While studying mineral deposits and rock formations in Sonora, Jalisco geologist Chris Lloyd found himself on a lonely road near the headwaters of the Yaqui River. The road eventually dead-ended, apparently in the middle of nowhere, but Lloyd and his companions came upon a campground.

Archaeologist Rodrigo Esparza has been studying obsidian for 20 years. In a recent online conference sponsored by the University of Guadalajara, he summed up his observations about this volcanic glass which played a vital role in the history of Mexico.

In 1685, Franciscan missionary, explorer, cartographer and astronomer Padre Eusebio Kino led the first non-indigenous expedition across the width of Baja California, through the high walls and treacherous canyons of La Sierra de la Giganta.

Many years ago I bought a house in Pinar de la Venta at the edge of the Primavera Forest, outside Guadalajara. Among the many birds visiting my backyard were carpinteros (woodpeckers).

Jalisco has the fourth-largest deposits of obsidian in the world. The ancient rulers of the Teuchitlan Nation, which dominated western Mexico for about 800 years, found that the very purest obsidian could be found in two large deposits: La Joya and El Pedernal.

While hiking along the Angostura Interpretive Trail—located seven kilometers north of Lake Chapala—I came upon a flat rock about the size and height of a low table.