The Costalegre, or “Happy Coast,” is a stretch of Pacific coastline between Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo in Mexico. For years it has remained pristine, a well-kept secret amongst expats. But now that the land has been made available for international purchase, development has begun to creep in. Both the locals and the expats that call this area home are concerned their paradise may be quickly lost.
Children in the surf
1. Children splash into the surf during a perfect sunset on the Costalegre.
Mexican fisherman
2. A fisherman shows off his spear at a secret fishing hole.
Mexican morning
3. A man watches as birds feed on the scraps of the morning's haul of fish outside the local fish market.
Costalegre sunset
4. Locals of this small town sit and watch the sunset.
Roasted chicken
5. My favorite meal.
Carniceria, Costalegre
6. Locals outside of a carniceria.
Intestines and organ meat, Mexico
7. Intestines and organs for sale outside of a carniceria.
Scooter family
8. A not uncommon sight of a mother and child on a scooter.
Mexican welder
9. A welder creates a birdhouse.
Bicycle repairman, Mexico
10. A bicycle repairman in his shop.
Fishing net
11. A fisherman repairs his net in the early morning light.
Sailboat, Mexico
12. An ex-patriot and his father stand with his sailboat.
Mexican beach
13. A woman sells handcrafts to tourists on the beach.
Fish
14. Ray poses with his day's catch.
Sunset horse ride
15. Sunset on the Costalegre.
Mathieu Young
Mathieu Young is a photographer based in Los Angeles. He was raised in Northern California and educated at UCLA. He was awarded 1st place in the 2006 International Photography Awards ('Culture') for his photos from East Africa. His work has appeared in Time Magazine, Rolling Stone, GQ, The Wall Street Journal, and on The Huffington Post and CNN.com. His work can be seen at www.mathieuyoung.com.
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tony
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http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/vagabonderz Carlo Alcos
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http://www.expatheather.com Heather Carreiro
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http://www.collazoprojects.com Julie
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http://travelerahoy.wordpress.com Alouise
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Paul Sullivan
