus service has not changed much over the years regardless of the occasional earth tremor and hurricane.

Additions to the OCC Bus (link) out of Oaxaca City and the Estrella Blanca Bus (link) and Alta Mar Bus service out of Acapulco to Oaxaca's beach villages, are the new van services (link) from Oaxaca City that now reach three main towns on the Pacific Coast where you find beach transportation: Puerto Escondido, Pochutla, and Huatulco.

From these towns, a bus, taxi, or colective taxi will reach all the smaller beach villages.

Bus Oaxaca Beaches From Acapulco

Estrella Blanca Bus Line runs the Highway 200 bus route with Futura Buses out of Acapulco (link) to offer first class bus routes along Route 200 between Huatulco, (link) Puerto Escondido, and Acapulco.

Alta Mar Buses also run bus routes between Acapulco, Puerto Escondido, (link) Pochutla, and Hualtulco.
For trips south to Chiapas find OCC buses leaving Pochutla for the 12 hour, 440 Peso trip southeast to San Cristobal de las Casas (link) Chiapas.

Huatulco Resort beaches, high rise and all inclusive

included

Huatulco Beach Resort

Direct, first class buses from Oaxaca City (8 hours) and second class buses from Puerto Escondido and Pochutla serve the beach town furthest southeast on Oaxaca's Pacific Coast, the resort town of Huatulco. This relatively new resort area created by the Government in the 1980s was built from the nine bays and 33 beaches in the area.

The chapel honoring the Cross Of Huatulco at the

village of Santa Cruz

The town of Crucicita is the transfer hub for this area, a tidy little place that offers an ADO (link) first class bus terminal, a second class bus terminal, lodging, clubs, restaurants and shopping around the small square a fifteen minute taxi ride from Huatulco's airport. (HUX).

The marina at the village of Santa Cruz

Several of the bays of Huatulco are developed much more intensly than Crucicita, with high-rise resorts, some with protected beaches others with surfing waves.

In the winter months, cruise ships visit the harbor of Santa Cruz at the end of a long bay.

The harbor's name, Santa Cruz, was inspired by a legend about the discovery by the first Spanish visitors of a huge, wooden cross standing in place at the beach, “The Cross of Huatulco.”

The village of Santa Cruz showing the cruise ship dock.

The latest addition to the attractions in Huatulco is the small Huatulco archaeological ruin site called Copalita, opened recently to display artifacts from the State of Oaxaca and from the small ruin site on the coast by the river. Entry to the museum is 100 pesos.
Other ruin sites such as Monte Alban, (link) near Oaxaca City, and Teotihuacan, (link) near Mexico City are archaeological ruins with splendid museums and monumental buildings and pyramidal structures typical of Mexico’s ancient cities.

OCC Bus leaves from the Oaxaca ADO Bus Terminal and
serves the Pacific Coast towns of Huatulco, Pochutla, and Puerto Escondido.

Bus To Huatulco

Reach Huatulco from Oaxaca City via OCC Buses that leave from the Oaxaca ADO Bus Terminal with stops in Huatulco, Pochutla, and Puerto Escondido. Sur Buses run regular service between Pochutla and Puerto Escondido. OCC buses and Sur Buses run routes from Huatulco, Pochutla, and Puerto Escondido as they run hourly up and down the bus routes on coastal Route 200, the highway between Huatulco and Puerto Escondido.

See Huatulco (link) for more details on lodging, golf, beaches, hiring a cab by the hour, and about the Cross of Huatulco legend.

Transportation To Oaxaca's Pacific Coast Beaches

Taxis, Colectivos

Long-haul, first class buses don't reach all the small beach towns, they are served by taxi and colectivo. The fare from Pochutla by private taxi to the beach towns of Puerto Angel and Zipolite, for example, cost around 100 pesos to reach Zipolite Beach, Colonia Roca Blanca, Puerto Angel and Mazunte.

Group To Save

If you group with other travelers you can save; the taxis charge by the trip not by the number of people.

Budget Transfer

The budget alternatives for transportation from Pochutla to the beach villages are the colectivo taxi and the camioneta. The colectivo is a shared taxi costing 12 Pesos and leaving from Pochutla. Walk to your right from the bus station about one block and find the collective taxis at a fork in the road. Tewlve Pesos for Puerto Angel.

Camioneta, shared transportation

The camioneta is a pickup truck with a covered bed that costs ten pesos per person, a budget ride but an uncomfortable one. The camioneta are allowed to pick up and drop off anywhere along their route.

Snorkel, scuba, and sightseeing boat tours
leave from Puerto Angel.

Puerto Angel Beaches

Reach the fishing village and beach town of Puerto Angel via taxi, collective taxi, or camioneta from the town of Pochutla.
The collective taxi is the best option for saving on transit. It runs hourly from just a block northeast of the bus terminal. The collective taxis also pick up at the crossroads of Route 200 and Route 175 but will usually be full before they reach this location.
Cost is 12 Peso to Puerto Angel, the first beach town you passs as you go northwest along the coast road from Pochutla. Puerto Angel offers a beach-side hotel, the Cordelia at 350 peso per night with Air Conditioning, wifi, and a restaurant. Several other hotels are nearby. Snorkel, scuba, and sightseeing boat tours leave from Puerto Angel.

Camping Mazunte

Sightseeing tours leave from Playa Panteon, a calm water beach where you can swim and snorkel. In front of the hotel Cordelia, two tour agencies offer four-hour whale watch, dolphin watch, turtle watch boat tours with visits to four secluded bays along the coast.

There are restaurants at the beach villages. See Other area dining Dining Zipolite (link)

Dawn at Zipolite Beach

Transportation To Zipolite Beach

Taxi, colectivo, and camioneta from Pochutla reach Zipolite Beach.
Zipolite is a nude-optional beach noted for its sunrises and sunsets located a few miles west of Puerto Angel. Nudism is not legal in Mexico but is allowed on Zipolite Beach.
Budget lodging, beachside posadas, beach camping, surfing, laundromat, and good restaurants such as Piedra del Fuego and “A Nice Place on the Beach” make Zipolite a good visit.
See Zipolite Lodging

Transportation To Mazunte Beach

A few miles west of Zipolite, along the coast, is the village of Mazunte. There you find beach-side camping, beach restaurants, posada lodging, and the Turtle Rescue Project.
Reach Mazunte and the other beaches, San Agustinillo, and Ventanillo in the same fashion: taxi, colectivo, or camioneta out of Pochutla or anywhere along the beach road, Route 175.

Mazunte Turtle Rescue Project Museum

San Agustinillo

SanAgustinillo is a small beach village on Route 175 just east of Mazunte. Find a small wave beach and a beach open to the ocean bordered by inns and restaurants.

Ventanilla offers tours of a crocodile lagoon

Ventanilla
Ventanilla is a tiny community on an open ocean beach where you find tours of a lagoon to view crocodiles in the wild.

Tours of Manialtepec and Chacahua lagoons are offered

in the coastal village of Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido

The surfing and fishing village of Puerto Escondido is the best known of Oaxaca beach villages and offers first class bus service from the ADO terminal on Route 200. The second class bus terminal offers bus service to Acapulco via Alta Mar and Estrella Blanca Buses..

Beach dining Puerto Escondido

Fishing boats on the beach, Puerto Escondido

Related Links
Puerto Escondido Camping

Chacahua Lagoon Tour

Bus From Cancun To Palenque Archaeological Site

2014-02-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

Palenque Archaeological Site By ADO First Class Bus From Cancun

Palenque archaeological site, the Castle

ADO Bus To Palenque

ADO Bus runs a good bus route from Cancun (link) to Palenque by going by way of Tulum (link) and Chetumal, a trip of 515 miles. The road across Campeche and the Yucatan is straight and flat with few settlements. It is a 13 or so hour trip and the 3:45 bus got me into Palenque early in the morning regardless of a political road block that forced us to abandon the bus for collective taxis about ten miles from Palenque.
I have made the trip before through Valladolid (link) and Merida (link) but that is a much longer ride, more stops, although the mileage is about the same.
Once I arrived in the town of Palenque I stored my luggage at the Palenque Bus Station and caught a colectivo at the Cabeza Maya for the ruins and museum.

Sculpture depicting the ruler Pacal

Transportation to the Archaeological Site of Palenque

From the ADO bus station I walked up to the rotary at the Cabeza Maya and soon enough a white colectivo careened around the corner and stopped just in front of the new ADO Bus Station under construction. Twenty Peso to the ruin site, double what it was last year but still a bargain.

New ADO Bus Terminal under construction

We passed through the gate where the local people take a 25 pesos entrance fee and were soon at the museum, paying again for entrance to the site and museum. In total about 90 pesos.

The sculpture called the Cabeza Maya is a handy

landmark. Collective taxis leave from here to the

archaeological site.

Palenque Archaeological Site

Last year I walked the trail from the museum up through the tropical forest (link) to the archaeological site with all its ancient buildings. This visit I toured the museum and then hailed a taxi for the mile or so to the main site.

Model of the temple complex called The Castle

Mayan writing has been deciphered in modern times

and reveals much about the history of Palenque and
its rulers.

Mask of the Red Queen

After the museum visit I went to the road and hailed a taxi for the trip to the archaeological site entrance.

View from the plaza below the temple of the Inscriptions,
the building that housed the tomb of the ruler Pacal who
died in 683 AD.

related Links:
Cancun Bus
Merida Bus
Palenque Lodging
Area Ruins Map

Next, Palenque Archaeological Site Photos

Bus Border Crossing, USA to Mazatlan and Acapulco, Mexico

2014-01-26T18:22:00.002-08:00

Bus Border Crossing, USA to Mazatlan and Acapulco

Bus travel in Mexico is over modern highways and toll roads cut through the mountains.

US travelers can reach the Pacific coast beaches of Mexico by comfortable, first class bus. Travelers from the US and Canada have found an alternative to the airliner for trips to Mexico, the long-haul, first class bus. The buses allow trips to the various colonial cities and beach resorts of Mexico while offering more leg room and more comfort than the airliner. The first class bus service in Mexico is plentiful, economical, and stress-free.

Mexico offers some great beaches, not just the resorts.
One of the Tufesa Bus stops on its way south from Tucson
down the Pacific coast is at Topolobampo, a port for the ferry
to La Paz in the Baja and also a starting terminal for the
Copper Canyon Train

Nogales To Mazatlan By Tufesa Bus

One bus travel option is the Tufesa Bus, a cross-border bus that serves from many US cities to run bus routes south from LA, AZ and Nevada across the Mexican border through Nogales or Tijuana.

Tufesa Bus stops in Los Mochis where the

Copper Canyon Train starts its 6 am run into

the canyon

Tufesa Bus runs routes south along the Pacific Coast passing through the beach resort of Mazatlan link (great town for a beach break) and then inland to its two terminals in Guadalajara. Free WiFi aboard. Guadalajara link

Guadalajara is a major bus hub for bus routes to Coastal Mexico
and the Colonial cities on the Alto Plano

This first class bus service is economical at about 13 to 15 cents USD per mile

The great advantage of first class bus travel in Mexico over air travel is that you can stop in the small colonial cities or beach resort towns and tour for a few days. You could just tour for the day and then taxi back to the bus station, board a night bus and sleep until you reach the next city or beach town.
The Tufesa stop in Mazatlan will offer the beach resort for a tour and also offer several other bus lines such as Primera Plus and ETN Bus for first class bus service to other parts of Mexico.
From Mazatlan the buses continue on to Guadalajara where you can find onward buses to Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco.

Related links
Acapulco Beach Resort
Acapulco Bungy
Acapulco Resorts
Zihuatanejo

Road Trip Mexico

Bus Trip, Alta Vista Ruin Site, Chalchihuites, Zacatecas, Mexico

Review, The Hotel Concordia, San Luis Potosí, Mexico

Bus to Alta Vista Ruin from Zacatecas

Bus to Alta Vista Ruin Site from Zacatecas

Zenith Day Sundial

Update, February 2015

Bus to Alta Vista, Chalchihuites, Zacatecas Stone Observation Buildings

Tucson, AZ to Oaxaca Mexico by Bus

Copper Canyon Train Station, El Fuerte, Best For Scenic Ride

Fort San Diego Museum, Acapulco,

Bus Travel Oaxaca Mexico to Tucson Arizona

Guelaguetza Festival Schedule, July, 2014

Guelaguetza 2014 Schedule and Ticket Price

Bus Phoenix, AZ. to Mexico City

Chacahua Lagoon Tours from Puerto Escondido

Puerto Escondido Ecotouring, Pacific Coast Oaxaca

Ecotour From Puerto Escondido, Pacific Coast Lagoons, Oaxaca

Ventanilla Lagoon Crocodiles

Puerto Escondido Lagoon Tour Chacahua

Puerto Escondido Surfing

Puerto Escondido Diving

Chacahua Lagoon Tour

Oaxaca Photo Walks

Oaxaca Photo Walks. Oaxaca Centro Historico,

Worlds Highest Cable-Stayed Bridge, Durango

Bus Puerto Escondido to Acapulco

Bus Puerto Escondido to AcapulcobyDavid Hilbert

Puerto Escondido Bus to Acapulco

Alta Mar Bus

Costa Bus

Mexico Bus Experts, Oaxaca, Zihuatanejo, Mazatlan

"Bus Experts" Report, Mexico Coast, Oaxaca, Zihuatanejo, Mazatlan

Mexico Bus Lines

Oaxaca Mexico, Zihuatanejo, Mazatlan

Oaxaca City To the Pacific Coast, First Class Bus Service

Route 175

Huatulco Bus Service

Buses North: Puerto Escondido, Acapulco, North to Zihuatanejo

Acapulco Bus

Pochutla, Zipolite, Mazunte, San Agustinillo, Ventanilla

Puerto Escondido

Bus Routes South

Bus First Class Huatulco From Oaxaca City

Beaches Oaxaca, Huatulco to Puerto Escondido

Beaches, Huatulco to Puerto Escondido

Alta Vista, Stone Calendar Zacatecas

Alta Vista, Stone Calendar In Zacatecas

Zenith Day

June Magic In The Hills Of Central Mexico

June Magic In The Hills Of Mexico

Tropic of Cancer Archaeological Ruin Site.

Stone Calender Buildings

Alta Vista Archaeological Ruin Site

Solar Significance

Chalchihuites Museum

Huatulco Resort, Oaxaca

Huatulco Resort, Oaxaca, Santa Cruz, Huatulco

Oaxaca Beaches, First Class Bus

Bus First Class, Oaxaca Beaches, Huatulco, Zipolite, Mazunte, Puerto Escondido

Bus To Oaxaca Pacific Coast Beaches

Bus Oaxaca Beaches From Acapulco

Bus From Cancun To Palenque Archaeological Site

ADO Bus To Palenque

Transportation to the Archaeological Site of Palenque

Palenque Archaeological Site

Bus Border Crossing, USA to Mazatlan and Acapulco, Mexico

Bus Border Crossing, USA to Mazatlan and Acapulco

*Bus Puerto Escondido to Acapulco**byDavid Hilbert*