Fiestas Charro-Taurinas

The Fiestas Charro-Taurinas has been celebrated in Villa de Alvarez every year since 1857, a charro and bullfight festival with cockfights, concerts and more in honor of the patron saint of Colima, San Felipe de Jesus, who protects against earthquakes and hurricanes.

The petatera is a structure that is created with wood and petates which are woven mats. Perhaps the most fascinating fact about the stadium is that it is reconstructed each year and then torn down and saved for the next fair or event.

We missed the fair grounds on the way in from Minatitlan but returned to Villa Alvarez the next day and found the bull ring was still under construction. It's huge, the total grounds are huge and it must be quite an event but did not start 'till about the 9th, a few days after we were to leave. Actually very funky construction with many of the boards for walking and sitting not well secured. Some families were there fixing up their own areas - evidently reserved year after year.

One of the intertainment posters

Still building on the inside

Outside the ring


Working on the seats

Fiestas Charro-Taurinas in Villa Alvarez - Colima

Comala Suchitlan Coffee

It's CAFE in the mountains behind Colima
Cofradia de Suchitlan, Colima - Mexico

The area above Comala is not only a beautifully scenic area with views of the Colima Volcano but it's also coffee country. Suchitlan is the town with the coffee processing plant (Colimotl Cafe) but the coffee grows from there up to Lago Maria and on to La Yerba Buena. Because Yerba Buena is so close to the volcano the government ordered relocation of the town 3-4 years ago but many have resisted and still maintain their residences and farming. Yerba Buena used to process it's own coffee but now only sells to the larger processors like Colimotl and Comalteco.

We stopped at the Colimotl processing plant in Cofradia de Suchitlan (across from the bull ring) to see what's up - and got a nice tour. Sadly they only roast for cafe Americana which is medium and you can't request a dark roast

Colimotl Coffee



Coffee drying



Good coffee sinks - bad floats


Explaining further separation

Comala Suchitlan Coffee Web Page

Miguel de la Madrid Airport

Miguel de la Madrid Airport - Colima (CLQ)

The state has two airports. The Playa del Oro International Airport with domestic and international flights is located about 35 minutes north of Manzanillo. The Miguel de la Madrid Airport is near the capital city, Colima, in the municipality of Cuauhtémoc. The Colima airport is 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) northeast of town on the highway to Guadalajara.

I dropped by to check out the facilities on my last trip up to the Lake Chapala area. There are rental cars, taxis and vans.


Entrance road looking back at the Volcanos


Front of the termial


Terminal Lobby


Ticket counters - Mexicana, Avolar, Aero California