A Very Special Place

Today we rented a car to share with Denise and Cristobal, two other hotel guests. Our destination was an archeological site near Alta Vista, Nayarit. The site is called La Pila del Rey and it is thought to be an old site of worship for the Tetoxquin, the Aztec population that inhabited this area long before the arrival of the Spaniards.

We could only drive to within two or three kilometers of the site before the road deteriorated to an undrivable trail. The walk took us through orchards to a creek in a shallow valley. We then followed the creek upstream until we reached the grotto.

The main attraction to this site are the petroglyphs carved into the rocks. The petroglyphs are interesting, but for us, the location was awe inspiring. It is difficult to describe the serenity of the grotto. It is one of the most tranquil places I have ever experienced. It not hard to understand why the Tetoxquin would have selected this location as a place of worship.

The trail along the creek.

Una mariposa bonita.

A couple of the petroglyphs.

The grotto with the larger pool in the centre.

The water flowing down through the various pools.

Cristobal in the largest pool.


Tomorrow we are back on the bike heading for Guanajuato.