Chacala and the Petroglyps

We had another smooth passage from Punta Mita to Chacala. We saw several Humpback Whales, and lots of Dolphins, which we never get tired of seeing. We stopped briefly in Chacala on our way south and remembered it being one of our favorite beaches. We decided to pay it another visit. The water is warm in this beautiful bay so we snorkeled and spent most of our time getting wet. Jack spotted a good size Sole in the sand, Patrick grabbed the spear, and dinner was caught. While here, my fascination with the Huichol tride was fed some more. They are an indigenous group of people who live in this region that I have mentioned in prior blogs. They mostly live high in the mountains, and are very shy, reclusive people. They come down to sell beautiful hand made crafts, and to work the fields. But for the most part, they want nothing to do with modern society. They are one of the only remaining indigenous tribes that have retained their religion, refusing to give up their beliefs or way of life. Even during the time when the Christian Missionaries took over this beautiful land, the Huichols refused to change their ways. To this day, they live just as they have for thousands of years, respecting the earth, and taking only what they need for survival. Jack is in the process of researching, and writing a report on these beautiful people, so watch for that on his blog in the next week or so. While in Chacala, I heard there was a Huitchol Shaman that lives here. If you know me, you can guess what happened next. I had to meet him, and I thought this would be a great opportunity for Jack to gather information for his report. Once I found him, I learned his mother was not well, and he was not up for visitors. The taxi driver who took us to him then offered to take us to see the petroglyps in the near by town of Altravista. Since we were already on an adventure, I thought why not, and quickly agreed. Patrick and Jack were game as well, so we jumped back into the taxi and taken on a very interesting ride. Our new friend Manuel, then informed us that he was not sure where they were and that we would need to stop and see if his friend could be our guide. Manuel spoke good English, so we trusted him, which yes I know.....we need to be careful, especially when driven off road into complete wilderness. I trust my instincts, and I was sure we were safe. Patrick gave me a few funny looks.....wondering how much all of this was going to cost.....but I was on a mission, and nothing was going to stop me! Once we arrived in Altravista, Manuel found his friend sitting on the side of the road.....a small red flag..... trust trust trust.....he spoke in very quick spanish, so I could not make out any of their conversation. His friend then got in the taxi with us, and off we went. We stopped at the side of the road, and his friend opened a fence, that we then drove through. Before we knew what was happening, we were now off roading in a mexican taxi....another fence was opened, and then we parked. From here, we got out and proceeded to hike for about 30 minutes.......to what I can only express in words...... as one of the most amazing places my feet have ever been led to. The petroglyps date back to 2300 B.C. This is a sacred place still used today for ceremonial purposes. We followed our guide thru the jungle and ended up at a pool of water and rocks. The Huichol tribe often come here for ceremony and we were lucky enough to witness one of their alters. It was truly an amazing place to soak up some high vibrations.......I was tempted to sit and light the peyote and partake in the full experience, but rationality took over. We left feeling so blessed to have witnesses such a beautiful thing. Tomorrow we head to San Blas, where more Huichols are rummored to be.....oh and the total cost for the taxi and guide was 500 pesos.....about $40 U.S. Totally worth a full day of adventure in Mexico.