Blogs from Sahuayo, Michoacán, Mexico, North America

Time flies when you're having fun. I remember, somewhere near the beginning of my stay in Mexico, sitting on the bed in my new room and thinking 'I'm going to be sitting here, in the same place, in 6 months time thinking where did the time go?'. So obviously my psychic abilities are improving because that's exactly what I've done! I don't know where the time has gone. I can look back at a list of places I've been to and know I've seen alot of the country, I can flick through hundreds of photos and see all the things I have done and people I've met; but the daily life in Sahuayo seems to have slipped by so fast and what I am really going to miss is my life here in Mexico; my friends, ... read more

The monument of Cristo Rey dominates the city of Sahuayo and the figure of Jesus stands at the top of the monument, outspread arms embracing the city below. I visited the monument my first weekend in Sahuayo but the delay in publishing this blog is due to the near impossibility of finding out the significance of this monument. Colin showed me the route to Cristo Rey with the good advice of 'don't do it in heels or flip-flops'. I might have managed it in the latter but I probably would have broken an ankle in the former. We followed the road up the steep hill towards the sanctuary of Guadalupe. We briefly visited the church but as a service was in progress we couldn't view the interior. After the church the road grew increasingly steep and ... read more

Sahuayo...my new home. Formally known as Sahuayo de Morelos the town is situated in the state of Michoacan, near the southern shore of Lake Chapala. It has a population of almost 60,000 and is known for its traditional sandals (huraches) and hats (sombreros). The name Sahuayo is from the Náhuatl language, and has been interpreted as several different things; however, the favoured definition as translated by Dr. Don Antonio Peñafiel, is that is composed of two elements: tzacual and ayoti. Tzacual is an earthenware vessel shaped by half of a coconut and ayoti means turtle. Thus 'Sahuayo is 'a pot that looks like a turtle'. The turtle is the symbol of Sahuayo. The first inhabitants of the area were of Aztec origin. Later the region was conquered by the P'urepecha (known as the Tarasco by the ... read more