Mexcaltitán, the Ancient City of the Aztecs?

Leaving behind the tranquil town of San Blas, I was inspired by a Mexican tourism poster for my next destination: Mexcaltitán. Said to be the original settlement of the Aztec empire, the possibly mythical city occupies the entirety of a small island within a muddy river fairly close to the coast. Despite no archaeological evidence to support the claim, the locals and many Mexicans believe this to be the first home of the Aztecs who have described their original village exactly like this, a small piece of land surrounded by water. Their legends also state that they searched for a sign from the gods for their first place of settlement, being told that they'd see a heron or other type of bird eating a snake, perched upon a tree or cactus. Given the local flora and fauna, it is certainly believable that they could have come across this omen in the location of Mexcaltitán. If this is true, they would have occupied the place around 900 AD, eventually leaving the island behind as they moved inland for a few hundred years, slowly making their way to the site of Teotihuacán, near present day Mexico City. In this place, they also claimed to have seen the bird eating the snake atop a cactus, a symbol that is also currently depicted on Mexico's flag. You know, the one that you always thought looked like Italy but with something accidentally drawn in the middle...now you know what that is. Anyway, the city was only supposed to be about an hour from San Blas, but it turned into a bit of an adventure making my way there.

First, I went to the bus stop, hoping to go to Santiago, yet there were no buses to Santiago, and I was told to go on the Villa Hidalgo bus and just tell the driver that I needed to go to Santiago. So, I asked the driver that was just about to leave, but he vehemently denied that his bus would go near Santiago, so I went back to the waiting room. I asked the woman at the ticket booth what to do, and she told me to take the next Villa Hidalgo bus and that the driver with whom I talked was just crazy. So, I waited another hour, met a strange local man who had lived in Seattle for a while and wanted to practice his English, which was just good enough to ask me for some money for food at the end of our conversation, and then I tried the next bus. The driver gave me the same story, looking at me like I was crazy, but luckily one of the passengers told me to get on the bus and when we arrived in Villa Hidalgo, I could take a short ride to Santiago. So, I took the bus, got to the end of the line and asked another driver about Santiago, he said he was going there, so I got a ride all by myself on a huge Greyhound type bus for the 15 minute journey to Santiago. For only a few dollars, this was a luxury taxi ride. Arriving in Santiago just after noon, I asked a few people about my next leg of the journey, and I had apparently missed the cheap bus to the dock for the island by about five minutes, meaning that I'd have to take a taxi. I bargained with one of the drivers who agreed to get me there and claimed that he'd be able to catch the minibus, so that I could take the cheap boat out to the island. As it turned out, he did give me a good deal...only about $6 for the 45 minute drive through the coastal plains to the boarding dock, arriving just as the small boat was just about to push off. I tossed my big backpack in the back and crammed my way onto the tiny boat, filled with about 20 locals sitting on tiny benches and the edges of the boat, covered by a makeshift awning of plastic and sticks. Riding low in the murky water, we curved around islands in the river, passing by shrimp fisherman and more mangroves before spotting the island, about 20 minutes by boat from the main road. I was happy to see land as our boat didn't seem to sturdy, and we were no more than a few inches above the waterline, and I didn't imagine that there were any lifejackets hidden anywhere.

As I got off, I paid my $1 fee for the ride, and I stepped onto the small dock, trying to check out a map to see where I was. I found the location of the one and only hotel and started walking, however I knew this wasn't going to be a long, arduous walk after judging the size of the island. Only about 350 yards long by 400 yards wide, the island is a circle, with a church and plaza in the middle, a circular road that runs near the perimeter, with houses on both sides, and two sets of parallel roads that form a cross over the island. Within a minute or two, I had arrived at the other shore, finding my hotel to be all but empty. I got a room with a balcony overlooking the river for about $15, and I dropped my stuff off to go check out the town. About 2,000 people are said to live on the island, and after pretty much walking every possible section of the place, it appears there are about 3 restaurants (two of which weren't open), 5 or 6 tiny food stores, a museum, a church, and that's about it. The faded pastel colors of the houses were pleasant enough, and the open doors and welcoming smiles assured me that crime was all but unheard of in this place. Children kicked around balls (or anything resembling that), chased each other around the trees of the main plaza and screamed as their parents patiently watched from the nearby benches or chairs. The sidewalks and few streets of the town were also unique because they were all dirt (of course, there are no cars on the island, and I don't even think I saw any bicycles), but the sidewalks and houses are built about three feet above the road below. Apparently during the wet season, the city is known to flood as the river rises, so the residents take it all in stride and simply use small boats and canoes to get around the flooded town, hence the nickname of Mexican Venice.

The town is pretty much completely dependent upon the fishing industry for money and food, mostly from shrimp. Thus, fishermen come in during the morning with their nets full, spreading the pink shrimp along the numerous sidewalks and patios of the town, creating an interesting look and sometimes less than appealing smell. The shrimp are left out to dry for the full day, taking them in after the sun sets. Women and children also line the streets, peeling the shrimp and preparing them to be eaten. Unfortunately for me, this meant that there was little other than shrimp to be found when it came time for dinner. Even so, by the time I was ready to eat, everything was closed for the night, so a nice bag of chips and an excellent chocolate muffin had to suffice. Also, as I watched the sun set over the river, I was greeted by a few of the friendly local fishermen. When I told him that I was from Atlanta, he responded with ''Oh, Chiper Jones, muy malo'' (very bad). I asked him if he thought the legends of the Aztecs was true, and as a proud resident, he of course assured me that it was indeed the birthplace of what was to become one of the largest populations in the world (Mexico City). I had also visited the museum earlier in the day, reading the history and legends of the town, though never finding any concrete proof about the town's alleged beginnings, so I wanted to hear the ideas of the locals. The fisherman also told me that his father was now the oldest living man on the island, nearing 100 years old and had been interviewed by National Geographic a few years ago, relating the stories passed on from generation to generation. He also offered to arrange for me to speak with his father the next day, which would have been wonderful, yet I had to be on my way in the morning, so I unfortunately had to decline his appealing offer.

The next morning, I packed my bags and headed back across the island to the dock, arriving just in time for the 8 am departure of the boat, otherwise I would have had to wait for the next one - leaving at 10:30. Again being the only gringo in sight, I relished the feeling of having seen something so authentic, so untouched, and perhaps even so historically significant. We got back to the shore safely, and I started anew with my series of bus trips, deciding that my next stop would be the tourist mecca of Puerto Vallarta, about five hours down the Pacific coast, backtracking a little bit in order to connect the bus routes.

(An aerial view of the town...This is actually a picture of one of the posters that drew me to the town.)

(My first view of the town, and the same spot where I turned to watch the sunset)

(A few of the typical houses along the circle road...I call it the Perimeter)

(Shrimp drying along the sidewalk on makeshift patio)

(More shrimp and more lovely smells)

(The sunset on this magical little village, just before meeting the friendly fisherman)