Tepetongo

Tepetongo is a small farming and ranching town southwest of Jerez, near the Jalisco state line, set in a valley ringed by low hills. Its name comes from Nahuatl and means "on the little hill." It was founded in the 1590s, a few years after Jerez, and like its neighbor it is a place where many families trace their roots back for centuries and where many more now live in the United States.

The town's landmark is its large Gothic-style church, and almost every village around it has its own small, well-kept chapel. Life here revolves around the land and livestock, and it shows in local traditions: jaripeos (bull riding), coleaderos and charro events are held in the area throughout the year.

The best time to visit is the fiesta of San Juan Bautista, which peaks around June 24. People pour in from Jerez, nearby towns and from abroad, and the town swells to several times its size for masses, processions, reenactments, rodeos, a fair and nights that end with a castillo of fireworks. Tepetongo also lies on the southern edge of the Sierra de Cardos, part of a Wixárika (Huichol) sacred landscape that extends across Jerez, Susticacán, Tepetongo and Valparaíso.