A True Story of Aviation, Restoration & Mexico
An autobiography of an entrepreneurial pilot & hotelier in Mexico
Eighty-four years and one extraordinary life — from the cockpit of a Cessna T206H over the Sierra Madre to the decades-long restoration of a seventeenth-century hacienda most people had given up for lost.
“We do not remember days; we remember moments.”
— Cesare PaveseThe Story
Finding the True Treasure of the Sierra Madre is the sweeping, real-life journey of an American couple who followed an unexpected path deep into Mexico's Sierra Madre mountains — and discovered a life richer than anything they could have imagined.
From the cockpit of a single-engine airplane to the painstaking restoration of a forgotten seventeenth-century hacienda, Jim Swickard's story is one of grit, vision, and relentless curiosity. Together with his wife Nancy, who handled interior design, they created one of Mexico's most renowned boutique hotels.
Told with warmth, humor, and unflinching honesty, this autobiography reveals the triumphs and challenges of entrepreneurship in a foreign land, the joy of aviation, and the profound relationships formed along the way.
"True treasure is rarely gold — it is purpose, people, and the courage to pursue a dream."
Jim Swickard in 2023
Inside the Book
The book unfolds in six parts, tracing Jim's path from a small-town Illinois childhood to the founding of an award-winning resort deep in the Sierra Madre.
Born in Charleston, Illinois in 1940, Jim traces his ancestry across centuries and continents, and the Midwestern childhood that quietly shaped the man he would become.
Family expeditions and the wide-eyed adventures of the 1950s plant the first seeds of a lifelong wanderlust.
Finding Nancy — and proposing on their second date — followed by a drive deep into Central America that quietly points life toward Mexico.
Years in Estes Park, brushes with fame from Paul Harvey to Pirates of the Caribbean, and the storms — literal and otherwise — that test the dream.
The discovery of the remote town of Álamos, a $7-a-month fuel budget, and the decades-long restoration that becomes Hacienda de los Santos.
A bird's-eye view of Mexico, one final project, and an old, bold pilot looking back on a life well flown.
In His Own Words
There comes a moment in life when the road behind you feels longer than the road ahead, and you begin to understand the value of looking back — not with regret, but with appreciation for the people, places, and moments that shaped you. This book grew out of that feeling. It is not an attempt to polish the past or turn ordinary days into grand adventures. Instead, it is an honest accounting of a life built one decision, one challenge, and one blessing at a time.
I never set out to write a book. But as the years passed, I found myself returning to the stories that had stayed with me — the lessons learned in small towns, the mentors who appeared at just the right moment, the family whose influence runs deeper than blood, and the unexpected turns that changed my direction more than once. These memories asked to be preserved, not only for myself, but for those who will come after me.
I'll admit it — for a good part of my life, I believed the person with the most toys wins. I chased that. But it was Mexico that changed me. Decades in a small, wonderful village, surrounded by its people, taught me the lesson that matters most: the greatest rewards in life don't come from what you accumulate. They come from what you give.
Most of all, this book is a tribute to the people who carried me when I was tired, steadied me when I stumbled, and believed in me even when I doubted myself. At the center of that circle is Nancy — my partner, my anchor, and the quiet strength behind every chapter of my life.
— Jim Swickard
Jim and Nancy Swickard
The Author
Jim Swickard is an American pilot, entrepreneur, and preservationist who has spent more than three decades living and working in Mexico. After discovering the remote seventeenth-century town of Álamos in the Sierra Madre, he embarked on a bold restoration project that would become the award-winning Hacienda de los Santos Resort & Spa.
As an aviator, he logged more than two thousand hours in the cockpit of his Cessna T206H bush plane. As a foreigner in a foreign land, he established what is today the largest private pilots' club in Mexico. His unique blend of aviation passion, historical preservation, and hospitality vision has made him a respected figure among pilots, travelers, and cultural enthusiasts alike.
He lives in Álamos, Sonora, with his wife and partner of more than five decades, Nancy.
📷 Visit the Hacienda de los Santos Photo Gallery
Family Album
A few of the photographs that appear throughout the book — moments spanning generations of the Swickard family.
Jim and Nancy with family
Nancy in our first year of marriage
A young Jim Swickard
A Pilots Grin!
Dining Under the Nacapul Tree
Hacienda 12 Airplane Capacity Hangar
Hacienda Guest Patio
Alamos 5,000' Runway (XALA)
The Swickard Family at the Hacienda
Jim at Hacienda Bridge
Inside Hacienda de los Santos
The Hacienda Theater at Night
One of the Hacienda's 12 Portals
The Hacienda's Cessna T206H
A 'Club Pilotos of Mexico' Pilot Club Fly-in
The Hacienda 'Team'
Building the Chapel
The Cantina
A Wedding at the Hacienda
The Chapel Interior
The Restoration in Progress
The Chapel Interior
Own the Story
Finding the True Treasure of the Sierra Madre is available now in paperback and Kindle eBook.
Get in Touch
Questions about the book, interested in a speaking engagement, or just want to say hello? I'd love to hear from you.
jimswickard1@gmail.com →From the Readers
Thoughts from readers, and notes from Jim along the way.
From Jim's Desk
Thank you for stopping by. Writing this book was one of the most meaningful things I've done — second only to living the story itself. If you've read it, I'd love to hear what resonated with you. Leave a review below and I'll do my best to respond personally.
July 2026People often ask me what it was like to fly a Cessna T206H over the Sierra Madre. The honest answer: humbling, thrilling, and occasionally terrifying in the best possible way. The mountains have a way of reminding you that you are very small. I wouldn't trade a single hour of it — except for one!
July 2026Reader Reviews
"A remarkable story told with warmth and honesty. Jim's love of aviation and Mexico comes through on every page. I couldn't put it down."
Margaret T. July 2026"What a life. The chapters about restoring the Hacienda are extraordinary — equal parts adventure story and love letter to a forgotten town."
Robert K. July 2026