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Last updateFri, 05 Aug 2016 9am

Scouting the Tequila Volcano

Regular readers of my columns will by now surely know of “The Magic Circle,” the name I have coined for an easily reachable area around Guadalajara – including Jalisco, Colima and Aguascalientes, plus parts of other Mexican states – that contains all five of Mexico’s ecosystems.

Mexican documentary producer Alberto Fuentes recently announced plans to make a TV series featuring natural outdoor attractions found within El Círculo Mágico.  And, according to Canal 22, the pilot for the series will focus on one of Jalisco’s most famous landmarks, the Tequila Volcano.

“The area around the town of Tequila is a synthesis of the wide-ranging biodiversity and geodiversity of the Magic Circle,” Fuentes says. “ The hardy, stunted trees growing at 2,920 meters altitude on top of the volcano contrast with the lush, semi-tropical environment on the other side of the town, deep at the bottom of La Toma Canyon.”

I recently led members of Fuentes’ support team in a preliminary visit to the volcano for scouting purposes. The following synopsis of what we found will serve as a guide for anyone wishing to visit the volcano. 

At the southwestern edge of the town of Tequila, alongside the railway station, a cobblestone road begins and then winds its way uphill for 18 kilometers to two sets of microwave antennas which rise from opposite ends of the crater rim.

We found the old road not in the best shape, with plenty of baches (potholes) but no worse than many another Jalisco camino. I would say any vehicle with good clearance can get up the volcano without a problem.

Our expedition made a stop at 1,500 meters, where oak trees and black cedars abounded and a playful squirrel cuckoo frolicked overhead.

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