Huichol Route through Sacred Sites to Huiricuta

I visited this tWHS in January 2022 as a half day trip from Guadalajara, Jalisco. While hovering on Mexico's country map I noticed the rather close location of Isla de los Alacranes del Lago Chapala and decided to give it a try.

From the little research I did on the web, I wasn't expecting much from this site. First of all because it is very small and very much a tourist trap with all sorts of caged animals (iguanas, tropical birds, and even a baby monkey) near makeshift restaurants, and mostly because the Wixaricas (or Huichol in Spanish) of Jalisco, Zacatecas, Durango and Nayarit mostly visit this sacred site on the Huichol Route in October.

Lago Chapala is a pleasant place to wind down and not bad for some birdwatching either (many American white pelicans, kingfishers and waders). There are plenty of parking spaces by the lake itself and since the parkometers were out of order (apparently for quite some time), there was a sign that parking was free. From the middle jetty, several boats take you to and from Scorpion Island or Isla de los Alacranes for 500-700 pesos (depending on the waiting time) which can be shared among a maximum of 6-8 persons during COVID times and as much as 15 persons during normal times. The island was born from a volcanic outbreak at the bottom of Lake Chapala and through millions of years it emerged with a strange shape of a scorpion when seen from …

The Huichol Route is Mexico’s most likely next nomination. Being a cultural route and cultural landscape belonging to a surviving native tradition, it will tick all the boxes quickly. It’s not an easy site to grasp though. And most of the 5 locations are far off the beaten track in the mountains and deserts of central Mexico and need permission to visit from the community. But there is a relatively easy one near the city of Guadalajara: Xapawleyeta is located on Isla de los Alacranes in Lake Chapala. The lake area itself is a weekend destination for the city people and a popular spot for American retirees due to its sunny and warm micro-climate. (Side note: I wandered into a nice looking place for lunch in the town of Ajijic, noticed that there were many elderly Americans already seated when the restaurant manager said to me: “You’re not here for the bingo, are you?” I was out really quick!)

Direct buses to Chapala leave every half hour from Guadalajara’s old bus station. At the pier of Chapala, there’s a kiosk where you normally should be able to buy a boat transfer, but it was closed when I arrived at 9 am and stayed that way all morning. At 10, a boatsman started privately selling tours in front of the kiosk, he had a list with destinations and prices. The cost for Isla de los Alacranes (Scorpion’s Island) is 520 pesos (23 EUR) for a return, including a …