Tomatlán: History, Festivals, and Water Activities

Tomatlán combines a historic center and lively festival traditions with a wide range of experiences in the surrounding municipality. These include petroglyphs at Peñitas Beach, surfing waves along the Costa Majahuas, and water sports at the Presa de Cajón de Peñas. When choosing your vacation rental, consider whether you mainly want to explore the town’s culture and events or also take in the various activities in the municipality.

Historic Center and Handicrafts

Most of Tomatlán’s architectural heritage is located in the historic center. At the heart of the municipal capital stands the Franciscan temple of Santo Santiago Apóstol, one of Mexico’s oldest buildings. The Templo de Santo Santiago dates from the second third of the 18th century and was altered later. The church gives the center a distinctive historical character; knowing when it was built and that it was later modified also makes clear that the present-day building has a history spanning several periods.

Visitors can also find local handicrafts in the center of Tomatlán. Those interested in regional crafts can include them in their exploration of the town alongside its historic buildings. A stay here therefore involves more than viewing architecture; it also offers the chance to encounter local handicrafts. This cultural focus may be an important consideration when choosing accommodation if you want to concentrate your stay on Tomatlán’s town life and history.

Festivals and Traditions

Religious celebrations and public events bring distinctive highlights throughout the year. Festivities for the Virgin of Guadalupe include processions of worshippers from Campo Acosta, Nahuapa, José María Morelos, and other places. In the afternoon and evening, burning candles, music, and fireworks set the scene; a float also takes part, featuring a girl portraying the Virgin of Guadalupe. These details make the celebration a combination of procession, music, and visible religious symbolism.

The Fiestas Charro Taurinas take place between the last week of April and the second week of May. The program includes charreadas, bullfights, and serenades. These events are quite different from the religious processions: charro traditions, bullfights, and music take center stage. If you want to plan your stay around a particular festival, take the relevant dates into account when organizing your trip.

In July, celebrations in honor of the patron saint Santo Santiago feature processions and concerts. On July 25, a horseback ride through Tomatlán’s main streets is also part of the Santo Santiago festivities. This fixed date offers a specific point of reference if you are interested in the town’s traditions. The festival dates provide a different reason to travel than a stay focused primarily on the historic center or activities in the municipality.

Petroglyphs and Water Sports in the Municipality

In the surrounding municipality, Peñitas Beach combines a beach visit with an archaeological feature: rocks encircle the beach, and petroglyphs of the Nahua culture are carved into the stones. Archaeological remains of the cultures that inhabited this region have also been preserved on the banks of the Río Tomatlán. These include distinctive petroglyphs, among them a Patolli game board depicting an ancient Mesoamerican game. Only two examples of this game are known in western Mexico. History enthusiasts can therefore find evidence of earlier cultures in the municipality as well as buildings in the town center.

For active days, the municipality offers other, very different options: the Costa Majahuas has waves suitable for surfing. Visitors can windsurf and water-ski at the Presa de Cajón de Peñas. These activities appeal to different interests in the water. They are distinct from Tomatlán’s festivals and cultural discoveries and can help you decide which aspects of the municipality you want to explore during your trip.

Getting There and Other Destinations

From Puerto Vallarta, travel south along Federal Highway 200 to reach Tomatlán. When planning your vacation, you can first decide whether to focus on the town itself, with its center, handicrafts, and festival traditions, or also take into account experiences in the surrounding municipality. This lets you choose accommodation based on the interests that matter most for your trip, without treating the different locations as one and the same.

If you would like to include other destinations in your travel plans, you can find Tamazula De Gordiano, Chacala, Unión de Guadalupe, La Laja, Guadalajara, San Juan De Los Lagos, Etzatlán and San Isidro Mazatepec here.

For the broader travel overview: Jalisco.