El Refugio Suchitlán

El Refugio Suchitlán, which the census also calls La Congregación, is a small ranchería in the hills of Cabo Corrientes, the Jalisco municipality that wraps around the southern shore of Banderas Bay. It sits at about 617 metres above sea level in the forested sierra behind the stretch of coast west of Yelapa, which lies roughly 12 km away in a straight line. El Tuito, the municipal seat, is about 27 km away as the crow flies and further by road.

The 2020 census counted 188 people living in 62 occupied homes, slightly fewer than the 209 recorded in 2005. Almost every house has electricity and piped water, while internet is still rare. The neighbouring settlements are just as small: Ixtlahuahuey, with about 250 people, is a little over 2 km away, and La Sauceda, with about 140, just under 3 km. Low wooded peaks surround the village, among them El Centinela at 782 m and La Monja at 827 m.

These hills are raicilla country. Close by, near Ixtlahuahuey and with a postal address in El Refugio Suchitlán, the Joya family runs a tavern known as Los Guajes. Jorge Octavio Joya García, described as a fifth-generation raicillero, makes the spirit from agaves such as Agave maximiliana and Agave inaequidens: the hearts are roasted for days in an earth pit oven, crushed with mallets in a wooden canoe, fermented for about two weeks and distilled twice. A 2024 account of the regional raicilla route describes a visit there with a family meal of fish tacos.

There are no hotels in the village; the nearest lodgings listed are in Yelapa. This is a working mountain community rather than a tourist stop, so come with your own transport and plenty of time.