Nayarit is a small state in western Mexico. It is nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Western Sierra Madre Mountains, making it one of the best vacation paradise in the country. 

Nayarit is a tropical wonder that provides stunning backdrops of bright blue skies, emerald mountains, and vast golden beaches. With a predominately sub-humid climate, locals and tourists flock to this state to experience the perfect combination of vividly colorful hues and the otherworldly beauty of nature. 

Like most places, Nayarit is also rich in culture, traditions, and indigenous folklore. Some myths have origins that are as dramatic as Spanish novellas. 

The Legend of the Matatipac Valley

Centuries before the Spaniards arrived in the nation, a king named Trigomil ruled over the Matatipac Valley. The King was known for being a caring and just ruler. 

He had a charming daughter who had big black eyes and long straight hair. Her beauty was known throughout the land, with many suitors from foreign places coming to the valley to meet her and ask her hand in marriage. She was named Mololoa. 

Mololoa knew the motives of the people who asked for an audience with her. She asked her father to let her choose her suitor---a request the King allowed. 

Years later, she met a man named Tepetl. The man was a brave and skilled warrior with sharp intelligence. The pair spent days talking and sharing their aspirations and feelings. Mololoa found herself falling in love with the warrior after some time. 

She believed the brave warrior could be "the one."

One day, a portly warrior named Sanganguey requested to meet the King. Prompted by his desire to meet and marry a beautiful woman, he asked for permission to see the princess. Mololoa, knowing the stout warrior's motives, denied the gifts he offered. Sangaguey insisted she should be his wife, telling her he is willing to kill anyone to make it happen. 

Sanganguey was a warrior with a bad reputation. He was very much hated by the people in many towns for being cruel and disrespectful. Many even claimed he had hidden powers. Knowing these, the princess refused the stout warrior's advances and asked him to leave her be. 

Soon after, word of Princess Mololoa's marriage to Tepetl spread throughout the valley. Hearing this, the cruel man burst in anger. He swore he would do everything to keep the wedding from happening. 

One morning, he slipped into Mololoa's room and abducted her. Tepetl went out in search of his lover. Upon meeting, the two warriors launched into a fatal battle. 

Mololoa broke free from her captor and ran into the forest. She ran farther in the woods until her legs could carry her no more. She climbed to the top of a rock, sad and afraid to see her beloved fighting.

Sanganguey's rage was so great he started spewing flames from his mouth. Tepetl, who was fighting with extraordinary zeal, skillfully dodged the fire and started throwing small stones at his attacker, completely covering the portly warrior. The fire melted the rocks, imprisoning him in a mountain.

Sanganguey continued spewing smoke and ashes from his prison, covering much of the Matatipac Valley. Teptl threw a massive rock into his opponent's mouth to quell the fire. Today, the stone divides the Sanganguey Volcano.

Teptl built a small vantage point made of rocks. There, he observed the valley in search of his lover. He was, however, melted by a great breath of fire from the volcano. 

The pile of rocks is now known as the Cerro de San Juan. 

What happened to the princess? Mololoa cried endlessly following the death of her beloved. Her tears soon began to form a trickle of water. As time passed by, she transformed into a river. Today, the crystalline water encircles the Matatipac Valley and ends in the Santiago River. 

Today, the indigenous tribes of the Matatipac Valley visit the three sites daily, honoring the legend and the tragic love story that formed the wonders of nature.