Only 10 minutes from the City of Colima driving Northwest, you will get to Villa de Álvarez City which is famous around the State and the Region due to its “charrotaurinas” festivities (a combination of the Charro’s culture with bullfighting), which are considered one of the most ancient and joyful festivities of Northwestern Mexico. The City is also well known for its cenadurías (restaurants where local food is served*). You can try the delicious sopitos, sopes gordos (corn dough based food with beef or pork meat), enchiladas (tortillas with different types of fillings and red sauce), tostadas,(a type of corn chip with meat, fresh chopped onions, tomato slices and coleslaw with tomato sauce on top) pozole (a corn and pork stew), atole (milk based beverage) and tamales ( different filling wrapped first in corn based doughand then in corn leaf), all of them prepared with the characteristic style of “La Villa”. The Town’s origins date back to the end of the 18th Century, when a man with the last name of Martinez founded it. Many inhabitants of San Francisco de Almoloyan spread to and some others moved to Los Martínez in 1818 due to a strong earthquake. In 1824, the Town of San Francisco de Almoloyan got the title of Villa and in 1860 the name was changed to Villa de Alvarez to honor the first State’s Governor: General Manuel Álvarez from Colima. La Villa had an accelerated growth during the 80´s so the State Congress elevate its rank to City, in June 1991.

*most of them open only in the evening (around 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.)

Colima’s Ministry of Tourism, Administrative Complex of the State of Colima. Address: Tercer Anillo Periferico esq. Libramiento Ejército Nacional, Zona Norte, Building B, Floor 1, Colima, Colima. Mexico. Zip code: 28010, Phone number +52 (312)316-20-21, Fax: +52 (312) 316-20-27. E-mail turiscol@correo.col.gob.mx