Chamela is a small town in the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

, on the west coast of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The town of Chamela sits on the south end of a bay called the ''Bahía de Chamela,'' or "Chamela Bay", on Federal Highway 200. San Mateo and Punta Pérula are the two other towns on the bay. It is 8 miles north of the better known resort of Careyes. Chamela was a port during Spanish colonial times, often visited by

galleon Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships developed in Spain and Portugal. They were first used as armed cargo carriers by Europe, Europeans from the 16th to 18th centuries during the Age of Sail, and they were the principal vessels dr ...

s. Ruins of a colonial era fortification, built by Pedro de Alvarado, still remain. Also known as ''Island Bay'', Chamela's islands were declared a protected nature sanctuary by the Mexican government on April 9, 2001. It is a mostly undeveloped

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

destination, although several companies have announced plans to develop resorts on the bay.MEXICO: Tourism Projects Trigger Conflict in Preserve
A project to develop a marina on the bay's north point (Punta Perula) has been superseded by Roberto Hernandez Ramirez plan to develop a marina in Careyes, approximately 8 miles to the south. In 2015, the town was largely destroyed by

Hurricane Patricia Hurricane Patricia was the most powerful tropical cyclone on record worldwide in terms of maximum sustained winds and the second-most intense on record worldwide in terms of pressure, with a minimum atmospheric pressure of 872 mbar (hPa; ), beh ...

References

External links

* Airstrip * Marine entry point Populated places in Jalisco {{Jalisco-geo-stub