From Mexico City by rail via Guadalajara about 19 hours; by bus about 14 hours.
Tepic, capital of the state of Nayarit, is situated at the foot of the extinct volcano of Sanganguey (2360 m (7743 ft)), in the middle of green wooded hills about 50km/31mi east of the Pacific coast. To the east of the town there is a wide plain with tobacco and sugar cane plantations.
History
The settlement of Tepic (Náhuatl: "hard stone") was founded in 1531 by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán. In 1711 Philip V gave Tepic its town charter. It was not until the railway connection was built in 1912 that the modern development of the town and its surrounding area was able to get underway.
Sights
The town is well placed as a starting-point for excursions to the beaches along the coast and to the Indian villages in the surrounding area.
The museum takes a look at the tribes of the Huichols, Coras, Tepehuans, and Mexicaneros.
Address: Museo de Cultura Popular, Tepic, Nayarit , Mexico
Hours:
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Mexican Constitution Day (Día de la Constititución) (February 5), Mexico - Benito Juárez Birthday (March 21), Mexico - Battle of Pueblo Day (May 5), Mexico National Day (September 1), Mexican Independence Day (September 16), Mexican Revolution Day (November 20), Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe (December 12), Christmas - Christian (December 25)
The Museo Amado Nervo (Zacatecas 284) is devoted to the famous Mexican poet, who was born here. Of interest is the Regional Museum, the Museo Regional de Antropologia e Historia, which has on display archaeological finds from the area, paintings from the colonial period and exhibits connected with the life of the Cora and Huichol Indians.
The cathedral, which stands in the Plaza Principal has two Neo-Gothic towers. Also worthy of mention is the church of La Cruz de Zacate, which derives its name from a cross from Zacategras which grows in a courtyard and is revered by the Indians.
About 40km/25mi south of Tepic lies Compostela (1020 m (3346 ft); population 55,000; fiestas: first Friday in December, Día del Señor de la Misericordia and July 25th, Día de Santiago Apóstol). This old mining town possesses an interesting parish church dating from the 16th c. and is situated in a tobacco-growing region.
Some of the fishing villages lying to the south-west of Compostela have become popular seaside resorts during the last few years.
From Santiago Ixcuintla a detour is worth making, leaving the road to Playa Los Corchos and branching off to the 25km/16mi distant Laguna Mexcaltitán. The village of Mexcaltitán (fiesta: June 28th/29th Peter and Paul and start of the fishing season), a kind of tiny Venice, is situated on a circular island in the middle of the lagoon, which is rich in fish and bird-life. Many historians believe this island to be the legendary Aztlán, the original home of the Nahua people and therefore of the Aztecs.
The popular beach area of Playa Los Corchos can be reached by travelling north-west from Tepic on the MEX 15 to Santiago Ixcuintla and from there turning off west to the sea (entire length of route: about 100km/62mi).
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