Concordia and Copala near Mazatlan, Mexico

The old Spanish colonial mining towns of Concordia and Copala near the Mexican resort of Mazatlan are a daytripper's delight. With their winding cobblestone streets and unhurried ways, these two communities in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental offer glimpses of a Mexico that has all but disappeared in Mexico's bustling urban areas.

Concordia, which lies about 25 miles east of Mazatlán, has a peaceful main square dominated by the ornate baroque facade of its 18th-century San Sebastian Church. In front of the church, vendors sell colorful pottery and hand-carved wooden furniture that are fashioned in workshops around town. There is also an absurdly large rocking chair that looks as if it is waiting for a friendly giant to come along and sit in it.

Inside the nearby Municipal Palace, a lively mural chronicles key events in the area's history from the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors to the 20th century. One panel shows Concordia’s buildings in flames after they were sacked by marauding French soldiers during the 1860’s. Another depicts the long-tailed urraca bird, which supposedly led the Spanish to Concordia's rich silver deposits.



A few miles up the road from Concordia sits the mountain village of Copala. Smaller and more bucolic than Concordia, Copala still feels a bit like the virtual ghost town it once was. Brightly painted colonial-era buildings line Copala’s narrow streets, but the town’s most prominent landmark is the 18th-century Iglesia de San José. A statue of a dour-looking priest peers down menacingly from atop the church's baroque facade, no doubt checking to make sure that parishioners attend mass regularly. Sunlight streams through high wooden doors illuminating an airy interior with a vaulted ceiling and neoclassical-style altars.

After Copala’s silver and gold mines ran dry, many of its citizens left in search of new livelihoods. But the re-opening of the abandoned mines for tourism has revitalized the town. Quite a number of foreign visitors liked Copala so much that they decided to stay. Some have started up funky hotels and restaurants such as the the Copala Butter Company facing the main square and Daniel's Restaurant, famous for its “world-class coconut banana cream pie" that -- as much as anything else -- has helped put Copala back on the map.

Concordia and Copala can be visited on an independent day trip or organized tour from Mazatlán. There is bus service to both towns from Mazatlán’s second-class bus station. Passenger trucks called colectivos also ply the route between Concordia and Copala.

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Concordia and Copala, Mexico - Images by John Mitchell

La Venta Park's Colossal Olmec Heads, Villahermosa, Mexico

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to visit Parque-Museo la Venta, a one-of-a-kind outdoor archaeology museum and ecological park in Villahermosa, steamy capital of the the Mexican state of Tabasco. La Venta Park-Museum is home to a fascinating collection of pre-Hispanic stone sculptures rescued from the ancient Olmec city of La Venta located about 130 kilometers (80 miles) northwest of Villahermosa.

In 1957, oil exploration threatened to destroy much of La Venta. A Tabascan poet and preservationist named Carlos Pellicer took it upon himself to truck most of La Venta’s irreplaceable treasures to Villahermosa. Pellicer arranged the sculptures in roughly the same order in which they were found at La Venta and surrounded them with indigenous flora and fauna.

La Venta Park’s star attractions are four colossal Olmec heads, the largest of which is 2.4 meters (8 feet) tall and weighs about 24 tons. Seated like Buddhas atop rocky mounds, these enigmatic heads stare impassively into space with their large almond-shaped eyes. Despite all manner of theories, no one knows whom exactly these mysterious carvings represent. Also a mystery is how the Olmecs transported enormous pieces of basalt needed to make these sculptures from the distant Tuxtla Mountains.

The entrance to the Parque-Museo La Venta is on Avenida Ruiz Cortines, a few minutes by taxi from downtown Villahermosa. Admission is 30 pesos (about US$3.00) and the park is open from 8 am to 5 pm daily. You can buy a map at the entrance and take a self-guided tour or hire a guide. Bring plenty of mosquito repellent and wear light-coloured clothing because dark colours attract mosquitoes.

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La Venta Park Museum, Tabasco - Images by John Mitchell