Tehuamixtle

Tehuamixtle, which almost everyone shortens to Tehua, is a fishing hamlet on a small bay of the same name on the open Pacific coast of Cabo Corrientes, south of Puerto Vallarta. The 2020 census counted 118 people, which makes it one of the smallest named places on the Jalisco coast. Most families live from the sea, and the boats go out every morning from the bay. It sits just south of Playa Mayto, about ten minutes away by car, at the end of the long road that comes down to the coast from El Tuito.

What sets Tehua apart from its neighbor is the water. Mayto is a long, open beach with heavy surf, while Tehuamixtle is a sheltered cove where the sea is usually calm, so it is the place on this stretch of coast to swim, paddle a kayak or snorkel. In clear water you may see rays and sea turtles, and divers come for the remains of a boat that sank here in 1920 and still lies on the deep seabed.

Most visitors, though, come to eat. The bay is famous for its oysters, big ones usually 7 to 15 centimeters long and sometimes close to a kilo, served raw on the half shell with lime, salt and chili, or in ceviche and baked. Seafood restaurants and small stalls line the beach, and lobster and cocktails are on the menus too. The village holds an oyster festival with tastings, raicilla drinks and live music; the 2024 edition took place in May.

Tehua is tiny and simple. A family restaurant rents a few basic rooms, villagers rent out rooms and a house or two, and there are no banks or cash machines anywhere on this part of the coast, so bring cash. The climate is warm all year, around 24 degrees on average, and the rain comes mostly in summer and early autumn, peaking in September.