I Want to Live in a Real Mexican Village from Head for Mexico: The Renegade Guide - the most comprehensive book written on living and retiring in Mexico"

Fiction and fantasy are both legitimate genres for creative writers, but I’m about out of patience with travel scribes who employ either as the vehicle by which they deliver somewhat inaccurate and garbled reports on backroads, highways and various destinations. Yeah, I’m foamin’ at the mouth again.

Mexico for me is spectacular enough that she needs no exaggerations. Mexico is what she is, without pretense or presumption, and deserves to be accepted and embraced as such. Mexico stands on her own quite well, without the questionable embellishments of hit and run scribblers. And believe it or not there’s a splendid system of roads and highways that ties much of the country together. Some folks who have presumably never been off the autopistas seem to believe that any paved surface of less than four lanes of fresh asphalt is a goat path in the wilds, and feel no compunction about representing it as such, accompanied by their hoary fears of running out of fuel out in the middle of nowhere.

I just returned from a couple of visits to El Salto de Peña Colorado. Based upon several articles I’d read I anticipated something quite different from the reality. Now to be absolutely honest, part of my disappointment was my own fault. I mean it’s not like I never suffered from traumatic shock after several marriage licenses were signed and up-to-then closely held secrets were revealed by variously fresh brides. Or again when the inevitable divorce papers were soon properly presented along with restraining orders and demands to perform acts on myself that I’m pretty sure are physically impossible.

I do know that when I read a travel guide that gives instructions requiring you to stop and ask a local how to get out of town and on your way to your destination that almost everything else might be suspect. Especially fears of running out of gas when you venture no more than thirty miles from a major city. Forced drama or admissions of poor planning don’t really work well when you should be passing on accurate information to a reader. Let me get on about that chore while I’m still relatively sober.

There are a number of “El Salto” destinations scattered around the country, which is not really too surprising since one of the meanings of salto is “waterfall’. Lots of hills and mountains, lots of rivers, lots of Saltos. Terry’s Guide to Mexico, written in the early 1900’s has references to four “El Saltos” but it appears that the four are actually only one, in San Luis Potosi State, described over and over from differing perspectives.

One guide describes El Salto del Nogal near Tapalpa in Jalisco State and there’s a town by that name in Jalisco on Highway 54 more or less between Guadalajara and Chapala. I didn’t see a waterfall when I visited but that’s no guarantee there’s not one there. Then there’s another El Salto, yet one more town, in Guerrero State near the coast.

The one we’re going to discuss is in Colima State on the old highway between Colima City and Manzanillo. Actually we’ll explore more than just the falls since this area has something a lot of folks seem to be yearning for. Many people honestly believe they’re looking for “a real Mexican village” where they can integrate into the daily rhythm of life as lived by the locals. About ninety-nine percent of those same people have never actually been in, or even seen “a real Mexican village” but it won’t take them long to discover if a mistake was made.

Our “real Mexican village” is Minatitlan, Mina to the locals, a town of 8,426 just three miles north of the falls. For those who want to retire to a quiet, clean, small town with a majority of the modern services we all depend upon, Mina is a place I’d suggest you take a look at. Wide paved streets, a good variety of shops and stores, a small farmer’s co-op, internet service, and a laid back attitude and friendly people are a few things you can consider as positive aspects of the place. This is not one of those little down and out depressed villages out in the hot dusty middle of nowhere. There are jobs available to the residents, and both the state and private industry have provided a good array of services to those who live there.

PEMEX is currently building a new service station on the highway near the turn-off into the place but the town itself retains the charm of an older town still tied to its early history and culture. There are several small parks, and even a new little municipal auditorium within the city limits. In the middle of one of the wide side streets is a landscaped area holding a large monument, an angel atop a pedestal with a plaque reading in part, “We offer this homage to your children who fell in the cyclone of October 27, 1959”, offering a glimpse into the closer history of the town.

And as far as I know, you’ll be the only non-national in town. I know some of you are salivating as you read this. Of course this means you’ll miss out on all the gringo intrigues of those who plot and plan to gain control of the local expatriate power palaces in the more popular retirement Edens. You know, the libraries and dog pounds and such. And the chances of ever getting your name or picture in the local paper will be within a degree or two of zero. Of course the upside is that you can start up all sorts of organizations and elect yourself president of every one of them. And then start up a newsletter. And put your name and picture on every page. And then start soliciting for donations. It gets better, so read on.

Part of the prosperity of the area is due to the success of agricultural and ranching activities, but perhaps much of credit must be given to the mining consortium, Benito Juarez, which since 1976 has been extracting and shipping valuable gravel from the country’s largest iron ore deposits just outside Minatitlan. On a recent visit I stopped in the company town of Peña Colorada which is located about a mile south of the El Salto entrance, and about three or four miles from the Y outside of Minatitlan. Several young men were hard at work under the sun, their misery compounded by the fact that they were heating tar and coating lengths of pipe destined to become partners of the two existing rail-ducts carrying iron ore from the mountains to a processing area near the port at Manzanillo, about thirty miles away. Those of you who are addicted to volunteer activities might set up some type of program to convince a few of the more gullible locals to tote big containers of water up the hills to spray down the laborers several times a day. I just stopped to ask about the mine and pass out cold Cokes in appreciation of their efforts in trying to deal with my pidgin Spanish. Luckily my travel partner has the skills to smooth out a lot of my linguistic liabilities so it’s usually not as ugly as it could be. I seldom have to run for my life anymore.

I did say “hills” because the terrain is a bit deceiving, giving the impression of being higher than the actual 740 meters above sea level measured at Mina. The mine is a bit higher but not much.

In Minatitlán, dedicated “for the emancipation of Mexico” is the headquarters building of the Union de Trabajadores de Autotransportes para Carga en General. Oh well, apparently there have always been snakes in paradise.

Peña Colorada, just down the road a ways, is an atypical Mexican village, very modern and well laid out as a hometown to many of the mine workers. The housing units are both apartment style red brick buildings and single family dwellings. On one side of the highway are a number of small stores and a restaurant which is currently not in operation. We all know how quickly that can change. Nearby are a number of government facilities which serve the needs of the mine workers and other area residents, as well as a large and well-equipped IMSS clinic with emergency care and vehicles available twenty-four hours a day.

And as usual in a town with any pride in itself, there’s a large soccer field. A large soccer field with covered bleachers to provide respite from the Colima sun. And there’s a fair sized church building. It’s a nice modern design, but like the cover on the bleachers it’s constructed of tin. I can imagine how a creative Peña Colorada priest could trump any fundamentalist hellfire and brimstone preacher I’ve ever seen in a head-to-head “wages of sin” preach-off. The priest shouldn’t need to exert much effort to demonstrate the heat of hell to the faithful sitting on the pews inside a tin building fully exposed to the tender mercies of the Mexican sun burning through the thin atmosphere.

But the most striking thing about the town, the thing that catches your attention first, is how clean and well maintained the place is. You might think that a mining area would be covered with a filthy dust, like parts of West Virginia, or that the sky would be full of pollution spewing from smokestacks like up in the “Rust Belt” states of the US. Instead you see clean streets, closely clipped lawns, a company paid jardinero caring for the landscaped grounds of the small business area, adequate and well marked parking areas, and a small municipal security force unobtrusively watching over the community. The mining company has a commitment to the environment and to ecological concerns, and the same attitude is also shown by their employees. This is not a town in which you’ll be able to live, unless you have enough prior pick and shovel experience to get hired on at the mine, or that you would even consider as such, but you need to know about it in order to get a sense of the whole area.

There are a number of small villages along the highway on either side of Minatitlan and Peña Colorada which are more in line with what you usually expect to see in rural Mexico. Bare dirt yards, pigs, cows, burros, big pot-bellied women in sleeveless undershirts, the entire rural spectrum.

From Colima south to Minatitlán is about thirty miles and from Manzanillo north to Minatitlán is about thirty-four miles so gringo-style shopping is easily accessible in either direction. Both cities have good Soriana stores, Manzanillo has a Comercial Mexicana, and most of the products we believe we need to be happy are easily obtainable in either place.

But back to our original launching point, the Salto. At the end of the article you’ll get specific instructions about how to get there but now I’ll just tell you what to expect when you arrive. You’ll turn off Highway 98 onto a narrow cobblestone path on the east side of the road. Just a few yards down this entryway you’ll come to a ticket booth on the left. This is a fully developed Parque Acuatico and DIF has the concession for the site. There may or may not be an attendant on duty. The last time I left, the guy caught a ride to Mina with me but if he went back and is on duty when you arrive you’ll need to pay a five peso per head entrance fee unless you’re ten years of age or younger which will allow you free entry.

Drive on down the sloping road until you come to a parking area on your left. If you want to stop here you can cross the road to the newer, better developed portion of the park. There are several shallow concrete swimming/wading pools here and some slides for the kids. Restroom facilities have been constructed and during the busy times a number of entrepreneurs will be operating snack stands and small tiendas. Of course you’ll need money if you intend to do business with any of those folks but this is a really moist place to be frolicking about with a wallet in your shorts. Just leave your stuff on one of the picnic tables. On week-ends there should be about seven thousand people enjoying the shade and water, so they can all keep an eye on each other which means nobody will ever get enough privacy to boost your goodies.

There’s also a first aid station located here in case someone actually thinks they had enough privacy to boost your goodies without being seen. Whichever one of you needs medical attention will be well attended to.

This is not a particularly lovely spot, but it serves its function as a family recreation area quite well.

You’ll notice immediately that there’s no salto here. It’s on down the road a hundred yards or so. Walk on down, or drive if you choose, and cross a small metal bridge next to the small parking area there. You’ll see a minor league waterfall to your left as you cross the bridge but that’s not the one you’re here to enjoy. Again, this is not a particularly lovely spot, but it serves its function as a family recreation area quite well. Just follow the paved walkway past the restrooms, the few small concrete wading pools full of greenish liquid, and the BBQ pits until it dead-ends at the canyon. You’ll see the salto to your left.

I’m not sure I’d drive from very far outside the area just to spend the day here but this is an excellent uncrowded week-day getaway place if you live in or are visiting Colima City or Manzanillo. Most of the rest of the residents of the area have jobs so it’ll be just you and the local ne’er-do-wells.

The cascade isn’t great at this time but there’s an upside to the diminished flow. Climb down the stairs leading into the canyon, cross onto the smooth rocks exposed due to the low water level of the river, and make your way onto the little sandy area at the edge of the pool that the water drops into. You won’t be able to do this if you’re way out of shape, incredibly old, or suffer from any degree of vertigo. If you safely make it to the sand you can wade into the pool and swim over to the falling water. You’ll need to experiment and explore a bit but you’ll be able to find a secure perch on one of the rocks where you can hold yourself in place beneath the water flow and enjoy a magnificent natural water massage. You’ll be able to breathe quite easily. Yes, I’ve already been told this was a weird bit of information to share with you but this ain’t your mama’s travel report. You need to have a bit of fun when you’re out in the countryside.

Straight out in front of the salto the river slowly flows between the close rock walls of the canyon, only about fifteen to twenty feet wide, for about one hundred yards until it widens out, curves to the left, and becomes very shallow. You can swim the short section of the river to here, but as soon as you get to the bend you’ll be wading. Look to the right and you’ll see that you can walk up the slight slope to where you parked a few minutes earlier. This might make you feel a bit abashed about putting out the effort to crawl over the rocks but in my opinion it’s about six of one and half a dozen of the other.

This entire lovely little spot provides a restful and calming respite from your day to day concerns and is a bonus for those who choose to live in this area. Take a cooler and a lunch since those entrepreneurs won’t be there during the week, and spend the day.

If you truly want to find a “real Mexican village” in which to spend some quality retirement time, this is definitely an area you should explore. Or, if you’re just looking for a place to hang out all day in relative privacy, this might be it. Here’s how to get to Minatitlán, El Salto, and Peña Colorada.

From Guadalajara take Highway 54 south toward Colima. If you’re coming from the Lakeside area you need to drive to Jocotopec and at the intersection by Tom’s Crucero Pizza restaurant turn right on Mexico 15. About twelve and a half miles down the road you’ll come to the Colima/Barra de Navidad overhead sign. Go under the sign and the road will curve to the right and bring you nearly full circle to head you south on 54. As you come out of the curve you’ll see a Y in the road. If you head right you’ll be on the road to Barra de Navidad. Don’t take that choice. Stay to the left lane and head for the toll booths you’ll see straight ahead and about a half mile away unless you’re the guy who took the driver’s license test the same day I did. The one who held the test sheet up to within about two inches of his face in order to read the questions. While wearing glasses. Pay the toll of seventy-five pesos and head on out, assuming you don’t crash into the booth and cause yourself a lot of trouble.

"El Salto," Colima El Salto, Colima

About 37 to 40 miles down the highway you’ll see some folks out selling something alongside the road. It’s cajeta, a supersweet gritty caramel type candy. In season there will be a few pitilla (or pitaya, I’ve seen it spelled both ways) salesmen out with their baskets just a few miles past the dry lakebed. These are tunas on steroids, and they’re both delicious and messy. I suggest getting as close to naked as you can before eating them. And whatever you do, don’t leave them lying up on the dashboard until you get ready for them. Trust me. If you’re the guy I mentioned previously your brave passenger can tell you when you get near these folks.

Around seventy-five miles from the first booth you’ll pay another seventy-five peso toll. About seventeen miles past that booth the highway will Y again and this time you’ll take the right fork which says Colima. The left fork is the bypass to Manzanillo. You’ll pass a PEMEX on your left, but you’ll need to keep going straight about a mile or so until you see a huge, really odd-looking statue in the middle of the road in front of you. It’s a genderless humanlike form down on all fours, with one leg hiked up. It’s named Figura Obscena. Public art. Stop and take your pictures, then turn right and drive four miles until the road deadends at a light in Villa de Alvarez. Or if you need gas, forego the right turn for awhile and just wheel around the circle and head back to the PEMEX. This of course will totally eliminate your chances of telling suspense filled tales of the terror of running out of gas in the “wilds” of Mexico.

If you didn’t need gas, and you headed on up to the light at the dead-end, just turn left on this road, Highway 175, and drive about a mile until you pass Soriana on your left. Pay close attention now because you’re going to turn right at the second traffic light past the store. You’ll know you took the correct turn if you see a small statue of a bull on a stand as you make the turn. All you need to do now is drive straight on to the edge of town where you’ll pass the big open field where each year they construct the Petatera (it’s near where Alberto Martinez once planned to build an adobe stable) and then about thirty-three miles through rural Mexico until you get to Minatitlan. The road will split and you curve left to drive into the town which is about a half mile up the road. About a half mile before you reach the Y will be a new PEMEX on the right. If you’re quick about traveling down the place may still be under construction.

To get to El Salto just go straight on instead of turning left to Mina. About three miles on down the road you’ll see a small sign on the right side of the road which reads El Salto. Slow way down because you’ll need to make a tight left turn onto the cobblestone road leading to the park. Actually, once you decide to turn onto the side road you may want to consider getting on about the job because there’s a big curve just a few yards past where you’ll be sideways in the road during your turn and you know how the bus drivers are down here. You shouldn’t be surprised to see a big bus rocket around that curve just as you’re safely creeping into your left turn. You shouldn’t be, but you probably will.

If you want to go on into Peña Colorada just don’t turn left into the park. I know it may be a real temptation but if you’re old and out of shape and jaded you probably won’t enjoy the place anyway. Just keep going straight on to Manzanillo. About thirty miles or so and you’re there.

You may want to begin the trip from Manzanillo if you’re already there, so here are the instructions to do so. Ask somebody how to…no, wait a minute it’s all coming back to me now. I’ve actually made this trip so I can give you directions. Let’s take off from the entrance to Las Hadas. It’s not that I think any of us can actually afford to stay there but it’s easy to get to from any of the budget flophouses in which we might have whiled away the previous evening.

Anyway drive towards the new downtown facility port facility for about three miles. Right about there, and to your left is a big statue of a sailboat. To some it won’t look like a sailboat, but it is. Just follow the curve to the left and you’ll be headed in the right direction. You’ll soon see a sign that says 200 Colima. Keep going until you see the Minatitlan sign. You’ll know what to do at that point. You’ll see a sailfish statue to your left along here. It looks like a sailfish so if you’ve ever seen one before you’ll be in great shape. Here’s where you’ll catch Mexico 98 towards Minatitlán and Comatlan. That’s it, just keep going until you get to whichever place you want to look at first. Be careful because the road, even though its well paved, is twisty in a lot of places. And high. With steep drop-offs. In other words, you’re on a typical rural Mexico highway.

Have a good trip.