San Sebastián del Oeste
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- This article is about the Mexican town and municipality of San Sebastián del Oeste, Jalisco. For other meanings, see San Sebastian(disambiguation)
[edit] Location
The municipality of San Sebastián del Oeste is located on the western part of Jalisco state, between 20°39’45’’ - 21°02’30’’ N and 104°35’00’’ - 104°51’00’’ W, at a height of 1,480 meters (4,856 ft). It meets the state of Nayarit to the north; and to the south, the municipality of Mascota; to the east, the municipalities of Guachinango and Mascota; and to the west, Puerto Vallarta.
[edit] History
San Sebastián was founded as a mining town in 1605 during the Spanish colonial period. Gold, silver and lead were mined around the area. More than 25 mines and a number of foundries had been established by 1785. The town was declared a city in 1812 and reached a peak population of some 20,000 people by 1900. The prosperity of the city declined after the revolution of 1910. At the start of the 21st century, it has a population of less than 1,000. It receives some tourist visits from nearby Puerto Vallarta, as it is served by an airfield and recent road improvements have cut the transit time by car from Puerto Vallarta to less than 2 hours.
Some highlights:
- The temple of Saint Sebastian, whose original construction dates from 1608, has details of roman and corinthian architecture.
- Many structures, built of rock and adobe, exceed 100 years of age, and have not been changed in that length of time. Some haciendas around the town have been purchased and restored recently.
The town is famous for its festivities of religious character: January 20 there is a fiesta in honor of Saint Sebastian and on the 15th of August, a festivity dedicated to the Virgin of the Asunción. On October 7th there is a festivity for the Virgin of the Rosary and on the 12th of December, as in all of Mexico the Virgin of Guadalupe is venerated.
[edit] External Links
