Skip to content

Guachi-what? Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

niffir: The hiding location and cache are gone. Thought I had archived it already. I hope everyone who found it enjoyed the visit!

More
Hidden : 6/14/2007
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

This cache is located along the road to the Guachimontones. The walk to the cache is not too strenuous—it should take about 20 minutes from the bus station and rises only about 100 feet in elevation. There is also parking nearby for those with their own transportation.

The archaeological site of Los Guachimontones (prounounced something like wah-chee-moan-TONE-ehs) is located on the hillside above the picturesque town of Teuchitlan (tay-oo-chee-TLAHN) a short distance west of Guadalajara. These ruins are believed to be the capital city of a civilization that flourished during the first few centuries AD. For the past decade, archaeologists (including me) have been working to excavate and restore the ruins at the center of this impressive site. Unlike most buildings in Mexico, the structures at Los Guachimontones are circular. The main site consists of 2 ballcourts and at least 10 circular clusters of buildings, many of which have been excavated and restored. Since work is ongoing at the site, you may even get to see work in progress as more areas are being excavated and restored each year.

This cache is located along the road to the Guachimontones. It is the only road leading out of town toward the hills behind it, so your GPS can lead you there even if you lack the Spanish to get directions from the friendly folks in town. The cache is in a cylindrical container about 8 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Please use stealth when retrieving and replacing the cache, as this road gets a lot of traffic both from locals and from tourists visiting the ruins. You do NOT need to remove any rocks to locate the cache.

And if you made it this far, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to continue up the hill to visit the ruins. The last part of the walk is more difficult than the walk to the cache—it should take another 15-20 minutes and rises more than 200 feet over 1/3 of a mile. I recommend that you take along a bottle of water if you are walking up to the site, as there are no shops or vendors there. At this time there is no admission fee to visit Los Guachimontones and the site seems to be open pretty much all daylight hours—I know that it is open until at least 5 or 6 pm. While in town, you should also check out the museum in the Casa de Cultura (located beside the market building just off the town plaza).

The easiest way to get to Teuchitlan (if you don’t have a car) is to go to the Central Vieja bus station near the historic center of Guadajalara. In Sala B you will find a kiosk for the bus line ATE, which offers service to Teuchitlan with buses leaving every 20-30 minutes. The ticket will cost you around $5US and the ride will take about 1.5-2 hours. When you see a lake on the left side of the road (this will be the first body of water of any notable size that you encounter on the ride) and a village on the right side, you have arrived in Teuchitlan. The bus will pull off of the highway by the gas station and head 1 block into town to the bus station. From there, it is a 2 block walk north (away from the highway) to reach the beautiful town square. There are many small shops there and food booths where you can grab a bite to eat and a bottle of water for the walk to Los Guachimontones. There are often taxis waiting by the bus station, if you want to hire one to take you up to the cache or the site.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

oruvaq gur fvta

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)