CHACALA: Where I Am and Why I’m Here

I first broke through my fear and resistance about traveling in Mexico sometime back in the early 1980’s. Where I grew up in Southern California there were angry young people from Mexico, and I was afraid of them. I surely did not want to go where there was a whole country full. Wow, was I wrong!

A Spanish speaking girlfriend convinced me to go, and a friend who was living in the state of Nayarít, on the west coast of Mexico, insisted we come visit. The train ride down and the time in the coastal village was the beginning of a life-long love affair with this country and its people.

After many years of vacationing in the beach towns of the west coast of Mexico, and one six-month stay, I met don Miguel Ruiz, Toltec author of The Four Agreements and other books (1995). My long apprenticeship with him meant many journeys to sacred sites throughout Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras. During that time all my travel was devoted to my work with don Miguel, and I missed my beach vacations.

During a six-month stay in Santa Cruz, Nayarít, in 1990, I bought a parcel of land, dreaming of creating a retreat center there. Because of my travels with don Miguel, and my focus on my work at home, the land came and went from my awareness and care for many years. In 2003 and 2005 I added small parcels to the land, and in the last few years began planning for the future. We have been planting trees again, adding many banana varieties, irrigating, and generally improving the land.


In the winter of 2007-2008, I was free enough to “risk” moving to Mexico for the winter. Santa Cruz is a bit isolated and lacks some of the amenities and social possibilities I needed, so I rented a house in Chacala, an hour closer to Puerto Vallarta. I used to say “I can’t move to Mexico until they have high speed internet access.” Well, it is here! I can work from “home.”

Three days before I was to return to California in March of 2008, someone offered to sell me their house in Chacala, and I accepted the offer with gratitude. I returned to Chacala in November 2008, and began painting and upgrading my new house. I love being back in Chacala. The new house has two vacation rental units upstairs—and I look forward to making them available to like-minded visitors. Right now I am living in one, and renting the other long-term, while I bring possibilities to life in the main house downstairs. Check here often to find out availability.

There is a beautiful half-mile beach here, with very few people on it most days

Chacala is a fishing village, so the palapa restaurants on the beach serve fresh fish and shrimp every day (and a cold beer or two if you are so inclined). The streets are not paved, and roosters are the main wildlife.

There are many wonderful small places to stay (and even a larger hotel or two) scattered throughout the village. A program called “Techos” (= roofs) has enabled local landladies to add a second story to their houses, with kitchens and often an outdoor patio. They rent for $45 and up per night.

Chacala is 90 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta, on Mexico’s west coast. It is part of the new “Riviera Nayarít,” a tourist designation recently created by the government. It seems unfortunate that development may come soon and without much vision for its impact on the community, its way of life, its economy, and its future. These things can best be evaluated in hindsight, so I will wait!

But I invite you not to wait to explore and experience Chacala, a jewel of laid back Mexican culture and environment. Be warned, there is no parasailing here, no discos, and no party animals at foam raves—simply a beautiful beach, with gentle surf and the sweet sun, palm trees, and a community of warm and happy people who welcome you to share and enjoy their way of life. We hope you will join us soon.

I invite and welcome dreamers, visionaries, visitors, investors, and hard workers who feel inspired to join me in this dream of now and the future—La Casa de las Aguilas, the House of the Eagles.

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