Hunting Opals in Magdalena de los Opalos

The smaller city of Magdalena de los Opalos is really worth a pay a visit to, even though it is a little bit significantly from the metropolis of Puerto Vallarta. Indeed, this town of 16,000 inhabitants is of a usual Mexican type, its very cleanse streets permit you to walk all over the central square and the encompassing streets when taking pleasure in the freshness that you cannot find in Puerto Vallarta. The several opal mines bordering the metropolis have produced it a acknowledged put of exchange for this gem and the stop by of the mines as well as the look for for opals for leisure have produced it an fascinating tourist vacation spot to expend a day or two there.

Perspective of the heart of Magdalena de los Opalos which is a normal Mexican village

Positioned on the highway linking Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara, 20 kilometers from Tequila and 80 kilometers from Guadalajara, so it is easy to approach a stopover in the course of an tour in the region. It will get 3h30 or 3h45 by automobile from Puerto Vallarta, using into account targeted traffic. 

Check out of the highway to get to the opal mines of Magdalena from Puerto Vallarta, before long a much more immediate freeway likely by way of the jungle with help to get there a lot quicker.

Opal Mines, the major attraction of the city

Started at the commencing of the 16th century, the existing city is arranged all over the church, the chapel and the convent situated reverse the central sq.. 

If this compact city is pleasurable when you are passing by way of, it is not fantastic both, the fascination of this one currently being the visit of the mines and the risk of hunting for opals there. Many dozen mines are scattered in the area around the town, where by miners look for the volcanic soil for fire opals and noble opals that they can sell to lapidaries and jewelers in the city heart.

Mine tours are structured by different jewellery retailers. I never assume there is a tourism union, mainly because when I went there, no a person was capable to explain to me about any business managing tourism in the locality. You will have to organize on your own both equally for accommodation and to arrange your take a look at.

The Opalos de México jewelry retailer found at 115 Calle Independenia (major road crossing the city) and the lapidary workshop La Sorpresa at 43 México Avenue (30 m from the central sq.) provide you the possibility to stop by opal mines. The visit is normally paying out with the meals bundled.

To organize your stop by, I suggest you to take a glimpse at the Opalos de México website, whose site is nicely finished and will give you sufficient information to know what to count on. Of all the opal retailers and jewellery suppliers, Opalos de México would seem to be the reference and in particular the 1 that encourages alone best and offers (in my viewpoint) the most gorgeous stones in the metropolis.

Checking out the opal mine and going down to opal hunt 

Through our excursion to Magdalena, we ended up fortunate ample to fulfill an ex-miner who available to present us all over an opal mine. So in this article we are on the way at 10:30 in the early morning to a mine (whose identify I forgot) north of the town. It will just take about fifty percent an hour to get there.

 I have not been able to come across a map demonstrating the opal mines that surround the metropolis. To come across out where they are, you have to meet up with miners or jewelers who can provide you with details. It is particular that the satellite views of Google Maps are a good way to identify mines from the sky as can be viewed in the adhering to image, the latter depart an easily recognizable mark on the floor witnessed from the sky.

Going to these types of a mine is unquestionably worth a go to, as it is an interesting experience. On the just one hand, the mines remaining open up pit, it is not necessary to sneak into a soiled and inadequately shored blast gap, a person can continue to be on the edge and have a good overview of how minors get the job done in the mine.

They perforate the rock with drills and then insert explosives that fracture the rock. The miners then complete crushing the rubble into tiny parts in search of flashes of light betraying the presence of opals. Although you are not likely to come across an opal in this way when you visit, it is prevalent to locate opal fragments in rubble piled up by miners outside the house their operating area. This photograph is an illustration of this sort of waste exhibiting encrustation of opals. 

The miners do the job on the floor with a hammer and gloves for all equipment. The use of device tools risking detrimental the opals, they are only utilised to evacuate the rubble out of the mine. Our check out was an chance to meet a pal of Felipe (pictured below) who professional the opal rush in the early 60s and spent his complete everyday living in the mines around Magdalena. That working day, a Saturday, he was on the lookout for opals to go the time. Right after all, why watch Television set if you can hunt for opals.

The future image shows a few of slightly improved geared up miners searching for opals. The cavity wherever they perform has been dug with dynamite. They finish breaking the rock with a hammer in lookup of the presence of opals in them.

Mexican Opals and Hearth Opals 

The 3 varieties of opals extracted from Mexican mines and made use of in jewelry are the widespread opals, opaque and of variable coloration, the fireplace opals which are translucent and of shade different from yellow to dark orange and ultimately the noble opals which have perform of gentle attribute of the diffraction of light rays on the microscopic construction of silica constituting the opal.

This mexican opal was extracted for a mine of Magdalena de los Opalos and weighs 22 carats

And right here is the sort of the jewellery that can be completed with such a exclusive opal gemstone.

Great to know

For accommodation, I suggest the Genuine Quinta Minas hotel, located at the corner of Calle Allende and calle Francisco Javier Mina #49 (phone 386 744 0546), it is really comfortable with the choice involving a double mattress , a Queen sizing bed or a King size mattress. The rooms are spacious and cleanse with a rest room and warm h2o. The Tv is a flat display screen with cable bundled. Costs are very realistic ranging from 250 pesos for the double bed to 350 pesos for the king measurement mattress. It is located shut to the square the place it is achievable to try to eat both lunch and meal.

For your opal purchases, you will have the possibility to buy wholesale opals in rough stones in bottles with water. It’s a rip off, most comprise unexciting stones and hydrophane opals which have excellent light-weight shows when in water and are opaque with no mild display when dry. I advise you to go to a jewellery retail store to select either your stones or your jewellery with opals, it will be safer.

Other Pursuits

• Take a look at of the central square and the religious web-sites situated there
• Take a look at of the Magdalena distillery approved to make Tequila, this a person is exterior the town, the ideal detail is to get in touch with them to discover out how to get there.
• Visit to the outdated Hacienda de San Andrés and La Quemada, the 1st located 25 minutes from the town and the second just 10 minutes.