Petatlan trip

I skimmed over the archives regarding Petatlan and didn't really find anything current. I will be in the area for 10 days and was thinking of taking the bus one day to Petatlan for fun. I've taken the bus labeled for there to the La Barra cut off however I'm not sure how much further it is? Part of this day is to see where the bus takes us and the other is to see Petatlan its self. So my questions are
How far is it from Zihu by bus (time wise)? Once there what is to see other then the Church and some shopping? Now I have no problem with safety in Mexico however would this be pushing the limits for a day trip? Does anyone know how often does the bus run each way. Yes that is asking a lot. Anyone else up for a day trip? We are two adventurous older ladies.

You can get the Petatlán bus from the small depot on Calle Las Palmas street. You will find this street just across from the Bancomer and Banorte banks, which are on the main street of Zihua, Benito Juarez. The bus will say Petatlan and you will hear the guy on the bus shouting: PETA PETA PETATLAN!!!.

It should take about 45 minutes to get there from Zihua. The church, the gold stalls and shopping is about it for things to see/do in Petatlan. Enjoy!

My friend Alberto does a very nice tour to Petatlan, together with a visit to La Chole where they are working on some ruins. You can email him at alberto.irodriguez.g@gmail.com or call him on his cell at 755-55-77-153

--
Linda from Canada
check out my books at www.livingthedreaminmexico.com AND please have a look at www.cookingwithclaudiainzihuatanejo.blogspot.com as well as www.albertoinzihuatanejo.blogspot.com

I second the motion for you to go visit La Chole! You won't regret it.

I am sure this won't be a popular opinion with some, but I have lived here many, many years and I do not see what the attraction is with Petatlan. The church there is modern, 50's, and not at all attractive. Unless you are Catholic and looking for a miracle (as they say they do occur there) it has zero appeal. The "gold market" is a bunch of street vendors selling overpriced, gaudy, gold jewelry. The mercado there is abysmal at best and the whole town is dusty and not very clean. The river is terribly polluted as well.

The most appealing thing about the town is the access to Playa Valentine and the lagoon there. Miles and miles of empty, open ocean beach, accessible only by boat. There is usually an older (ancient) couple that live there that will prepare you a delicious fish meal. The lagoon is great for birding.

I think La Soledad de Maciel (La Chole) to see the ruins is a nice trip. The village is interesting as well. I have a lot of friends there.

I just hate to see someone with a short amount of time spend it on a place when there are others far more interesting and beautiful. My humble opinion.

--
www.williammertz.photography

Will, you just wrote my thoughts exactly. Although it was over 10 years ago that I visited, and I didn't do my research, I was expecting some really old historical church, instead of the modern one that doesn't seem to fit the town. I would like to see the ruins, but Petatlan is just "meh".

I was sure happy to see Will's reply. He is quite knowledgeable of the area. Last Jan. we only stopped to see the church (on the way back from the ruins) and quite frankly we were both very disappointed. We are Catholic and our church here is much older and beautiful. Although had I heard about miracles I might have done some praying. We did not tour the town gold is not our thing. We are more into nature, architecture things like that. I would definitely go to the ruins. They were working on some of it while we were there and it apparently was closed. We have wondered how much has been done in the last year. What was done wasn't OMG but very interesting. If all that we were told was true, it will be amazing if they continue to unearth it all. Can anyone tell us how much has been done in the last year?

Will you are dead on regarding Petatlan and it's church...As for miracles, I'm still having a laugh over that one...La Chole for sure and where you live would be good destinations...I hear where your wife works is a top notch destination too but you may not come back after a day and decide to spend more time

I didn't know about miracles and the church, but I do think the stained glass there is wonderful.

--
Linda from Canada
check out my books at www.livingthedreaminmexico.com AND please have a look at www.cookingwithclaudiainzihuatanejo.blogspot.com as well as www.albertoinzihuatanejo.blogspot.com

Couldn't agree more, Wil. I've run into folks, even here in MN/USA, who are from Petatlan, and the first - and only - think they brag about is that church. Got to remember, though, that that's the case for just about anyone from anywhere in MX -- the church is central, no matter how forgettable it may be architecturally.

For us, just the experience of getting to Peta was worth the trip. Once.

One Man's Wonder

--
http://www.OneMansWonder.com

Ditto! Love going to Valentin but certainly not everyone's cup of tea. But my sisters in law like to go there and look at the jewelry but the seldom buy anything. No really good places to eat.

Ditto! Love going to Valentin but certainly not everyone's cup of tea. But my sisters in law like to go there and look at the jewelry but the seldom buy anything. No really good places to eat.

We echo the prevailing thoughts on Petatlan, its "sticks-out-like-a-sore-thumb" church and over-priced gold shops. Some guidebooks, (Lonely Planet?) refer to Petatlan as "a colonial city". Maybe so, but if 'colonial city" brings to mind Patzcuaro or San Miguel de Allende, you'll be very disappointed. If there's anything remotely colonial-looking, we missed it.

But Playa Valentine sounds like it's worth a visit. How do we get there, by car, from Petatlan?

By the way, we do have one very fond memory of Petatlan. Fifteen years ago, Mrs. H and I were sitting in a nondescript restaurant, when four local oldtimers, each carrying their guitar, sat at the table next to us, ordered themselves a round of beer.....and proceeded to play beautiful Mexican folk songs for over half an hour; never asking for, nor expecting any compensation other than the appreciation of the rest of the patrons.
That's what we remember of Petatlan.

Thank you everyone for you replies. I believe the trip to Petatlan is now a no go. However we maybe interested in a trip to "La Chole". How would we get there by bus. I'm really not looking for a guided tour, this would be something I'd try on our own. As I said we are 2 adventurous older ladies.

I would NOT recommend you do this without a guide, unless your Spanish is very good and you enjoy walking long distances down hot and VERY DUSTY roads. The distances between the museum, the ruins and the village are pretty large and this place gets no breeze as it is not close to the ocean. Get yourself a good English speaking guide and truly enjoy the treasure.

--
www.williammertz.photography

It's good to see you getting involved with the Board again. Your knowledge and love of the area really comes through your post. Kathie and I really enjoyed the tour to the waterfalls and playing with the kids and the 1 little toddler putting all the shampoo on her hair + you pointing out all of the birds as we were walking the trails.

Totally agree w/Paulf. Except we never made it on the falls trip And now that you mentioned it Will it was pretty hot and dusty there. I know our guide had called someone to meet us at the museum and translated for us. Then drove us to the ruins and the river and what is the little town? Is it true they think that whole area is all ruins? And can anyone tell me what has been unearthed since last Jan? All that was done was the 1st thing on the right (can't remember what it's called). Looked like they were working a little farther down on the left but we were told it was closed.

I have to respectfully disagree with the advice not to visit Petatlan. We have visited a few times and like it enough to go back again. I get enough enjoyment out of the bus ride there, quite frankly. We'll walk past the gold vendors to the church and check it out. It's no big deal when compared to other places of worship, but the shady square with its bustling vibe is pretty cool. We always eat at El Pueblito III on the zocalo. The food is pretty good and the prices very reasonable. The central mercado is fairly rustic but worth a walk through. Never been to the ruins or the lagoon, though. Either way, I think it's worth visiting just to do something other than sit on a beach all day.

Farther up the board you can see a post from KO who has a blog. Very interesting as much as I've read. They did the bus to La Chole but hired a guide to go with.