Alta Vista Petroglyphs Hike

The hike to the Alta Vista petroglyphs is a mystical magical event. It is a time to reflect the past and to see the beauty of nature today.

Here are the stats about the hike:

84 k north of Puerto Vallarta

1.6 Kilometers from the highway, turn left onto the road that leads to the trail.

Hiking time: 1hr 30 minutes
Trail Length 9.3 kilometers
Elevation 246 meters
Average Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Trail conditions:
Rocky, but hikable.

Additional costs. 
50 pesos trail donation.

One of the nice things of the Alta Vista Trail are the signs in English and Spanish telling you the history of the area:

The first historical reference to the Alta Vista Archaeological site dates from 1612, The etchings describe complex writing and a multitude of crosses that some say are devoted to Christ. This is possibly a reference to the so-called 'maize man" a figure of symbolizing fertility and growth. Local farmers leave offerings of candles and gourd bowls of salt to this figure in order to obtain fertility for their coffee and tobacco crops, or in the hopes of obtaining work when they traveled to the United States, This is a more modern interpretation of the area and not necessarily the original story.
In 1524 an army, led by Francisco Cortez de Buenaventura Incorporated this Zone into the jurisdiction of Santiago of Colima. Six years later Nuño de Guzman formed the kingdom of Nueva Gallia covering the entire Northern and western regions of Mexico. Following the Spanish conquest deaths from epidemics and forced labor, completely annihilated the Tecoxquines as a people. Today in the Mestizo towns of the area, people still speak of white Indian ghosts, who appear from the mountains to honor their ancient gods. 

Tecoxquin symbolism, The spirals wavy lines and other symbols carved in the Rocks of Alta Vista, most likely constitute a ritual language of prayers, to the tecoxquin gods as an agricultural people, the Tecoxquins would have been concerned with obtaining rain, fertility of the earth and the continuance of the seasonal rhythms they depend upon. Although the exact meaning of the symbols will never be known, the spirals have been interpreted as the sun rainstorm wind coiled snakes or as a symbol of the natural rainy and dry cycle.
In the 17th century, land owners cultivating cacao in the region needed a new workforce. The old Tecoxquin Villages had farmers of salt producing in Ixtapa. These Indians were ancestors of the modern-day Huichol. A New Wave of Europeans arrived from the town of Campostella and formed Haciendas, such as Chula and Las Varas. They also brought in African slaves through the nearby Port of Chakala, which had the links with the North and South America. These new people reinterpreted the petroglyphs of Altavista in a distinct manner. 

The Archaeological Petroglyph's site of Altavista is also known as La Pila Del Rey, located along the Piletas creek on the side of the copo volcano. It covers an extension of about 80 hectares where there is one of the biggest concentrations of engraved rocks. 

The water cycle in the state of Nayarit is characterized by a high rainfall, the fifth highest in the country. The rains are concentrated in a period of intense storms between May and October in dramatic contrast to the dry season. The rest of the year, the mountains of Alta Vista attract heavy rainfall, leaving the areas to the east much dryer. The opposite side of the mountain has a semi desert climate.  Perhaps for the abundance of water Altavista was seen as a special place and venerated for its fertility.

Along the hike of Alta Vista. You will probably hear the wonderful sound of parakeets playing the trees.





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