Riviera Nayarit Getting Colorful

• Fishermen in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
will decorate their ships at to celebrate
the festivities of La Santa Cruz
La Santa Cruz is a tradition that defines
Riviera Nayarit, a magical destination
where natural wonders and culture are
intertwined.
The event will take place at La Cruz
de Huanacaxtle next May 3rd. Starting
on April 25th, and extending for nine
days, the whole town celebrates while
the bells in the small church toll, and
the streets are filled with stands that
offer food and traditional games, and
the sky is painted with the colors of
fireworks.
However, the most anticipated event
is a large religions celebration called
La Santa Cruz, taking place on May
3rd. The town has embraced this
celebration and made it its own, and
as one popular saying states: “the
name bears the penance”, and they
have named their town La Cruz de
Huanacaxtle.
However, the original name of this
town is not based on this religious
celebration. Although the town’s
name is La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, the
origins of this name remain unknown.
There are several possibilities, like the
abundance of this tree in the region, or
even a legend that says that a peasant
Riviera Nayarit Getting Colorful
traveling in the area of the Bahia de
Banderas valley towards Punta de
Mita found this beautiful location
and rested under the shade of a
“Huanacaxtle” tree. The peasant liked
the place so much, that he decided to
mark a cross in the tree before leaving,
with the conviction that some day
he would come back to this place,
identify that tree which gave him a
break from the sun and would build
his home there, thus creating the name
La Cruz de Huanacaxtle (The Cross of
Huanacaxtle).
The truth is that no one can verify this
story, and at the entrance of town there
is a huge cross, made out of wood and
adorned with pink, purple and blue
decorations during the festivity.
These three colors embellish the town
on May 3rd.
However, the most impressive feature
is the passage of the local fishermen’s
boats on the water.
These boats set sail early in the
morning, decorated with these three
colors and displaying the Santa Cruz
(Holy Cross). Later in the day they
go back to church to attend mass.
This simple but beautiful celebration
is one of the many reasons that set
Riviera Nayarit apart from other beach
destinations.