San Blas

San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico – 2019. I was in Mexico on a Habitat for Humanity Global Village build in El Monteón which is a small town located in the state of Nayarit, about 70km north of Puerto Vallarta and just a few miles from the tourist town of Rincón de Guayabitos were we stayed during and after the build. After the GV Build my wife and I visited San Blas which was founded in 1768 as a naval base for the Spanish Navy. For about twenty years in the late 18th century, San Blas was one of the busiest ports and shipbuilding centers on the Pacific coast of the Americas. A hillside fort was built in 1770. On the hill behind the fort are the ruins of the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, built in 1769. From 1789 to 1795, San Blas was responsible for establishing and maintaining the Spanish post at Nootka Sound and Fort San Miguel on what is now Vancouver Island.

The ruins of the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary “The Seafarer”, built in 1769. (Also known as Iglesia La Marinera), San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico

The old fort at San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico

An iguana sunning itself on a rock wall, San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico

The beach at San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico

Modern day San Blas, Mexico as seen from the old fort