For those of you who don’t know me or how aren’t familiar with my work I have two passions; travel and photography. I have the best job in the world. It allows me to explore both of those things. In this blog I want to share with you a few of my favorite places that I have traveled to recently and maybe you just might want to check them out for yourself.
Last month I had the pleasure of visiting Colpala, Mexico. It was a breath taking and beautiful rural town. To give you a little back story on this quaint village, it was ruled by indigenous people until 1564; when Spanish explorers conquered the area surrounding it. A year later the town was officially founded. Copala was especially important because of the large amount of silver that ran through it and the rest of the surrounding Sinola Hills. Although silver is the reason for the founding of the town, Copala was named after a mythical city of gold. To this day there is an annual two week fiesta that celebrates the founding of the town. The entire town participates as businesses close and people of all ages take part in the festivities.
Getting up to Copala is a journey all on its own. Its located about an hour northwest of the city of Mazlán. The roads are built into the sides of the Sinola Hills, and by most people’s standards they are really mountains. These tiny and very curvy roads are home to many shops where craftsmen create and sell their goods.
The bus ride up takes about an hour but the moment that visitors arrive in Copala they know. Mother Mary greets you just as you are transported in time by the cobble streets. Walking through the small village, young boys selling wood carvings swarm you as they try to sell their handcrafted goods. The guide that I was with assured me that these boys had earned high marks in school and were given permission to leave class and earn money.
No matter where anyone is in the village they can look up and see the steeple of the old Cathedral, that was built in 1748. There is a mix of architectural style both colonial and post-colonial that show themselves as you walk though the village, the Cathedral is one example of the latter. As I walked into the old Cathedral there were a few men inside restoring things like the doors and a few other details that would help to bring out its colonial style. Being curious, I walked 360 degrees outside of the church and it truly has a fantastic view of the Sierra Madres, as it sits 2000 feet above sea level.
Just across from the church sits a mural that takes you back in time to when the village was at its most prosperous. All through the mural you are able to see vibrant colors and smiling faces, showing the immense wealth of the small community. After all of the village’s economic success, in the 20th century the town greatly declined as did the production of its mines and many of its residences moved away. In reality the town hasn’t changed much throughout the years. Now the sleepy little town is there as a reminder of Mexico’s past. It is full of charm and beauty and maybe, just maybe, you should go visit this little rural village yourself; take in the rich history as the little boys with their carvings greet you in the streets.
