The site comprises 244 islands, islets and coastal areas that are located in the Gulf of California in north-eastern Mexico. The site is home to 695 plant species and 891 of fish; has a striking natural beauty in a dramatic setting formed by rugged islands with high cliffs and sandy beaches, which contrast with the brilliant reflection from the desert and the surrounding turquoise waters.

Located on the northwest coast of the state of Nayarit, this is a legendary island, having been considered a candidate for the mythical Aztlán. When visited in the rainy season, its streets become rivers that can only be crossed by panga boat, which has given it the nickname of “the Mexican Venice.”

A unique archaeological site in Nayarit, outstanding because it contains one of the few circular temples found in Mesoamerica, together with other buildings. It was the hub of the “Copper Route” which connected, via the Pacific coast, the southwest of the present-day United States with central and southern Mesoamerica.

The local museum in Compostela, the second capital of New Galicia, is now in an eighteenth century house. It has a valuable pre-Hispanic collection of the shaft tomb and Aztatlan cultures. Many objects tell the later story of the city and the surrounding district.

An eighteenth-century stately home in Tepic which houses a vast and revealing collection of pre-Hispanic pieces from the western cultures: the Concheros, shaft tombs, urns from Mololoa and Aztatlán.