Today we started our exploration of the city of Pátzcuaro (pronouncedˈpatskwaɾo). We will spend the next three nights here exploring the city and surrounding towns that are built around the Lake of the same name. Let me start by saying that I love Pátzcuaro — it is a charming, clean, and friendly city with beautiful architecture. Today we spent our morning wandering around this historic city and later took a boat trip over to the island of Janitzio. Founded in the 1320s, the story of this city is really the story of the Purépecha Empire. Back in the 1300s, three indigenous groups lived along Lake Pátzcuaro and constantly battled amongst themselves. The Empire began when one of the chiefs (Tariácuri) conquered the other two groups and named himself “caltzontin,” or Emperor. The Empire was divided into three principalities with Pátzcuaro as the capital of Purépecha. The capital later moved to Tzintzuntzan. With the arrival of the Spanish, a long period of fighting took place. and ultimately the Emperor at the time was forced to kneel in subjugation in front of his people. He was later tortured and murdered, thus ending the life of the last Purépecha Emperor. At that point, most of the residents fled into the hills leaving the area largely unpopulated. About a decade later in 1538, a more civil Spanish settlement was put in place and the local bishop (Quiroga) convinced many of the indigenous people to return to the area, thus creating the modern day Pátzcuaro. Recognizing the need to bring the local people onboard and convert them to Catholicism, they built the local cathedral over the former temple that had been dedicated to the goddess Cueráppari. As they had successfully done in other areas, they incorporated some of the rituals of the formal belief system into their liturgy. The cathedral has lasted to this very day. For several years, Pátzcuaro was the capital of Michoacán until it ultimately moved to Morelia (the Catholic diocese moved there as well). Pátzcuaro has remained pretty feisty throughout its history, always a center of activism. In fact, the city served as a strategic point for taking Morelia during the Mexican Revolution.
We started our walk in the main square (La Plaza de Quiroga). As with so many other Mexican plazas, it is a quiet, relaxing place to take in the people and markets that surround it. In the center is a statue of Bishop Quiroga who remains well regarded for his promotion of education and self sufficiency for them. In fact, he is probably the most revered historical figure in the state of Michoacan. From there, we wandered through the colonial buildings and passageways to the Casa de los Once Patios (House of Eleven Patios). The structure was originally built in 1743 as the Dominican Convent of Santa Catarina de Sena who were responsible for the care of the statue of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception (also known as “Our Lady of Health” for some miracle cures that happened in the area) It also housed the Santa Marta Hospital that was founded by Don Vasco de Quiroga. While it originally had 11 courtyards, it is now down to 5. It was somewhat like a rabbit warren wandering through the portals to gain access to the workshops and stores that house the various artisans that work there today. Behind the Casa de los Once Patios was the Pila de San Miguel. Legend has it that the devil was bothering women who came there to get water. In order to scare the devil away, Quiroga commissioned a mural of the Archangel Michael there.
From there, we went to the Temple Sagrario which was started in 1693 and wasn’t finished for two centuries. One of the unusual things about the temples interior was the parquet floors. I was told that the wood is madrona, a beautiful reddish wood that grows all over our island (and is the name of the street that we live on). The Baroque style here really set this structure apart from those around it. The archways outside the Temple can also be seen in the movie Coco.
After making a brief stop at the Church of San Ignacio de Loyola, we went to the Museo de Artes e Industrias Populare (Museum of Popular Arts and Industries). This is housed in what was the College of San Nicolás in the 16th century as a seminary and later was given to the Jesuits as a primary school. Interestingly, it also served as a prison and you can still see carvings in the walls made by the prisoners. In the backyard of the museum, you can also see some of the original fortifications of the Purépecha people. Anyway, this museum was excellent with a variety of exhibits that traced the history and lives and people in the area.
From there we made our way over to the Basilica of Nuestra Señora de la Salud, built by Quiroga over a pre-Hispanic ceremonial site. This has served as the Cathedral of Michoacan and was designated as a basilica in 19th century. The shape and style of the structure has changed quite a bit over the years, so it is a mix of styles. It’s here where the statue of “Our Lady of Health” is housed, after being moved from the Hospital of Marta. The statue itself is made of corn stalk paste and honey that was created in the 16th century. Vasco de Quiroga’s remains are also interred here. We met a man outside the basilica who was selling churros (yes, they were yummy!). He and his friend had been drug mules several years ago and believe they were saved by God to have survived that line of work.
We then wandered through the market at the Plaza Chica, filled with all sorts of handicrafts as well as fresh and prepared food. Adjacent to the market we stopped into the Gertrudis Bocanegra Library. Noteworthy there is a mural painted by Juan O’Gorman (a friend of Diego Rivera) that depicts the history of Michoacan. We then headed back to the hotel for a quick rest before heading off to our afternoon excursion to the island of Janitzio.
About two miles outside of town are the docks of Patzcuaro (Muelle General) to catch a boat out to Janitzio (which translates to corn hair). While still economically important to the region, Lake Patzcuaro is drying up and along with it the fishing industry that used to be big here. We passed some fisherman with their nets out but, as I understand it, this is mostly for show these days. Most of the lake is too shallow to fish in and some concerns have been raised about the quality of the fish due to pollution. Janitzio itself is one giant hill. Sitting atop the hill is a statue of José María Morelos, one of Mexico’s most revered heroes. We made the steep climb up the many ramps and staircases to get to the top of the hill. Our guide, Damian, asked whether we wanted to climb up the spiral staircase inside of the statue with walls depicting Morelos’s life. Looking at the narrow, bi-directional staircase that is open up to its 150 foot height, we passed. But being a really good guy, he climbed it and took pictures for us. We also passed on the zip line that connects Janitzio to the next island. As we came down the steep stairs, we took note of two things. The first was the number of ladies that were selling charales — small fish that are caught from the lake and deep fried in batter. They smelled great, but we were moving! The second was the runners. There are no roads, cars, or any other serious conveyance on this steep island. Hence, everything has to be carried by hand. We were amazed to see guys carrying around 50 pound loads walking up the stairs, delivering their goods, and then running down the stairs to pick up another load. Ah, to be young and strong again!
This was quite a full day. Tomorrow, we will be going to a number of nearby villages to see the crafts that they are known for.
This entry was posted in Mexico, Michoacan, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
