Colima is one of Mexico’s smallest states, but it punches well above its size. Tucked between the Pacific coast and a pair of dramatic volcanoes, it’s known for Mexico’s busiest commercial port, ancient ceramic dog figurines, a literary connection to one of Latin America’s greatest novels, and a coastline that draws deep-sea fishing enthusiasts from around the world. Here’s what makes it distinctive.
Mexico’s Busiest Port and the Sailfish Capital
The coastal city of Manzanillo is Colima’s biggest draw and serves a dual identity. On the commercial side, it’s the busiest port in Mexico by total tonnage and containerized cargo volume, handling Pacific shipping for the Mexico City area. Rail lines connect it directly to Guadalajara and Mexico City, and the port also leads the country in tuna landings. It exports everything from fish and bananas to lumber and minerals.
On the tourism side, Manzanillo has branded itself the “sailfish capital of the world.” Since 1957, it has hosted major national and international fishing tournaments, including the well-known Dorsey Tournament. The city’s bays, resort infrastructure, and reliable sailfish runs have made it one of western Mexico’s most popular beach and sport-fishing destinations.
The Volcán de Fuego
Colima sits in the shadow of two volcanoes, and the more famous of the pair, the Volcán de Fuego de Colima, is one of the most active volcanoes in North America. It rises on the border between Colima and Jalisco and has erupted dozens of times in recorded history, producing ash columns, pyroclastic flows, and dramatic lava activity. The state capital, also called Colima, was built in the wide valley below both peaks. That proximity to a live volcano is part of the region’s identity, shaping everything from the landscape to local agriculture.
Ancient Pottery and the Dancing Dogs
Colima has a rich archaeological heritage that dates back more than two thousand years. The ancient cultures of western Mexico, spanning present-day Colima, Jalisco, and Nayarit, buried their dead in deep shaft tombs beneath homes and filled those tombs with ceramic figures meant to accompany the deceased into the afterlife. Colima’s most iconic contribution to this tradition is its plump, expressive dog figurines, often called “dancing dogs” or “perros bailarines,” dating to roughly 200 BCE to 200 CE.
These pot-bellied dogs, frequently shown in lively poses, were likely representations of the hairless dogs raised locally as both companions and food. Scholars believe the ceramic animals may have been intended to provide sustenance in the afterlife or serve as eternal companions. Today, these figures are prized by museums and collectors worldwide. You can see examples at institutions like the Princeton University Art Museum, and replicas appear throughout the state as a cultural symbol.
Two archaeological zones, La Campana and El Chanal, sit on the northern edge of Colima city and are open to visitors.
Comala and the Ghost Town of Literature
The small town of Comala, just north of the state capital, is famous for its connection to Juan Rulfo’s 1955 novel “Pedro Páramo,” widely considered one of the greatest works of Latin American literature. In the novel, the fictional town of Comala is a haunted, suffocating place where the living and dead blur together. Rulfo drew inspiration from the landscapes of Colima and his childhood home of San Gabriel in neighboring Jalisco, and literary tourists have visited both towns for decades trying to find echoes of the book.
Research published in Tourism and Heritage Journal found that visitors to the region are drawn specifically because of this literary connection, with many imagining the real landscape transforming into Rulfo’s fictional ghost town. Beyond its literary fame, Comala is a pleasant colonial town known for its whitewashed buildings, coffee production, and local ponche (a warm fruit punch).
The City of Palms
Colima’s state capital carries the nickname “City of the Palms” because coconut palms thrive in the subtropical climate. The city sits in the center of a wide valley below the twin volcanoes and has a relaxed, walkable downtown centered on the Jardín Libertad, the main plaza. The cathedral faces this square, and three notable museums are within walking distance: the Museum of Popular Art, the Regional History Museum (directly across from the main plaza), and the Pinacoteca, the university’s art gallery featuring local and international artists.
The city has a quieter, more provincial feel than many Mexican state capitals, which is part of its appeal. It’s a place where daily life still revolves around the central plazas, and the surrounding valley produces limes, coconuts, and tropical fruit that define the local cuisine.
Traditional Food and Drink
Colima’s food culture reflects its coastal location and tropical agriculture. Sopitos are one of the state’s signature dishes: small, thick corn masa discs with pinched rims, fried in lard, then topped with finely shredded beef, chopped onion, cabbage, a tomato-based sauce, grated cheese, and sliced radish. The texture of the meat is distinctive because it’s traditionally shredded using a grater rather than simply pulled apart, giving it a much finer consistency.
Tatemado, a slow-cooked pork dish marinated in a rich chile sauce, is another regional specialty tied to celebrations and family gatherings. On the beverage side, tuba is a refreshing drink made from the sap of coconut palms, collected fresh by climbers called “tuberos” and often mixed with fruit and ground peanuts. It’s a direct product of the same palm-covered landscape that gives the capital its nickname.
Salt Flats of Cuyutlán
The coastal town of Cuyutlán, in the municipality of Armería, has been producing salt since pre-Hispanic times, when it contributed to the Aztec Empire’s supply. Today, the salt flats are still worked using solar evaporation, a slow process where seawater is channeled into shallow pools and left to crystallize under the sun. Workers harvest “flor de sal” (the delicate top layer of salt crystals) by hand, using techniques passed down through generations.
In 1925, local salt workers formalized their trade by founding the Sociedad Cooperativa de Salineros de Colima, a cooperative that still supports hundreds of families across several surrounding communities. Cuyutlán salt is valued nationally for its purity and lack of additives. The glistening salt flats, which reflect the sky at sunrise, have also become a visual attraction for visitors.
North America’s Largest Marine Sanctuary
Administratively, Colima governs the Revillagigedo Archipelago, a remote chain of volcanic islands roughly 400 kilometers off the Pacific coast. These islands became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016, were declared a National Park in 2017, and at 148,087 square kilometers form the largest marine sanctuary in North America where fishing is completely prohibited.
The archipelago’s long isolation from the mainland drove the evolution of numerous species found nowhere else on Earth, making it a critical site for biodiversity. Giant manta rays, humpback whales, and multiple shark species frequent the surrounding waters, drawing experienced divers from around the world. The islands have also faced conservation challenges: introduced sheep, pigs, and rabbits devastated native vegetation on several islands, contributing to the extinction of the Socorro elf owl in the 1930s and the disappearance of the Socorro dove from the wild by the mid-1970s. Ongoing restoration efforts aim to remove invasive species and rebuild the native ecosystem.