San Sebastián del Oeste

The municipality of San Sebastián del Oeste borders the state of Nayarit to the north; to the south, the municipality of Mascota; to the east, the municipalities of Guachinango and Mascota; and to the west, Puerto Vallarta.

The city and municipality are served by an airfield.

San Sebastián was founded as a mining town in 1605, during the early Spanish colonial Viceroyalty of New Spain period. Gold, silver and lead were mined in the area. More than 25 mines and a number of foundries were established by 1785.

The town was formally established as a city in 1812.

At the start of the 21st century, San Sebastián city has a population of less than 1,000 people.

It reached a peak population of around 20,000 people by 1900. The prosperity of the city declined after the revolution of 1910.

San Sebastián del Oeste is a designated Pueblo Mágico, one of the towns maintaining their historical character and promoted by the federal government as tourism destinations. It also receives tourists visiting nearby Puerto Vallarta on the coast to the west. Recent road improvements reduced transit time from Puerto Vallarta to under 2 hours.

• The Church of Saint Sebastian, whose original construction was in 1608, was designed in the Colonial Spanish Baroque style. It has notable architectural details, including Corinthian columns and ceiling vault frescos.
• Many structures in the city and municipality were built of cut stone and/or adobe in the 19th and earlier centuries, and remain unchanged. Some old haciendas in the municipality have been purchased and restored in recent decades.
• The city is on the Tentative List

Fiestas

The town is known for its fiestas for religious holidays:

• January 20 — a fiesta in honor of Saint Sebastian.
• August 15 — a fiesta dedicated to the Virgin of the Asunción.
• October 7 — a fiesta for the Virgin of the Rosary.
• December 12 — the Virgin of Guadalupe is venerated at the small town of Los Reyes, near San Sebastian del Oeste city in the municipality. The Fiesta of Guadalupe occurs throughout Mexico on this date.

• 
  School building and schoolyard.
• 
  Michelada bar in the center of town.
• 
  The Baroque bell tower of the Church of San Sebastián.
• 
  Baroque interior of the Church of San Sebastián.
• 
  Ruins of a gold and silver reduction foundry for the local mines.
• 
  Hacienda Jalisco, in the municipality.
• 
  Hacienda Jalisco, a grinding stone and hornos (ovens).
• 
  El Progreso Bridge, viewed from the south.

• Encyclopedia of Mexican Municipalities (Spanish)
• Blog - San Sebastián del Oeste
• —San Sebastián del Oeste: "Un Pueblos Mágicos" (Spanish).
• World Heritage Sites, Tentative list — submission document

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