Christmas at Tenacatita

Took some of the kids up to Tenacatita yesterday along with Ron and Dora who are here for a few weeks. These busy holidays are not really the time to relax on the beach. It was hard to find a few empty square feet of water to play in. We got there around noon and most of the restaurants were nearly full. Still had a great time and Playa Mora was as pretty as ever.

Vendors in front of the restaurants


View of the crowds


View from Playa Mora


Jania and Marcos on the beach

Tenacatita - The Beach

Playa Tenacatita. Named for the bay on which it is lies, Tenacatita is a lovely and usually calm beach about 30 kilometers north of San Patricio Melaque and 95 kilometers north of Manzanillo. Many seafood palapas line the shore.

Playa Mora, the snorkeling beach, is accessible by a steep, short, uphill dirt road running north from Playa Tenacatita past the palapas. This small beach is filled with RV and tent campers in the winter months.

Playa La Boca north of Tenacatita is not as popular because of its rough surf and steep beach. Its isolation and strong surf, make Playa La Boca great for beachcombing, walking and surf-fishing. Playa La Boca sometimes acts as an overflow area for campers who can't get into Playa Mora.

Along the road into Tenacatita you pass through the two small villages of El Rebalsito and La Rosa.



Tenacatita - The Beach


Playa Mora on the other side - "the aquarium"


Vendors cart on the beach


Fishing Boat


Vendor in front of the Palapa restaurants

Chui - the Caretaker of Playa Mora

Chui is the guy that puts up signs warning people to not walk on the coral which is very tempting as is is often above water and close to the beach. He may even enlist the help of local campers to help patrol. While you are avoiding the reef - avoid the small sting rays in the sand. Shuffle your feet and watch where you are going.


Foto of Chui winter 2005-2006

Arrecife coralino en costas de Jalisco
Los habitantes de los poblados cercanos al arrecife, como el Rebalsito y Tenacatita han externado su preocupación por proteger este ecosistema, ya que es una atracción turística para visitantes nacionales e internacionales que pasan largas temporadas en la bahía.

Here's links to two PDF files on the reefs
1999 Article on Reefs on the Jalisco Coast
2002 Article on Reefs on the Jalisco Coast