Walking Up Hill with a Thousand Tourists

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We are finishing up our second day in Patzcuaro. Yesterday we walked around the town, visiting churches and markets. We also walked around the area past our hotel, which is less touristy. Strangely enough, as awe arrived back at our hotel, a car with Washington plates pulled into the garage next to our hotel...the house belongs to a couple from Port Townsend..but they were not friendly, so we didn't learn any more about life here as a gringo! We have seen lots of older gringos, who appear to be either blissed out or zombies...

Today we slept in a bit (my cold is worse..) and then took a barco to the nearby island of Janitzio. This is a small island where the Day of the Dead is celebrated. However, it is also the Coney Island of the region: maybe because today is Valentine's Day....there were crowds of Mexican tourists there, climbing up the narrow streets lined with vendors, to the top where there is an immense statue of Bishop Quirigoa, who was sent here by the church to repair the damage done to the indigenous people by the cruel Guzman, in the 16th century. This seems to be a popular destination with couples and families.

The lake is muddy and polluted, with some white herons which look just our great blues, but for the coloring. There are villages all along the edge of the lake, and it reminded us of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, without the volcano towering over it.

When we returned to our hotel last night, around 9:00 pm, the streets were empty and most vendors were gone from in front of the Basilica (which holds a statue of Mary from the 16th century reputed to heal people). This morning we stepped outside to find dozens of local tour buses carrying pilgrims to the church and crowds of people everywhere.

I was hoping to find some Day of the Dead stuff here, but haven't seen a thing...

Tomorrow we return by bus to Morelia and then on the Pacific Coast...

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Photos

Public Library Mural
This was once a church and is now the public library in Patzcuaro. We donated some money for kids books. The mural is a history of the region.

Dresses
The kids's clothes here are wonderful....

On the barca from Janitzio
You can see the statue in the background.

Indigenous Dancers in Masks
These were performing at the landing when we arrived back from the island.