Patzcuaro “Pueblo Magico” (Magical Town)

Patzcuaro, which means “city of stones” in the Purepecha language, is a city and its surrounding municipality in the central part of theMexican state of Michoacan. It is located at 19°51′N 101°61′W, about an hour drive between Morelia and Uruapan and 20 minutes drive to the artists’ town of Erongaricuaro. The 2005 census population was 51,124 people in the city and 79,868 in the municipality. The municipality has an area of 435.96 km² (168.325 sq mi) and includes numerous smaller towns, the largest of which is Cuanajo.

Pátzcuaro was named a “Pueblo Mágico” in 2002.

Before the Spanish conquest, Pátzcuaro was one of three principal centers of the local Purepecha Indians. Its early inhabitants believed Patzcuaro to be the doorway to heaven where the gods ascended and descended. The Purepecha people first settled in Patzcuaro in about 1324, led by Rey Curateme. The Spanish moved their local government to Patzcuaro from Tzintzuntzan in 1540. The city was developed as a government and religious center until the government was moved to Valladolid (now named Morelia) in 1580.

It has always been of interest to Mexican history buffs because it was central to the careers of two diametrically opposed characters in Mexico’s colonial past. The first was Nuño Guzmán de Beltrán, the vicious conquistador who plundered the area for gold. He burned alive the local Purepecha Indian chief when that man couldn’t or wouldn’t tell him where Indian gold was hidden.

Eventually his crimes against the Indians became so extreme that the Spanish were forced to arrest him. In his place they sent Vasco de Quiroga, a former judge from Mexico City who had become a priest. Vasco de Quiroga helped the Purepecha Indians in the Patzcuaro area by introducing new crops, establishing schools and hospitals, and introducing craft cooperatives in various nearby villages. While the cooperatives (an idea Quiroga adopted from Sir Thomas More’s Utopia) have not survived, village specialization in crafts still marks the region as one of the most culturally rich in Mexico.

The town retains its ancient atmosphere. It consists of largely one-story adobe or plaster-over-brick buildings with red tile roofs. The streets are dusty cobblestones traveled by horse and car. Plaza Vasco de Quiroga, known by locals as simply the Plaza Grande (Big Plaza), is Pátzcuaro’s central square. Grass covers much of the plaza, and a statue of Vasco de Quiroga stands in its center.

On the east side of downtown is the beautiful Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud (Basilica of Our Lady of Health), the city’s patron, built between 1546 and 1554. The Colegio de San Nicolas (College of Saint Nicolas), south from the basilica, was founded by Don Vasco in 1540 and now houses the Museum of Popular Arts and Archaeology, which has exhibits of carvings, pottery, weaving, and archaeological artifacts.

The Cathedral of Michoacan was built by Don Vasco and was opened in 1546. Today it is the temple of the Jesuits. The Casa de los Once Patios (House of Eleven Patios) is the former monastery of Santa Catalina (Saint Catherine), founded by Dominican nuns in 1747. It is now a center for local artisans, and you can watch them work.

Getting to the island requires you to take a local ferry on an approximate half-hour cruise. And from the time you land on the island until the time you reach the crowning statue you must run a gauntlet of local vendors selling everything imaginable. But the island and the views from its summit are breathtaking, and its people welcoming.

The Dance of the Viejitos (Old Men), one of the best and most widely known native dances of Mexico, is presented at the Best Western Posada de Don Vasco on Wednesday and Saturday nights at 9:00 p.m. The dancers wear wooden masks that depict smiling old men to show that, at least in Mexico, old age is not a time of listless despair, but rather a season to enjoy the fruits of life. Los Viejitos also perform for free in the Plaza Grande on many weekends.

Patzcuaro’s eateries tout the traditional whitefish in a variety of preparations, though not all of it comes from the nearby lake. Another unique, delicious dish is sopa tarasca, a local variation of Mexico’s ubiquitous tortilla soup with large pieces of roasted dried chiles and crumbly fresh cheese.

Many shops line the main plaza, selling all kinds of textiles, tablecloths, clothing, and more. Shops around town carry henequen rugs, lacquered trays, serapes, Indian masks, and wooden boxes. Pátzcuaro’s lacquered trays are quite famous; the lacquer is supposedly made from the crushed bodies of purple insects, which provide the deep, rich finish and durability.

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