Geographers Richard Rhoda and Tony Burton divide Mexico into five major land-based ecosystems which can all be found within the state of Jalisco!
♦ A drive only 90 minutes northeast of Guadalajara will take you straight into the heart of Los Altos de Jalisco, a long swathe of flat grasslands, or plains, with relatively few trees. Here, you may find chicken farms and great fields of chía, the Aztec superfood that the modern world is just recently rediscovering. The Pyramid of Pegueros is located within the ecosystem.
♦ Head south from Guadalajara for 180 km and you will find yourself in the Tropical Evergreen Forest ecosystem. While there visit the landmark “Petroglyph Bulletin Board of El Altitle,” a giant wall of pure marble covered with pre-Hispanic rock 
engravings. And you will see mango trees everywhere, as well as tamarinds and the cuastecomate, whose softball-sized fruits grow directly on the tree trunk.
♦ If you head west out of Guadalajara, you’ll arrive at Bosque La Primavera, an excellent example of Mexico’s high temperate forest ecosystem, dominated by pine and oak trees. Here, because of thermal activity deep beneath the surface, a hike over a bed of pine needles may bring you to a literally steaming waterfall along the Rio Caliente, a hot river truly deserving of the name.
The egg-cone pine (Pinus oocarpa) is said to be the ancestor of almost all of Mexico’s 48 species of pine trees. Mexico holds the record for more species of pine than any other country. In the Primavera Forest, you will find 59 kinds of mammals (from voles to pumas), 200 species of birds and 742 species of plants.
♦ Just west of Lake Chapala you’ll find yourself in the midst of salt flats and arid scrub land. Welcome to San Marcos “Lagoon” — and good luck finding any water in it! Roadrunners are a frequent sight in Jalisco’s 
desert and arid scrubland ecosystem.
♦ Exploring the Tropical Deciduous Forest ecosystem is easy thanks to the townspeople and biologists at El Cocodrilario de La Manzanilla. There’s a long boardwalk through both mangroves and open water, and you can even hold a baby croc in your arms.
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