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Published: February 28th 2012
Angahuan is a Purepecha Indian Village that is steeped in history. From the moment we arrived were entranced with the beauty of this magical place. The village is famous for the nearby church ruins. In 1943 a farmer was working in his field when the ground began shaking. This area developed a new volcano that erupted for 9 years. The lava encompassed 2 villages, however no one was killed. The people from these villages now live in the neighboring communities of San Juan Nuevo or Uruapan. There are ruins of a church that remain. The Church was a significant church in the Region. Baptisiams, marriages and ceremonies for the region were held in this Cathedral.
As we entered the village we knew this was a special place. It was a beautiful small village and there was music in the air. We were fortunate enough to land in the middle of the Annual Festival of the Volcano. There were bands playing in the Centro, food vendors, and artisans displaying their wares. The women were all adorned in gorgeous velvet or satin intricately pleated skirts, often with elaborate lace aprons and lace shirts. They wore embroidered shawls and sandals.
Enrique Bravo
Gomez was our guide for our trip to the Iglesia (church). Marcia and I were coaxed into riding horses for the 2 hour journey. Ray and Ed held fast with their dislike of horseback and walked. Marsha and I were the smart ones. It was a rigorous trip made comfortable on horseback, with steep declines and climbs, large rocks and very rough. I would never have made it walking. Enrique was very informative and helpful. Angahuan is a Purepecha Indian Village. The locals do not speak Spanish, they speak purepecha. My horse, Conquistador, was quite comfortable and a very gentle, 12 year old horse. Marsha´s horse, Maestro, mirrored her personality, a little headstrong at times and liked to stop once in a while and go his own way. We rode to the bottom of the trail where we climbed up the lava rock to the ruins. We climbed about 150 yards up a lava rock mountain. Enrique held my arm and helped me up the entire mountain. If you have ever handled lava rock, you know it is very sharp and this was also slick. It was wonderful to be able to be able to do something like this. It
wasn´t that long ago I wouldn´t have been able to make such a rigorous trip.
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What a view! The ruins were awesome. Plus we could see the volcano just over our shoulder. As we were taking in the view, Enrique explained all of the history. My Spanish has gotten good enough that I was able to understand most of it. A young girl came along and helped with the rest. We climbed back down the mountain and had lunch at some stands were the local women sold food and crafts. We had quesadillas with blue corn tortillas, of course, handmade. My quesadilla was mushroom and cheese, Ed´s was Raja, or pepper´s. There was homemade salsa and nopales also. How can something so basic be so incredible?
Back on the horses and back to the village. The way to the Iglesia was downhill, now it was uphill and out. I surely thought Ed would ride a horse out. But, he and Ray walked. Marsha´s horse wanted to stop and snack on the lupine. My horse just kept going from one side of the road to the other. We certainly enjoyed our time with Enrique, he was a
wonderful guide. We enjoyed hearing not only the history of the area, but a little about the Purepecha Indian life.
We headed back into town to check out the Fiesta. The music was going, but Ed could hear a Sousaphone down an alleyway. Ed played the Sousaphone when he was younger, so he always gravitates. There was a party going with dancing in the street. We stood on the curb the watch the dancing and one of the gentlemen waved us over. There were many women dancing, most with had a bottle of tequila either in their shawl or in their hands. Everyone was dancing and having a great time. Soon, we were dancing and drinking right along with them. It was a Wedding and everyone was invited. The Groom spoke very good English. Everyone was so welcoming. There was special food and lots of drink and they wanted us to join the celebration.
Once we left the Wedding party we wondered the plaza and toured the arts and crafts. The women make beautiful embroidered shirts and hand woven shawls and serapes. The boys soon gathered in the about everything we had done this day. I will always
Ed dancing at the Wedding
Notice the tequilla glass in his handremember this day and the special people we met. street for a game resembling stick ball. However, the ball was not round; it was flat on 2 sides.
This was an incredible day. We never saw another Gringo the entire day. It is places like this when you realize how fortunate you are to travel off of the beaten path. Of course, I never expected to go off- road in Mexico (nevertheless, on a horse). I woke up at 4:30 in the morning and could not stop thinking about the wonderful day we had and everything that had happened. I will remember this day for a long time.
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