ABOUT MORELIA

Morelia has the atmosphere of a European cathedral town. Set at a bracing altitude of 6,368 feet, it is the state capital of Michoacán and one of Mexico's most gracious cities. Well planned and laid out, Morelia is not difficult to explore. The majority of the its attractions are within a 6-block radius of the cathedral, one of the most impressive in Mexico.The city takes its present name from José María Morelos, a muleskinner-turned-priest who seized the banner of independence when Hidalgo fell and gave the country's freedom-fighters a philosophy as well as a cause. His ideas deeply influenced Mexican political thought.

POINTS OF INTEREST

The heart of Morelia is the Main Plaza, officially known as Plaza de los Mártires, and the Cathedral. The Plaza, always a beehive of activity, has a central pavilion for Sunday band concerts and is shaded by carefully pruned trees. It is bordered on three sides by arcaded pink stone buildings in the stately Old World manner. On the fourth side rises the majestic Cathedral, one of the most beautiful in Mexico. While there are stores, offices, hotels and restaurants in the buildings around the Plaza, its colonial appearance is unmarred; no signs are permitted to project from the buildings, thus the original atmosphere is preserved.

Downtown Morelia is easily visited on foot. In fact, leisurely strolling is recommended for investigating the places of architectural and historic significance, as well as the handsome central courtyards, inviting interior gardens, impressive carved stone staircases and wrought-iron balconies. All exists in architectural harmony, embellished by the patina of time.

The perfectly proportioned Cathedral, with its graceful 200-foot twin towers, is the focal point of the city. Its plateresque architecture was maintained throughout 104 years of construction (1640-1744), unlike that of other Latin American cathedrals that combine several styles, each reflecting changing fashions. Constructed almost entirely in the slightly rough-textured rose cantera stone, its stately façade is one of great beauty.

The interior, lavishly embellished with antique paintings and religious relics, complements the exterior. Of special note is the delicately worked silver baptismal font made in the Michoacán silver-mining town of Tlalpujajua. Especially prized is the three-story organ built by the House of Wagner, Germany, in 1905 and refurbished by Casa Tamburini of Italy in 1961. It is the third largest in size in Latin America, and is unexcelled in tonal quality. Its 4,962 pipes range in length from four inches to forty feet. The organ's fame is such that the International Organ Festival, the world's premier organ event, is held here each year, usually during the middle of May.

North of the Plaza, across the broad Avenida Madero, is the Palacio de Gobierno (State Capitol), another fine example of colonial architecture, completed in 1742. The beauty of the large courtyard with arched balconies is enhanced by powerful murals painted by Alfredo Zalce, Morelia's most outstanding living artist.

Although only two streets in the city keep their names throughout their length—Morelos, north-south, and Madero, east-west (the others change names when they cross important thoroughfares)—orientation is relatively simple, because the streets in each quadrant refer to persons or events of a distinct historic period. The intersection of Madero and Morelos is where the quadrants come together. On the northeast corner of Morelos and Madero is a building, now housing a bank, that was erected on the very site where an aborted conspiracy to overthrow Spanish rule was hatched in 1809, a year before actual hostilities began the War for Independence in the town of Dolores Hidalgo.

Still on foot, you can proceed from the rear of the Cathedral two blocks east to the Church and restored ex-Convent of San Francisco. Fronted by a huge, paved plaza, the convent now serves as a government-managed handicraft store known as the Palacio del Artesano. Here, folk arts from all over the state are collected, displayed and offered for sale. Visitors are welcome, both to look and to buy.

Retracing the route to the rear of the Cathedral and the Main Plaza, note that Calle Hidalgo turns into a walking mall, closed to motor traffic. It has become an outdoor bazaar and, by night, a favorite place for pleasant gatherings.

One block south of the Plaza, Calle Hidalgo intersects with Corregidora where, to the left, is the Casa Natal de Morelos, a stately classic building constructed on the site of Morelos' birthplace and used as a cultural center. Three blocks south of Avenida Madero is the Morelos Home, now a museum containing personal memorabilia (for example, some of Morelos' manuscripts, and the blindfold he was wearing when he was executed) and furnishings of that era. In the courtyard are two interesting carriages, one said to have carried the Holy Host on sick calls and the other, once the property of a town dandy, extravagantly furnished and decorated.

Just west on Corregidora is the Church and ex-Convent of San Agustín, the second oldest such structure in Morelia, and today the most popular gathering spot in the city. Here, especially on Sunday nights, tables are set up in the atrium, and thousands of young people enjoy the food, lively music, singing and dancing. Only one block south of the Plaza, San Agustín is easily accessible and always enjoyable.

Along Calle Allende and the south side of the Plaza there are several arcaded buildings, the chief among which is the Palace of Justice, with vivid murals of "Morelos, The Lawyer," painted by Agustín Cárdenas in 1974. A half block west, across Abasolo, is the State Museum, recently remodeled after being closed for two years. The main floor contains various art exhibits. The second floor displays an excellent collection of Purépecha and recently discovered pre-Hispanic artifacts of this region. One of the rooms contains Michoacán's first drugstore. Before its conversion to a public building, it was the most palatial home in the city, the residence of the father-in-law of Emperor Agustín I (1822-23), a Morelia native.

One block farther west, at the corner of Allende and Galeana streets, is City Hall, another colonial building with beautiful arches, staircases and ironwork balconies. One block north and across Avenida Madero are the main buildings of the University of Michoacán. Founded as San Nicolás College in Pátzcuaro in 1540, it was transferred to Morelia 40 years later, and many consider it the oldest college in North America. In the center of the main patio is a dashing bronze statue of Independence hero Miguel Hidalgo, who was rector of the college in 1790. Given its downtown location and its present enrollment of 45,000 students, it had to be decentralized, so separate facilities are located at a half dozen separate campuses.

In the next block west on Madero is the Public Library, formerly a Jesuit church. Behind the Library is the largest building in Morelia, the huge, rectangular Palacio de Clavijero, built in 1660 by the Jesuit Order. After the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, the building had a variety of occupants, but recently it was completely restored to its colonial state. It now houses the State Tourist Office as well as other government offices, and is often used for cultural events. Concerts in the large, open-air gallery are reminiscent of musical events in Old Spain and Italy.

Paralleling and abutting Palacio Clavijero, one block west on Calle Gómez Farias, is Morelia's Mercado de Dulces (Candy or Sweets Market). While inexpensive folk arts are sold here, dulces are the principal attraction for visitors. These consist primarily of confections made only in Morelia but famous throughout Mexico. Among them are the chewy morelianas, thin wafers of caramelized sugar, milk and vanilla, and ates (pronounced AH-teh), fruit pastes made by boiling down fruits with sugar—reminiscent of Turkish paste. The basis of an important industry in Morelia, ates are available in a variety of flavors, including pineapple, quince, guava, apple and strawberry. All confections are hygienically made.

Nearby, just north of Palacio Clavijero and the Sweets Market, on Calle Tapia, is Las Rosas, a complex composed of park, church and music conservatory, now being restored to its original tranquility and charm. Pensive statues of Don Vasco de Quiroga and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra face each other in the secluded garden.

The Conservatory has great historic and cultural interest as the first music conservatory founded in North America (1743), 124 years before the first one in the United States. The Conservatory is the home base of the famous Boys Choir of Morelia.

No development in recent years has changed the cultural outlook of the city more than the Casa de la Cultura, raised from the ruins of the 350-year-old Carmelite monastery. Architecturally imposing, it now serves as headquarters for most of the cultural groups of the state, and provides an open-air theater for music, dance and theatrical groups. It also contains an interesting Mask Museum, with examples from Chiapas, Jalisco, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, Veracruz, and other regions. There is also a small archaeology museum, as well as changing exhibitions of photography, painting, and sculpture. It is on Morelos, a few blocks north of Madero, within walking distance of the center of the city.

On the east side of Morelia is the 254-arch aqueduct, almost two miles long and built of cantera stone. It was constructed for the city from church funds. Completed in 1789, it was once the center of the municipal water distribution system and remains in excellent condition today, although it has since been supplanted by the Cointzio reservoir to the south of the city.

Adjoining the aqueduct are numerous promenades, parks, fountains, trees, monuments and churches, all contributing to the charm of the area. On the east end of Madero is the lovely Fuente de las Tarascas. The fountain is a copy , made in 1968, of one made by an unknown worker, at an unknown time, bought and moved by an unknown purchaser to an unknown place. Some say the original was taken to France by a rich woman to adorn her front garden. Other sources insist it is still in the city on the fairgrounds. These sources also claim it was originally commissioned by a Colonel Pedrarta around 1940, but others attribute it to Lázaro Cárdenas. A book has even been written about the mystery. Whatever happened to the original fountain, its replacement is a gorgeous structure located right where Morelia's beautiful aqueduct ends, next to a pleasant park. The fountain's waters jump around a tripod of half-clothed Tarascan women who hold a giant basket of fruits and vegetables, the produce of the watered earth. The fountain, the park, and the aqueduct take on a romantic splendor at night, thanks to expert illumination. In the general vicinity of the aqueduct as it crosses Madero is one of the city's innumerable out-of-the-way romantic spots found in the most unlikely locations: narrow, picturesque Callejón del Romance, as characteristic of Morelia as Bourbon Street is of New Orleans. Spotlessly clean, it exudes romance with its wrought iron fixtures reflecting rose-hued light from the cantera stone walls and paving blocks.

Cuauhtémoc Park, two blocks south of Madero and on the south side of the aqueduct, provides a tranquil study spot for students of the nearby university campus. Adjacent to and paralleling the aqueduct for several hundred yards is a stone-paved pedestrian walk, flanked by stone benches, leading from the Church of Lourdes to the Sanctuary of Guadalupe, 500 yards away. Over this path the faithful and penitent crawl to the altar on December 12, the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The Sanctuary, officially known as the Church of San Diego, has been redecorated and is a shining example of gold ornamentation. Also nearby is a spirited bronze equestrian monument of Morelos, the work of Italian sculptor Cotini. It was erected by popular subscription in 1913 and has its own plaza at Ventura Puente and Avenida Acueducto.

Following the aqueduct four blocks east, it intersects a street called Tejedoras de Aranza (Weavers of Aranza). A colorful event without parallel in Mexico, the Fiesta of the Immaculate Conception —takes place along the length of this street from December 8 to February 2. Here, the congregation of a small parish church creates a four-block colonnade consisting of classic columns and arches in robin's egg blue and white, chaste white benches, and entwined garlands of twinkling lights and flowers, leading from the aqueduct to the spectacularly decorated church. In addition to special religious services, the church offers food and refreshments, all prepared by the parishioners. It is a never-to-be-forgotten sight and occasion.

The growth of Morelia can best be noted from a new mirador (lookout point) erected in 1979 at a height of 200 feet against the Santa María Hills, next to the Hotel Villa Montaña. A sweeping panoramic view of the city, the entire valley and surrounding mountains is afforded from the balustraded platform, and is especially dramatic at night when the Cathedral, other churches, and important buildings are floodlighted. The clear notes of the chimes in San José Church (at the second highest location in Morelia) add to an evening's enjoyment.

Immediately below and to the right of the mirador is Parque Juárez, with one of the finest zoos and park areas in Mexico. Farther right, in the Santa María Hills, are still-uncompleted archaeological diggings with evidence of very early pre-Hispanic civilizations. Looking east to busy Calzada Ventura Puente, one can see the new theater-auditorium and a remarkable new Orquidiario with an outstanding collection of orchids. A short distance north is the most modern planetarium in Mexico, operating most weekends. It is adjacent to yet another of the cultural complexes in Morelia, with a lecture hall and a museum displaying Michoacán artifacts and outstanding examples of contemporary folk art.

EXCURSIONS

Guanajuato

Thought by many to be Mexico's most beautiful city, Guanajuato, with a population of just under 100,000, is certainly its most European. Built into the mountainous terrain of the Sierra Madre at the bottom of a narrow canyon, the town was established in 1559 along the banks of the Río Guanajuato. This meandering river created a ground plan of winding maze-like streets, and the result is a hilly confusion occasionally opening up into small plazas and fading again into narrow alleys or steep stairways. Together with the Spanish and Moorish architecture imported by the founding families, Guanajuato looks as if it might have been transported directly from the hills of Andalucía.

Shortly after the original land grant was made to Rodrigo Vazques, a soldier who had taken part in the Spanish conquest of Mexico, silver was discovered in the surrounding mountainside. Guanajuato became a boom town, and as more and more veins were discovered, it soon became the richest city in Mexico. It has been estimated that by the turn of the 18th century, this isolated little town was producing more than a third of the world's silver. The Spanish mine owners, who quickly amassed vast fortunes, set about building opulent mansions both in the town of Guanajuato and over the mountains in what is now San Miguel de Allende. They also took it upon themselves to provide Guanajuato with a number of elegant and very well-endowed churches, such as La Valenciana, which was built by the Count of Valenciana next to his mine on the outskirts of town.

In 1732, the Jesuits added another luxury to the thriving city in the form of a university intended for the wealthy sons of the mining families. The Jesuits themselves were evicted soon after, but the institution has survived under one authority or another ever since. The result has been an emphasis on culture and learning that adds a European sensibility to the flavor of this small but hardly provincial city. There is a tradition in Guanajuato known as estudiantinas that clearly reflects this influence. Young male university students, dressed in colorful 16th-century costumes and carrying mandolins and guitars, play the part of roaming minstrels. They serenade señoritas throughout town and win as their reward some token of appreciation--a ribbon or flower--which is then proudly displayed on their jackets. This tradition is still practiced today, and the young students, dressed in britches and ruffled sleeves, wandering past colonial buildings, through narrow streets, and across tiny courtyards, make an enchanting picture. Guanajuato's large student population, some 50,000 strong, makes it a youthful, stylish place.

While many of the buildings are large and impressive structures, Guanajuato's streets are often little more than lanes or alleyways, narrow and cramped, and so steep that many have stairs built into the sidewalks. These streets, lined with flowerpot-trimmed houses, bear quaint names such as the Tumbler, the Deer, the Little Birds, the Four Winds, Little Wells, the Five Gentlemen, the Backbone, the Monkey Jump, the Nosegay, the Blowpipe, and, most famous of all, the Kiss. This last is so named because one can supposedly lean from a balcony on one side of the street to someone on the balcony across the way and exchange a kiss.

Of all the buildings in Guanajuato, the largest and most forbidding is the Alhóndiga de Granaditas, which played an important role in the city's most exciting historical episode. It was here that the wealthy mine- and land-owning patriarchs fled during the 1810 invasion of the city by Miguel Hidalgo and his ragtag army of angry farmers and miners. The building had recently been completed as a warehouse for grain, but within minutes of the attack, it was transformed into a fortress that the city fathers considered secure from attack. With balls of fire flying from the parapets onto the attacking army a brave young miner, Juan Martínez, known by the nickname El Pípila, immortalized himself forever. The building was made entirely of stone, except for one large wooden door that had seemed impenetrable. In the face of gunfire and hurling flames, with a flagstone on his back to shield him, Martínez made his way to the great door and set it on fire. The building was opened and the revolutionaries poured in, killing their enemies and taking the city. They did not hold it for long, however, and soon after, Hidalgo, Allende, Aldama, and Jiménez--the four leaders of the revolt--were captured and executed in Chihuahua. Their heads were sent back to Guanajuato, where they were impaled on hooks at the corners of the granary, and so remained for the next 10 years. Happily, the heads are gone, but the hooks remain as grim reminders of the passions of the times.

Another reminder of earlier days is also one of Guanajuato's unique features, the subterranean highway system. Running the 2-mile length of the town, this channel was originally built as a drain to prevent flooding from the river. With the coming of the automobile, it was discovered that Guanajuato had such narrow streets that two cars traveling in opposite directions usually could not pass each other. The solution was a one-way system aboveground and a conversion of the subterranean waterway into a two-way rapidly moving thoroughfare from one end of town to the other. Lighted at night and surrounded by the foundations of ancient buildings, this sunken road provides an eerie ride unlike any other.

This adaptation of the waterway is one of the few concessions Guanajuato has made to modern living. Gas stations, bus stations, and such modern addenda are restricted to the edge of town and don't intrude on the pure Spanish architecture in the town's center. The entire town has been declared a national monument, requiring that any restoration work or new building conform strictly to the old style.

Alhóndiga de Granaditas: Built by the Spanish as a grain warehouse and central to the revolutionary history of Guanajuato, this massive stone building has been converted into a regional museum of the Institute of Anthropology and History. Of particular interest are the murals by Chavez Morado in the stairwells and a chamber dedicated to the Heroes of Independence and lit by an eternal flame. There are exhibitions of local costumes and arts and crafts, photography exhibitions, and some especially lovely decor, including the lanterns on the walls of the large balconied patio.

La Parroquia: This church with the coral and gold façade, also known as the Basilica of Our Lady of Guanajuato, dates from 1671. Here is housed the famous wooden image of the Virgin Mary, La Virgen de Santa Fe de Guanajuato, which was sent from Granada in 1557 as a gift from Felipe II of Spain. It is considered the oldest piece of Christian art in all Mexico. Three annual celebrations commemorate the virgin--her arrival, her status as patron saint, and the founding of the city itself. Seventeen chandeliers light the space inside. Plaza de la Paz.

San Diego: Noted for its beautiful and highly ornate doorway, this church is an outstanding example of churrigueresque art. First built in 1663, it was almost destroyed by flood waters in the late 18th century; though it was rebuilt, it is now on the worn side. Jardín de la Unión.

La Compañía: Lovely 17th-century church with pink stone baroque façade and cupola reminiscent of St. Peter's in Rome. Near the university, Lascurrain de Retana.

Jardín de la Unión: Although Guanajuato does not really have one main square, or zocalo, as in other Mexican towns, this central plaza, known as El Pedazo de Queso because it's shaped like a wedge of cheese, is the most active one. Among its features are an old-fashioned bandstand, tiled pavements, sheltering trueno trees that form a canopy over the sidewalk, and ornate wrought-iron benches. On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 and 9 p.m. and Sundays at noon and 1:30 p.m., concerts are performed here.

Teatro Juárez: Standing as a testimony to the greatest of Guanajuato's mining booms, 1873-1903, this elaborate and ornate building is one of the town's special sights; the exterior is Doric, the foyer is French, and the interior is richly Moorish. Eight carved muses crown the edifice, gilt carvings and velvet fabrics adorn the interior, and graceful Art Nouveau railings line the various tiers and balconies throughout. All of it is a style introduced to Mexico in 1750 by brothers named Churriguera; the style became known as Mexican churrigueresque, and some of the best examples are found in Guanajuato, including the Teatro Juárez. The first performance here was of Aïda, on October 27, 1903. Still used for special events and open to the public, this theater welcomes all the great opera, theater, and dance companies of Europe.

Diego Rivera Museum: The birthplace of Diego Rivera, one of Mexico's greatest muralists, and the place where he spent the first six years of his life. Furniture of the period, including the brass bed where Rivera was born in 1886, fills the ground floor; on the second floor are 97 of the artist's works, including a large sketch for his mural in New York City's Rockefeller Center; and the third floor houses a gallery for changing exhibitions.

Teatro Principal: Most of the cultural activity in Guanajuato takes place here; exhibitions of contemporary art and international films are always on the agenda. Calle Cantarranas, next to the university.

Mercado Hidalgo: This huge, vaulted, 2-story iron and glass building is the market, which is open daily and sells crafts, clothing, and just about everything you can imagine. Av. Juárez.

University of Guanajuato: One of the most important universities in Mexico is this descendant of the Jesuit school opened in 1732. Although it has changed hands several times, first with the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, later with the expropriation of church lands in 1857, and still later with Juárez's edict temporarily closing the school, the city of Guanajuato has had a functioning institute of higher learning almost continuously for about 250 years. It became a state university in 1945 and 10 years later opened its new building, a modern labyrinth of connecting patios and open hallways. The main wing of the structure is especially beautiful, with its glass roof and grand staircase. Courses are offered in both Spanish and English, and in the summer special programs are designed for American students in conjunction with several U.S. colleges and universities. For the citizens of Guanajuato as well as for visitors, the university is a cultural focal point, offering symphony recitals, theater performances, a radio station, choir, library, and movie club. 5 Lascurrain de Retana.

Plazuela del Quixote: Tucked along the tour and bus routes, it sports the winsome statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza a caballo. Beside the statue is the small, 450-seat Cervantes Theater.

Museo Iconográfico Cervantino: Works of art, including popular art (much of which could be considered kitsch), all inspired by Cervantes' Don Quixote de la Mancha. The entire collection was donated by Eulalio Ferrer, a Spanish expatriate who fought against Franco during the Spanish Civil War and now heads one of Mexico's most important advertising agencies. The museum was inaugurated by Felipe González, President of Spain, during the 1987 Cervantino Festival. San Francisco and Miguel Doblado.

Valenciana: This suburb of Guanajuato is well worth a short bus trip or taxi ride because of its beautiful church and incredibly rich working silver mine. The church, La Iglesia de San Cayetano, known as La Valenciana, was built by Don Antonio de Obregón y Alcocer, the first Count of Valenciana and owner of the mine. Plans for the church were so grandiose that jealousies were aroused in Guanajuato. A compromise plan specified that only one of the towers would be completed so that the church would not be perfect. It is rumored that the church's patron had silver dust mixed into the cement that binds the stones of the foundation. True or not, he certainly spared no expense in decorating the church's interior. The ornate altars, heavily trimmed in gold leaf, are fine examples of Mexican chromatic art, and the pulpit came from China. In daily use since its completion in 1788, this church also hosts the annual celebrations honoring La Purísima (the Immaculate Conception) on December 8. Three miles (5 km) northwest on the Dolores Hidalgo Hwy., Rte. 110.

Valenciana Mine: One of the 17 silver mines still operating in Guanajuato, it is the largest and richest in Mexico. Until the early 19th century it was estimated that one third of the world's silver came from one source, and today one can still see the miners at work bringing its incredible wealth out of the earth.

Cerro del Cubilete: This 9,442-foot mountain peak is crowned with a monument of Christ the King (Cristo Rey) that is visible to travelers long before they reach Guanajuato. The statue is 82 feet high and marks what is said to be the geographical center of Mexico. The view of the bajîo from here is magnificent, with agriculturally rich lands dotted by lakes and smaller mountain peaks visible in all directions.

Presa de la Olla and Parque de las Acacias: The dam, built in 1742 by the Marquis de Rayas, not only set up a reservoir to hold the city's water supply but also created a lake and surrounding park area for recreation. Boat rides are available, though the dirty water makes this rather unappealing, and food can be purchased in the restaurant or eaten at the picnic areas provided. There are also beautiful flower gardens and a large statue of Hidalgo, local revolutionary hero, right in the center. At the end of La Presa bus line, Calle de la Presa; pick up the bus underground by the stairway at the Jardín de la Unión or in front of the Mercado Hidalgo.

Ex-Hacienda de San Gabriel de Barrera: This beautiful old Mexican hacienda, recently restored by the Mexican government, is furnished in colonial-period antiques and graced by several manicured gardens.

Mummy Museum: For some reason, possibly the dryness of the air, bodies left in the crypt of the Panteón municipal cemetery in Guanajuato do not decompose; they mummify. They are on display in the Mummy Museum at the entrance to the cemetery, in glass cases lining the walls. Take the Presa Panteón bus.

Uruapan is known primarily for its proximity to the famous Paricutín Volcano, which first erupted in 1943 and for the next 10 years spewed boulders and lava across surrounding terrain. One can drive to the village of Angahuan, about an hour northwest of Uruapan, and hire a donkey for the 15-minute ride to one of the most startling sites in Mexico. Paracutín's lava flow buried a small village of 1,000 people under 40 feet of molten rock. The only building that withstood the wave of red-hot rocks was the church, whose steeples can still be seen jutting some 70 feet above the lava. Also worth seeing is Parque Barranca del Cupatitzio, a national park with a beautiful tropical garden.

Uruapan has an interesting history. When the Spaniards arrived, the last Cazonci fled to take refuge in Uruapan. There he was apprehended and sent to Tenochtitlan. About that time, in December of 1533, Fray Juan de San Miguel founded the city of Uruapan. Fray Juan planned streets, plazas and neighborhoods for the Indians, and promoted among them the idea of unity. Fray Juan, who followed closely the pacifist style of Vasco de Quiroga, established centers of learning and hospitals for the benefit of the inhabitants. Each neighborhood had its own chapel, patron saint, and cemetery. Fray Juan also encouraged handicrafts, such as lacquerware. Mexican lacquerware is created by using a fragrant wood called "linaloa," to which lacquer coatings of contrasting colors are applied. Traditionally, the men of the village engraved designs with thorns after the last fresh coat was applied; the women then polished the final pieces. Traditional lacquerware is still created using this slow and patient process, and pieces made in Uruapan are in great demand.

When he was still a student, José María Morelos y Pavón spent time studying in Uruapan. Years later he would return there in order to meet with the Constitutional Congress. During the Reforma, the liberals transferred to this city the powers of the State of Michoacán, for a period of five days. A group of liberals, known as "Los Mártires de Uruapan," were executed in Uruapan during the War of Intervention. At the head of them figured the general José María Arteaga.

A springlike climate, an abundance of water, and the enterprising character of its people have made Uruapan a municipality of agriculture, commerce, and forestry. It is considered the world capital of the avocado, which is the main base of its economy. At least five different types of avocado are cultivated, all of excellent quality, and it is possible that there are more than a million avocado trees in the area. Uruapan also has many orchards. The variety of flowers is another characteristic. In most houses, people have flowering plants year round. Uruapan has the reputation for being Michoacan's paradise because of its fantastic and abundant vegetation.

With a population of approximately 170,000, Uruapan is the second largest city in the State of Michoacán. It is situated 1,600 meters above sea level, and has an average temperature of 19° Centigrade with rain from June to September.

The Mercado de Artesanías, near the entrance to the national park, carries handpainted lacquered trays, dishes, jewelry boxes, and plaques, all at reasonable prices. Good buys can also be found on embroidered blouses and dresses, pottery, and copper. On the high side of the main plaza are an ancient church and government palace, which have been converted into a Regional Crafts Museum whose annual competitions attract the finest work in the state. Museum employees will either sell you the items on display or provide the names and addresses of the craftspeople so you can buy directly from them. Also worth seeing is the Mercado de Antojitos Típicos, a market filled with typical foods of the region, at Constitución and Corregidora. Other things to see are the long, rectangular plaza; the San Francisco Church, built in the seventeenth century; the Hoatápera Museum, formerly a hostel, founded by Vasco de Quiroga in the sixteenth century; the San Miguel district; the Eduardo Ruiz National Park with its many springs, rustic bridges, and wild vegetation (it is also the source of the Cupatitzio River, which six miles beyond in its downward tumble forms the Tzararácua Falls).

Santa Clara del Cobre is located approximately 16 km (10 miles) south of Pátzcuaro. It was here that Don Vasco de Quiroga introduced the art of coppersmithing in the mid-16th century. The village is full of copper artifacts and copper smiths who continue to ply their trade using wood fires, bellows, hammers and tongs. Here students will visit the Ramírez home and workshop to see a demonstration of the copper being worked by three generations of the Ramirez family.

Pátzcuaro is an eclectic combination of Mexico's past and present, its good and bad, its mysterious and mundane. 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 de Guzmán, the vicious conquistador who plundered the area for gold. He burned alive the local Tarasco 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 Don Vasco de Quiroga, a former judge from Mexico City who had become a priest. As bishop of the state of Michoacán, he helped the Tarasco Indians by introducing new crops and establishing schools and hospitals. He died at the age of 95, and in these parts he is considered a saint for his good works.

The immutable, stoic Tarasco Indians survived de Guzmán, and their descendants live today, though many of them exist in dire poverty. The men usually have little to say, but the town of Pátzcuaro itself and the surrounding area speak of the valiant efforts by the missionary Vasco de Quiroga, who lent his name to Quiroga, a small town on Route 15 north of Pátzcuaro. In his efforts to reconstruct the life of the Tarasco Indians, Vasco de Quiroga also taught the inhabitants of each of the surrounding towns a trade. Quiroga is known for its colorful masks; Santa Clara for its fine copperwork; Uruapan for its lacquerware; and Paracho for its guitars and masks.

Hidden high in the mountains of the state of Michoacán, Pátzcuaro is veiled from the outside world by a curtain of tall pine trees. To the north is Lake Pátzcuaro, noted as one of Mexico's highest lakes and also for its fishermen, who dip their delicate butterfly nets in quest of whitefish. These fishermen are excellent subjects for photographs and have become the Pátzcuaro trademark.

Pátzcuaro was founded in 1540, and in contrast to other colonial villages that have been swept up in the wave of modernization, the town retains its ancient atmosphere. It consists largely of 1-story adobe or plaster-over-brick buildings with red tile roofs. The streets are dusty cobblestones traveled by horse and auto alike. Plaza Vasco de Quiroga, Pátzcuaro's central square, is a private little world surrounded by high buildings and treetops that lend it an air of isolation. Grass covers the plaza, and a statue of Vasco de Quiroga stands in its center. Only a passing car shatters the illusion of antiquity preserved here.

In the language of the Purépecha Indians, the name Pátzcuaro means "place of delights," which may be related to the fact that there were once as many as 250 species of hummingbirds in the area. The town was noted for a now-lost art. The Indians would arrange the bird's colorful feathers on copper plates, forming pictures of exceptional beauty. These plates were often sent back to Europe by early colonists.

Friday is the big market day, when Indians from surrounding villages come to sell their wares in the market square. On Fridays, the square teems with buyers, sellers, and browsers; town shops carry henequen rugs, lacquered trays, serapes, Indian masks, and wooden boxes every day. 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. The masks are especially interesting, as each design is supposed to have a special significance in relation to the Indian dances in which it is used. Mask collecting is a growing hobby among Mexicans and foreigners alike, but the quality, originality, and variety has declined significantly over the years.

On the east side of the downtown area is the beautiful Basílica of Our Lady of Health, the city's patron, built between 1546 and 1554. Don Vasco de Quiroga directed his Indian followers in the construction of the famous statue of La Virgen de la Salud, which is made of cornstalks and glued together with a substance extracted from orchids The College of Saint Nicolás, south from the basilica on Arciga, 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 Michoacán, near the college at the corner of Cuesta de Portugal, was built by Don Vasco and opened in 1546. Today it is the temple of the Jesuits.

The House of Eleven Patios, a block south of the cathedral, is the former monastery of Saint Catherine, founded by Dominican nuns in 1747. The building is now a center for local artisans, and you can watch them work. The Mansion of the Counts of Menocal, on the east side of the main plaza, was built in 1653 and is now called the House of the Giant because of the huge warrior sculpted on one of the pillars. The public library has a mural depicting the history of the surrounding area by one of Mexico's leading artists, Juan O'Gorman. The building is the former temple of Saint Augustine and was built by Fray Alonso de la Veracruz and Fray Francisco de Villafuerte in 1580.

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. This dance can also be seen at the Restaurant/Bar Colibrí in downtown Morelia on Friday nights beginning at 11:30. You must get there early, however, if you want to get a seat. There is a cover charge of $3.00.

The P'urhepecha

Indigenous People of Michocán

The mesoamerican indigenous groups of Mexico are well known for their achievements in architecture, craft, and religious organization. While the most commonly associated are the Mayan and Aztec groups, at one time or another, there have been more than 56 separate indigenous civilizations spread throughout the country. Many of these groups long ago dissolved into history and are remembered only through scrolls of writing and piles of ruined building materials. They were assimilated into the cultures of other groups and, ultimately, into the mixed race of present day Mexico. The indigenous as a topic are not commonly discussed over the dinner tables of middle and upper class Mexican families; it is assumed that Chiapas is a bad word used to refer to crazy brown people who live in poverty somewhere far away.

Yet, all surviving indigenous groups of Mexico are not in the economic and educational straits of the Tzotzils and Lacondóns of southern Chiapas. One exceptionally strong group is the P'urhepecha of Michoacán. This group has remained strong throughout history: it rebuffed the warring Mexicas (Aztecs), kept Cortés and the new Spanish rule at bay, and has presently taken control of many of the cultural and economic resources found in the region of Lake Patzcuaro, thereby gaining a deterministic voice in the future of the culture.

Michoacan as a word means "the place where the fish abound" and was originally the name given to the population of Tzintzuntzan. The prefix "mich" has been atributed to the abundance of lakes in the Michoacan region, thus drawing comparisons to Michigan, "Land of the Lakes." The P'urhepecha are unified by their common language, Tarascan, and are believed to have founded their civilization around 1300 AD when wandering tribes fixed themselves to Zacapu and Patzcuaro. These people were farmers and fishermen, and were one of the first groups in mesoamerica to use copper as an agricultural tool. Their region stretched from just west of the present Federal District (Mexico City) to the Pacific coast, north to the Lake Chapala (south of Guadalajara) and south along the coast almost to Zihuatanejo. The surrounding areas were occupied primarily by the Chichimecas, a migratory-hunting group, and by the Nahuas which spoke a language similar to that of the Mexicas.

The sedentary and agricultural based society of the 15th century occurred because of an agreement which divided the power of the group into three sites: Tzintzuntzan, Ihuatzio, and Patzcuaro. A few generations later, Tzintzuntzan became the capital and the region was extended greatly to the north and south. The alliance between these three cities was powerful, producing quantities of salt, fish, obsidian, cotton, copper, fine feathers, and wood. In the late 1400's, the Mexicas began a campaign of ferocious attacks against the Michoacán kingdom. The P'urhepecha were able to defend themselves against both the Mexica and the Spanish Conquest by signing a treaty with Hernan Cortés, yet the final blow occurred when the first Spanish Audiencia brutally tortured and assassinated the last P'urhepecha king Tzitzincha-Tangaxuan II.

The affect of the Catholic Spanish rule on the P'urhepecha was similar to that of other indigenous groups. The people of Michoacán had a well established religion and cosmovision prior to the imposition of Catholic values. Their production of both crafts and necessary shelter followed a religious calendar; the idea of community was highly valued, and the calendar dictated a fiesta time of five days after every 155 days plus another fiesta every 20 days as a means of marking time. Changes in the cosmovision best reflect the influence of Catholic traditions. There were originally three parts to the P'urhepechan universe:

1. Aundaru: The place where the celestial gods reside, characterized as the sun (masculine), the moon (feminine), and the stars.
2. Echerindo: The Earth, where humankind resides. The fate of humans in this realm is that they imitate the rule of the gods, they will forever act in the way dictated by the gods.
3. K'umieckuarhu: The realm to which people move after they no longer live in Echerindo. A place of shadows, where humans go when they dejan de vivir (give up on living).

There was not an idea of death in this cosmovision, people simply moved from one level to another. Catholicism introduced the idea of sadness in death to the P'urhepecha. According to one scholar of these traditions, "Now there is sadness in death because Catholicism demands that they cry." Thus, El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) was originally a festive time for family to celebrate the stages of live and welcome deceased relatives back to Echerindo for a little while, now many Catholic symbols and an occasional bout of weeping accompany the festivities which are held each November second in the communities surrounding Lake Patzcuaro.

The strongest surviving characteristics of the P'urhepecha community are its agricultural self-sufficiency and world renowned craft production. The indigenous of the Lake Patzcuaro region are well organized in the distribution of fishing rights in a way that does not harm the eco-system of this culturally important lake. Likewise, they have formed craft co-ops and encouraged the Michoacán tourist board to promote their woven goods, wood carvings, and pottery throughout Mexico. Other towns have developed a form self-rule by which they are able to make the social and economic decisions which directly affect them. San Juan Nuevo near the Paricutín volcano has done this in order to reap the benefits of their local tourist attraction.

There are presently 80 different communities which consider themselves descendants of the P'urhepecha kingdom. Of these, approximately 27 are "forgetting" the Tarascan language by not encouraging its use in schools and public meetings. While the importance of language preservation has been sighted by native P'urhepecha scholars as an important link in the continuance of the culture, it is also considered a hindrance used by the Mexican government to keep the indigenous out of the mainstream of Mexican culture. Many indigenous feel they are at a disadvantage in comparison to the mestizo population based on the educational preparation they receive. They argue that their rights include both a strong educational background and the preservation of their native tongue.

The P'urhepecha have succeeded in beginning a cultural revival by focusing on the importance of the Tarascan language. The language has historically unified the various communities of the Michoacan kingdom. Today it serves to identify the dignity and rich cultural heritage of native Michoacanans. Currently, instruction of the Tarascan language is offered in the state university and there is a daily column in La Voz de Michoacan, the daily Morelian paper, which highlights vocabulary and basic grammactical points. Many communities are striving for bilingual educational offerings in the primary and secondary schools. They argue that not only are their children at an educational disadvantage because Spanish is not their first language, but also that the continuation of Tarascan is a vital cultural link that should not be destroyed.

The battle to obtain rights and a standard of equality for the indigenous people of Mexico centers on the use of resources, those cultural, environmental, and economic. The indigenous of Michoacán have advanced their position in society greatly by first recognizing the importance of their resources and by then taking control of their use. The people of Michoacán have demonstrated success in obtaining rights without the use of force or arms. Through many instances the P'urhepecha have demanded their rights from the government, educators, and politicians. They have made Tarascan heard, and spoken it with pride.

Janitizio is located near Pátzcuaro in Lake Pátzcuaro, one of the highest lakes in the world, at an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet. The Purépecha Indians still live here pretty much the way they did centuries ago. Over the island of Janitizio towers the monumental statue of Father José María Morelos, famous revolutionary general and hero. Morelos was a native of this state (the city of Morelia was named after him), a country priest, a schoolteacher, and a leader for Mexican independence in the fight against Spanish colonists. The statue was started in 1933 and is approximately 135 feet tall. From the top, one can see an impressive view of the surrounding area, if one is in good enough shape to climb all the way up. Inside the hollow statue are some 50 murals depicting Morelos' life. Another outstanding attraction on Janitizio is its annual observance of the Feast of All Souls--Mexico's Day of the Dead--on Nov. 2, when the villagers gather for an all-night vigil, lighting hundreds of candles to place on graves. The graveyard is behind the church, interesting for its Indian carving on European models.

On the way back to Morelia, we will stop at the village of Quiroga known for its wooden toys, lacquerware and leather goods.

Students will also visit Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world, and the nearby ruins of Teotihuacán.

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