PÁTZCUARO – AHH!

The town of Pátzcuaro (pats-kwaro) lies about three and a half hours from Ajijic, a gorgeous drive on an excellent tolled highway. Part of the thrill for me was going into geography that looks very much like the mountains of North Carolina where I was born and spent many years, though twice as high at 7200′. The colonial town of Pátzcuaro (or PTZ) was established around 1320 and has become a mecca for tourists and craft collectors. The indigenous people and crafts of the area give it a special old town feel. Lago (Lake) de Pátzcuaro is within sight and surrounded by small villages well known for various Mexican crafts. With the Spanish Conquest came “Tata Vasco” (Father Vasco) who assured that each village specialized in a specific craft, removing the element of competition and at the same time offering them a livelihood. After checking into Victoria Ryan’s beautiful B & B Hotel Casa Encantada, we were privileged to spend 3 delightful days with tour guide Jaime Hérnandez of Patzcuaro Magic Tours as he gave us a broad sampling of a few lakeside villages. Let me introduce you:

So much to tell. Our first morning there we ventured into town, just a block or so away, and strolled through the 3 town plazas centered around churches. The main plaza is one of the largest in Mexico, providing a place for lovers, musicians, demonstrators, dancers, students, and anyone else interested in being out and about. Restaurants and craft stores, strollers, and performers abound.

Friday afternoon. Visited the wonderful cultural museum where the guide spoke very little English but was patient with my Spanish. One of my favorite rooms was filled with indigenous clothing, some of which we saw in the streets. Afterward, time to eat. La cena. We went to a restaurant we’d seen earlier but the door was closed, though not bolted. I stepped over and said “Hola” to the gentleman in the window. He excused himself from his meeting (oops!) and invited us inside. Turned out they were filming a TV show of famous regional cook Victoria Gonzalez Chavez and we were the only customers. Seated in a narrow central room we had a birdseye view of the filming while enjoying THE best Mexican food I’ve ever had. The manager, Eloy, was most gracious, as was his staff, who waited on us patiently as we did our best to interpret the Spanish menu. Señor Eloy rushed into the room to check on us while the TV crew rearranged for the next set. Luckily one of the crew spoke English and informed us that the manager was apologizing for leaving us “isolated” and hoped we enjoyed our meal. We went back a few days later hoping to thank him but ended up leaving a card instead. What a fun adventure!

Now, let’s go see the artisans! First on the docket, Santa Clara del Cobre.

Kids being filmed, copper museum, and carnitas on the street!

Cuanojo – Though famous for brightly painted furniture, the latest version of which includes characters from the movie COCO, we went to visit Jaime’s “secret treasure”, Nati. Nati’s small concrete block house with outdoor kitchen is at the end of a small dirt foot trail, surrounded by cornfields. Her award winning belts are created on her backstrap loom AFTER she hoes the corn and makes her tortilla dough for the day. Nati is “disabled” by a clubfoot and must always use crutches, but her smile is a mile wide as she welcomes us into her home. I walk away with one of her prize belts, adorned with complex prehispanic symbols, patterns Nati carries in her head and teaches her family with cardboard, string, and sticks.

Tupataro – Home of a 18th century church filled with history and legends, brought to life by our guide Jaime. An effort to preserve the amazing church dictates only one photo per visitor. The ceiling decoration began in 1725 and was used as a “brochure” for educating the indigenous population and winning them to Christianity.

Quiroga – Named after the Catholic “bishop” Vasco Vázquez de Quiroga who fought for fair treatment of the indigenous populations after the Conquest. We visited a family who creates candelabras and incense holders for local churches.

Santa Fe de la Laguna – Home of Nicolás Fabián and Rosario Fermín, internationally known potters. And two of the kindest people I’ve ever met. Rosario is a revered cook and her cocina shows it. She’s been invited to Ajijic to cook at a celebration in December. Hoping to see her!

Also home of the first “Pueblo Hospital”, a gathering place for indigenous residents, founded in 1533 by “Tata” Vasco Quiroga and run by a council of elder men. At a ceremony each Friday a newly wed couple is chosen to clean the church and replace the flowers for the week. Outside the women gather in celebration, cooking for the entire week, though not this week. And one more secret treasure – this Santa Fe is home of the people who inspired the characters for COCO.

Tzintzuntzan – Home of the hummingbirds. Here we visited the award winning potters Luis Manuel Morales Gamez, who has shifted to more modern designs, then Guadalupe García Rios, who creates her own line of ceramics with her daughters (and grandchildren). We came away with only small items as prices run high here.

Around the lake then to a women’s embroidery cooperative run by Teófila and Bertha Servín. I’d been looking for “storytelling” embroidery and found it here in abundance. Exquisite work.

Tocuaro – Home of Felipe Horta, master mask maker. Avocado and copal wood are used for the masks as they are abundant, lightweight, and easy to work with. December brings a special event where the “3 wise men” travel from home to home to visit baby Jesus in the family creche. But, wait! Who’s that masked man getting in the way??? It’s the Devil, who wants no part of Jesus worshiping!

“Jimmy” Horta’s studio was our next stop. Ear to ear smile while he showed us the technique he invented for carving reeds into figures. Delightful!

Uneamich is a furniture factory that used to employ 300 locals. It now has 60 employees. The painted furniture and accessories there are beautifully done and can be custom ordered. Painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera once visited this town. Even now, the streets bustle.

Jacucuaro – This town was an island until the 1970’s when a dam was built connecting it to nearby villages. Reeds are abundant along the water’s edge and are collected for use in other towns. But here the hat-makers use palm fibers grown in hotter areas of Michoacán. Many are employed here, young and old alike, to split, braid, bundle, and transport the palms for hat-making. The smaller the braid, the finer the hat. If you want to show off at a celebration, you buy the best. $20-$30. Erasmo Bautista is doing well. He has a new studio and nicer home than most of the artisans we visited.

Back in Pátzcuaro the markets bustle. So much to see and smell. Funny, a local warned us not to eat the street food there. After sharing his reasons I was glad I hadn’t been tempted!

Notes of interest along the way…

We leave today and I resist! I love having my breakfast served and my room cleaned every day leaving me free to walk through the gorgeous lower patio, through the gate, and out into the streets seeking adventure. This place, the large nearby green fields, the beautiful mountains, the lake, hold me gently. Nurture me. It took me years to feel at home in Hillsborough. Yet every place we visit in Mexico calls my name on some level. I wonder where it will take me next.

I leave you with this…on a Sunday morning walk I spied an elderly woman exiting her door to take a seat on her stoop. Addressing her and asking permission, I reversed my camera orientation and showed her her picture. As she giggled I snapped two shots then showed them to her. “Oh, Señora, Señora!” she said with laughter as she covered her face. I wonder how long it had been since she’d seen her own image.

Ahh…Pátzcuaro!