The Islas Marias lie about a hundred kilometres off the coast of Nayarit, in the Pacific, and for more than a century they were a federal prison colony, one of the most notorious in Mexico. The archipelago has four islands, of which Maria Madre is the largest, and the penal colony operated there from 1905 until it closed in 2019. The prisoners lived in a relatively open regime, working farms and workshops, and the writer Jose Revueltas, who spent time there in the 1930s, wrote about it with powerful effect. The islands are now designated as a nature reserve and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, with tourism slowly being developed.
You cannot ride there, of course, since the only way across is by boat. The usual route runs from the coast near San Blas, and sailing times, permits and arrangements are set by the authorities, who changed the rules several times in recent years, so check before planning. What you can do is ride the coast of Nayarit and imagine the dark line of the archipelago on the horizon. The ride out to the sea along the road from Tepic through San Blas has the quality of a pilgrimage, which is fitting because the Wixarika people regard the Pacific as the home of Tatei Haramara, the sea goddess.
The islands are notable for their wildlife. Isolated for a long time, they hold several species found nowhere else, including a distinct raccoon, a rabbit and a parrot, and the surrounding waters are rich in marine life. Humpback whales pass through in winter, and dolphins and turtles are regular visitors. The forests are tropical dry forest, thick and green in the wet season and brown in the dry.
The coast of Nayarit, where the ride begins, is a world of mangroves, beaches and small fishing villages. The best season for travel is from November to April, when the weather is dry and the sea calm. In summer and early autumn, hurricanes threaten the Pacific coast, and the boat crossings are suspended when weather turns bad. Fuel and supplies are available in San Blas and Tepic, and the roads are generally good.
The sense of distance is the point. A place you can see only in the mind, on the far side of a restless sea, tells you something about what the coast has always meant to the people who live along it.