San Blas, Nayarit
San Blas is a fishing village and burgeoning tourist destination located on the Pacific coast of Mexico in the state of Nayarit. It is located about 100 miles north of Puerto Vallarta, and 40 miles west of the state capitol of Tepic. It has a population of approximately 9000 residents.
The town is known among birders for its abundance of migratory birds in the surrounding estuaries and lowland palm forests, attracting significant numbers of bird-watchers. The town is also gateway, along with the nearby village of Matanchen, to the La Tovara national park, an extensive mangrove forest and federally-protected nature preserve accessed by small boats. A boat tour can be taken up the estuary, where a freshwater spring provides the local drinking water as well as a natural swimming hole used by both locals and tourists.
San Blas is known as the birthplace of the Spanish priest Junipero Serra, 'Father' of the California Missions who embarked on his journey from the port of San Blas. The area is also noted for its fine surfing.
The town was devastated by the Pacific Hurricane Kenna in October 2002, but has since been rebuilt. The town was mentioned by the Mexican rock group Maná in its song El Muelle de San Blas or The Pier of San Blas. It was immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's final poem, "The Bells of San Blas" written on March 12, 1882. Interestingly, Longfellow never actually visited San Blas. [1]
San Blas boasts several attractive beaches. The area's notorious population of sand-flies have kept them safe from large-scale touristic development. San Blas sits between two estuaries. These two estuaries, the Pozo and El Rey, are the main entries into a vast wetlands system. The many rivers that flow through the mangrove forests serve as the breeding grounds for fish. The wetlands also serve to buffer the land from storms and prevent erosion.
Recent incursions by shrimp farms have threatened the balance in this very fecund ecosystem. A local environmental movement has helped to mitigate the loss of substantial mangroves and diversion of waters. While claims that San Blas has suffered a loss of fish and wildlife due to development may be true, this area remains abundant in birds, bugs and crocodiles.
For downmarket vacationers (San Blas has only one luxury hotel) looking to get away from the common tourist-filled Mexican beaches, San Blas is a popular choice.