VentureHikes Trails Traces of the past “San Sebastian”

Come and join us on a trip to the past where time stopped and left a permanent mark which we can observe and marvel at
on this visit. San Sebastián del Oeste, mining town of origin, this magical town full of history in its streets, buildings and in
the very air that you breathe. A magical town is basically a town with symbolic attributes, legends, stories, architecture,
gastronomy and cultural representations that emanate magic in its tourist attraction and that in recent years has been
considered a heritage within the country and its visitors.
San Sebastián is a small town about 60 km from, and to the northeast of Puerto Vallarta. The town got its beginnings with
the discovery of rich mineral deposits as early as the 1500’s. Gold, silver and lead were mined into the 1900’s, and the town
thrived to a bustling population of over 30,000 people! When Mexican Revolution started, despite the infrastructure the
wealth of the mines brought, the town collapsed to nearly a ghost town, with a bevy of vacant ranches, haciendas and
historical buildings.
Its beauty and charm stems from its square, which is surrounded by old buildings (church, old bank, Conchita Encarnación
museum, city hall, old jail, silver stores, courtyard, cobblestone streets, old haciendas, silver mines, etc.) set in the middle
of the Sierra Madre de Occidente and which our tour guides will lead you throw this delightful experience.
Our Activity begins with our first stop for Mexican coffee or hot chocolate and warm pastries (Carmen’s local bakery store).
Then we cross the huge expansion bridge (“Puente del Progreso”) to the entrance of the town, passing the organic coffee
plantation (“La Quinta”) which we will stop at later. As we walk the narrow streets, we will visit an abandoned silver mine
(St. Gertrudis mine), a small silversmith shop, the church, the plaza with its small local shops, the jail, a small history
museum, an herb shop, a raicilla distillery, and the cemetery. As we walk, you will hear about the history of this town and
stories that tell of its pioneer characters

Moderate walking; includes surfaces that are inclined and/or uneven