The people of Majahuas don’t have much, their land, their estuary and a great vocation to preserve it.
Majahuas is about an hour and a half south of Puerto Vallarta on the road to Barra de Navidad, about a half-hour past El Tuito, before you get to the Tomatlán detour there is a bridge, and right before the bridge there is an exit to the right, towards the ocean, taking you to Majahuas. There is a very interesting, changing panorama along this dirt road, going from humid jungle through marshes, banana plantations and lots more in between.
If the community of Majahuas ever depended on the golfina (Pacific Ridley turtle) for their survival, as many communities did before the 1984 decree protecting this species, now they are their staunchest defenders, year-round, day and night.
In their struggle to protect the Pacific Ridley they have obtained badges from the federal government naming them guardians of the species, authorized to patrol the beach, trying to dissuade poachers and confiscate stolen eggs.
They manage a turtle egg incubation farm where they carefully and systematically relocate all nests to ensure maximum hatchlings.
The job is still tough, with poachers you never know what to expect.
How much are they paid for this?
Zero.
 Their only reward is knowing they are doing something for their environment and for future generations.
To survive, the people of Majahuas make a livelihood by fishing while managing a nursery of tilapia and catfish they maintain by keeping sustainable population levels of these species.
Though their cultivation of tilapia and catfish is also endangered by invaders from nearby ranches and towns; even rich people who come to fish as a hobby, all of them resorting to illegal fishing practices that threaten the delicate equilibrium maintained by the Majahuenses.
Help save a couple of species in danger of extinction, the Pacific Ridley Turtle lepidochelys olivacea and the pacific majahuensis, the former threatened by poachers and predators; the latter by politicians and real estate agents trying to take their land away from them.
Come visit Majahuas to enjoy an extraordinary natural and cultural experience, as well as a delicious one, with the freshest fish on a piece of land between an estuary rich in wildlife and a beach that seems to have no end. More information at: toureps@prodigy.net.mx and germinal14@hotmail.com or www.puertovallartasailing.com
Eduardo Rincón Gallardo
E-mail: toureps@prodigy.net.mx
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