Tehuamixtle, Jalisco

A few kilometers south of Mayto, Tehuamixtle (Tehua for short) is another miniature beachfront community, this one perched above a beautiful cove dotted with fishing boats. Kids play in the crystalline water while their older brothers and fathers mend their nets on the sand and haul in the catch of the day.

While the men of nearby Mayto and Villas del Mar mainly work in the fields, tending basic crops and livestock, Tehua is primarily a fishing village. In small pangas (skiffs) loaded with kilometers of luminous aquamarine fishing nets, the men catch good sized dorado (mahi mahi), gallo (roosterfish), and sierra. They also haul in shrimp and harvest the oysters for which the town is well known. Look for some or all of the above on the menus at the town's two seaside restaurants. Both Liz Adriana's Restaurant-Bar Familiar and neighboring Cande's offer good food and inexpensive prices---as well as showers and toilets for those coming off the beach.

Small waves slap the sandy shore of the 350-meter-long cove, and swimming is fine once you get past the lazy line of breakers. Visitors who want dive or snorkel can seek a fisherman to take them out. Just offshore, several sunken ships and an old anchor are lodged. For these activities or for fishing ask around for "la Chivi," Marcelino, or other local men, most of whom have access to boats.

At this time tiny Tehua has no hotels, but many local families have built guest rooms on their properties, usually charging about 300 to 400 pesos per person per night. Deals are negotiable for big groups or longer stays.

For more information on the beaches of Cabo Corrientes Sur, see Mayto, Villa del Mar, and the Cabo Corrientes Sur Travel Guide.