San Blas Sightseeing, Mexico Pacific Coast Village, Nayarit
| On a bronze panel at the lower left side of the church pictured left, a fragment of a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow tells of an interesting connection between the 1800s American Poet and the village of San Blas. A travel article in Harpers Magazine about abandoned church bells in San Blas inspired Longfellow to write his last poem. The Bells of San Blas. |
San Blas might be a tiny fishing village but it has a lot of history and has seen
many changes. A short walk or ride around town will presents the visitor with
many remnants of that history.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had a San Blas connection. Although he
never visited San Blas, he traveled extensively in Europe, he wrote a
memorable poem about San Blas.
. He was a celebrated poet by the mid 1800s due in part to his poem,
Evangeline, and Paul Revere's Ride. His poem The Bells of San Blas,
written in 1882, was his last poem, written on his death bed. He wrote about
San Blas and its bells, to him, the symbols of a changing world.
many changes. A short walk or ride around town will presents the visitor with
many remnants of that history.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had a San Blas connection. Although he
never visited San Blas, he traveled extensively in Europe, he wrote a
memorable poem about San Blas.
. He was a celebrated poet by the mid 1800s due in part to his poem,
Evangeline, and Paul Revere's Ride. His poem The Bells of San Blas,
written in 1882, was his last poem, written on his death bed. He wrote about
San Blas and its bells, to him, the symbols of a changing world.
San Blas was founded 1768 as a boat building center
because of its harbor and its surrounding hardwood forests.
because of its harbor and its surrounding hardwood forests.
The bells of Longfellow's
poem once hung in the
belfry of the church pictured
right, now a ruin on a hill to
the left as you enter the town
of San Blas.
For a time the bells hung
from a crude wooden
scaffold at the base of a
humble church that had no
tower. They were then
moved into the belfry of the
church in the center of town.
poem once hung in the
belfry of the church pictured
right, now a ruin on a hill to
the left as you enter the town
of San Blas.
For a time the bells hung
from a crude wooden
scaffold at the base of a
humble church that had no
tower. They were then
moved into the belfry of the
church in the center of town.
You can visit the church where the
bells once hung, first in the tower of
the church and then from a lowly
wooden scaffold when the church
was abandoned..
bells once hung, first in the tower of
the church and then from a lowly
wooden scaffold when the church
was abandoned..
The 1761 Church of Our Lady of the
Rosary. The bells once hung on the
belfry of the church.
Rosary. The bells once hung on the
belfry of the church.
Junipero Serra had a boat built of the local timber and christened it Purisima Conception. He sailed from
Matanchen Bay in March of 1786, bound for California to build mission churches.
Matanchen Bay in March of 1786, bound for California to build mission churches.
The International Festival
of Migratory Birds held in
late January attracts
international
birdwatchers.
of Migratory Birds held in
late January attracts
international
birdwatchers.
By 1872, commercial shipping had
ended in San Blas. The trade shifted
south to Manzanillo and Acapulco, ports
with deep harbors. Ships for the Asian
trade were being built in the Phillipines
where teak was plentiful. San Blas had
lost its economy; the church was
abandoned.
ended in San Blas. The trade shifted
south to Manzanillo and Acapulco, ports
with deep harbors. Ships for the Asian
trade were being built in the Phillipines
where teak was plentiful. San Blas had
lost its economy; the church was
abandoned.
From the same hill where the abandoned church stands, the remains of a Spanish fort with a strategic view
of the harbor is a reminder of the days when pirates prowled the coast looking for merchant ships loaded
with trade goods that would sail to and from the Phillipines.
of the harbor is a reminder of the days when pirates prowled the coast looking for merchant ships loaded
with trade goods that would sail to and from the Phillipines.
The Church where the bells first
hung.
hung.
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San Blas Sightseeing, Mexico Pacific Coast Village,
Nayarit reveals much history and an interesting Longfellow
Connection
Nayarit reveals much history and an interesting Longfellow
Connection
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