To the south, the Pacific coastline is formed by long beaches with fine sand, delimited by monumental vertical walls of rough rock. From the Coahuayana River to the Balsas, a string of lonely, aggressive, remote, primitive beaches unfolds, and so beautiful!
From the majestic mountains parallel to the coast, the topography descends steeply to end abruptly in the sea, with rugged cliffs, at whose feet the waves break with great violence. Its cliffs serve as watchtowers to contemplate, for dozens of kilometers, the varied appearance of the coastline. Small valleys and beaches are interspersed between gigantic prominences of igneous rock that demonstrate the volcanic origin of the colossal stone formations, similar to the sharp spines of prehistoric dinosaurs, and penetrate into the water where they form reefs and islets.
An inextricable tangle of trees and brush covers the mountains, on the banks of rivers and streams, the exuberance of tropical vegetation reaches its climax. Huge mulatto sticks, with red trunks, rise up towards the sky, fiercely fighting for the sunlight, against ceibas and chestnut trees. After bathing the lush canopies, the sun filters through the slits of the dense foliage and forms thin luminous threads that disturb the darkness of the interior of the forest, where it discovers fungi and mushrooms that suck the life out of the trunks; as well as lianas and creepers that, in a chaotic frenzy, strangle each other, link logs and shrubs, and squeeze them to death.
At dusk, the golden light of the setting sun enhances the colors of the landscape: the navy blue that, when reaching the beach, the waves transform into an ethereal white; the yellow of the sand, which is filled with tiny glares when the sun's rays arrive; the green of the palm groves that border the coast and the mangroves next to the estuaries, where flocks roam in search of food.
Towards the south, the coastline is formed by long beaches with fine sand, delimited by monumental vertical walls of rough rock. From the Coahuayana River to the Balsas, a string of lonely, aggressive, remote, primitive beaches unfolds, and so beautiful! This is the coast of Michoacán, one of the last strongholds of Mexico's natural beauty, after a large part of its coastlines and beautiful beaches have been invaded by huge tourist complexes, which have modified the landscape and uprooted its original inhabitants.
It is precisely the isolation that has made this geographical region an ideal refuge for wildlife and for various human groups that struggle to preserve their centuries-old traditions and ways of life, in the face of the irrational onslaught of modern civilization to annihilate them. Many indigenous people inhabit the area in small communities on the seashore, where the Nahuatl language replaces Spanish. A rare and fascinating atmosphere prevails inside the little shops of the charrerías, still without electricity, lit at night with lamps, in whose dim light it is bought and sold in a strange and archaic language, which shows the vigorous presence of Ancient cultures, with roots so solid that they are fully valid in our modern times.
Since childhood, a whole different way of living: children who grow up playing in the waves or running free on the beaches; they learn to fish in estuaries almost as soon as they learn to walk; immersed in a natural world, where unleashed imagination is filled with fantasies. And it could not be otherwise, in the great setting in which they develop, in intimate contact with nature, among fantastic rock formations of vague figures of animals or a huge hand that rises from the depth of the ocean and points towards the sky. , as if it were the last gesture of a stone giant drowning under the waters.
Under the islets formed by gigantic boulders, the action of the water has created tunnels through which the waves penetrate with a powerful roar produced by breaking against the rock walls, to come out at the other end converted into dew.
The infinite fury of the ocean waves that crash against the sand, increases at night, at high tide and causes a deafening and disturbing roar, as if trying to deny its name: the Pacific. The force of the waves reaches its maximum violence when increasing the size with the annual arrival of the cyclones; and, escapes its confines, as if reclaiming its land, it breaks up the sand and recreates the beaches. The blackened sky transforms the days into night and creates a spooky apocalyptic atmosphere; it brings with it a flood that overflows the river beds, washes the slopes of the hills, carries mud and trees, and floods everything. The hurricane wind beheads palm trees and devastates the huts, scattering them in the air in shreds. Sensing the nearness of chaos, the world is deserted; the animals flee quickly and the man crouches.
After the storm, the calm continues. In peaceful evenings, when the sky fills with pink clouds, the fleeting flight of birds in search of a nocturnal refuge stands out, and the vaporous tops of the palm groves swayed by a refreshing breeze.
Coupled with the experience of the landscape is coexistence with other beings with whom we share the earth. From the tiny hermit crab that carries its enormous shell on its back, dragging it across the sand and leaving a trail of tiny parallel tracks; to the fascinating sea turtles that follow a mysterious and inescapable call and go to the beaches every year to, after a painful walk through the sand, deposit their eggs in small holes dug with their rear fins.
One of the most surprising details is that the turtles only spawn on beaches where there are no artificial lights. In the spawning season, when traveling along the coast at night, it is amazing to come across the dark mass of reptiles, guiding themselves in the darkness with disconcerting precision. On the clarity of the sand the figure of the golfinas, the loggerheads and even the unreal vision of the enormous lute stands out.
After being on the verge of extinction, the population of chelonians has gradually recovered thanks to the praiseworthy action of environmental groups, such as the students of the University of Michoacán, who have developed an arduous effort to raise awareness of the population for the protection of the turtles. A prize worthy of your efforts is the birth of the tiny hatchlings, who miraculously emerge from the sand and undertake a mad dash to the sea in a glorious display of life's vibrant passion to perpetuate themselves in the Universe.
The great variety of birds is another of the wonders of the region. In formation, like small squadrons, on the shore of the sea, a motley crowd of birds watches the waves with sharp eyes, in search of the bubbling of the sea that signals the presence of shoals on the edge of the water. And there they are, present, the plump-bodied seagulls; the nuns with their black back and white belly, as if dressed in robes; sea cocks lined up to offer the least resistance to the wind; pelicans with their membranous throat bags; and the chichicuilotes with long and very thin legs.
Inland, in the estuaries stealthily crouching in the mangrove swamp, the immaculately plumaged white herons stand out in the greenery, slowly wade through the crystalline and shallow waters, trying to catch small fish that swim fast between their long legs. There are also the moray egrets and the canoe beaks, the ibis with thin and curved beaks; and, occasionally, a bright pink spatula.
On the cliffs and rocks of the islets live the booby birds and frigate birds, whose excrement whitens the rocks giving the impression of being snow-covered. The males of the frigate bird have an intense red gular sac, which contrasts sharply with their black plumage; it is common to see, at great heights, its dark figure with bat wings, in a gentle flight, gliding in the high currents of air.
Also in charge of the University of Michoacán, a program of study and protection of the iguana is being developed. A visit to the rustic research center is very interesting, where iguanas of all sizes, colors and… flavors are raised and studied in cages and pens!
At the seashore, under the moonlight, the soul is enraptured by the splendor of this magnificent and wonderful world. But civilization keeps breaking the balance; Although it has provided some benefits such as motor boats for fishing, which have largely replaced the old wooden boats and oars, the introduction of a culture alien to nature and incomprehensible in all its implications has caused the contamination of the landscape with industrial waste that, due to ignorance of its handling and the lack of procedures to dispose of it, wreak havoc on the environment.
The diversity of ideas, beings, environments, dreams, is an essential part of life. The preservation of the cultural riches that form the essence of our country cannot be postponed. A Mexico proud of its roots is necessary, with preserved natural places, such as the golden beaches where turtles come to lay their eggs to continue exercising their right to life; with wild places to identify with nature and with yourself; where we can sleep under the stars and rediscover freedom. After all, freedom is part of what makes us human ...
