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Aldo Santana is a member of the Cuzalapa people living in La Pareja, a small village tucked away deep inside some of Mexico’s most picturesque mountains, located along the state line dividing Jalisco from Colima.

During years of wandering the back roads of Western Mexico—in search of caves, of course—I came upon fascinating natural attractions often known only to local people.

The first town you drive through heading west from Guadalajara on Highway 15 is La Venta del Astillero.

Mexico boasts five major ecosystems, and they all converge within what I like to call the “Magic Circle” around Guadalajara.

For a while, I had been searching for a great vantage point to take in the ever-expanding city of Guadalajara.

Guadalajara is fortunate to sit adjacent to a magnificent pine and oak forest as vast as the city itself.