Magdalena is a small town in the highlands of Jalisco, in the heart of the blue agave country, and it has a quieter, more rural feel than the busy tequila towns nearby. It lies west of Guadalajara, in a landscape of dry hills and fields where rows of spiky blue-grey agave plants run to the horizon. About sixteen thousand people live here, and the town is known for opal and obsidian, which are mined in the surrounding hills and sold in small shops around the plaza. It sits on the Ruta del Tequila, which links Guadalajara with Tequila and its distilleries and haciendas.
The agave landscape of Tequila is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the plants take around seven to ten years to mature before they are harvested by jimadores, who use a sharp tool called a coa to cut away the leaves and expose the piña, the heart. The piñas are cooked, crushed and fermented before being distilled. Tequila can legally be made only in Jalisco and a few other states, and the process is a point of pride. Many distilleries offer tours and tastings, but as always, drinking and riding do not mix, so limit yourself or share a taxi.
The riding in this area is relaxed. Roads cross rolling hills with long, open bends, with agave on both sides, and the surface is usually fair, with potholes appearing on smaller roads. Trucks carrying agave and sugar cane are common, and you should be wary of speed bumps called topes, which appear without warning in villages. The weather is warm and dry for much of the year, with a rainy season from June to September, when afternoon storms are heavy but short. The best months for riding are November to April.
Magdalena has fuel stations, shops and several places to eat, where you can have tortas ahogadas, a Jalisco speciality of pork sandwiches drowned in spicy sauce, or birria, a spicy goat or beef stew. Cold beer is welcome, and so is fresh agua de jamaica. Stay a little, and watch the sun go down over the blue fields. The light turns the agave a deep violet.