Pátzcuaro

We caught a 9:30 bus from the Autobus Central Station (behind Comercial Mexicana on Carretera 200) with Autovías Lines, which cost M$430 per person. Being a premier class bus line (as is Parhikuni) you get to wait in an air condtioned lounge prior to boarding. You hand your big luggage to an attendant under the bus who will tag it and hand you a receipt, which you’ll need at your destination to claim your luggage. If you go to the station several days in advance, you can reserve seats when purchasing your ticket. On a double decker, the front row up top is highly recommended, although you will be giving up the option of the leg rests which might be nice for sleeping if doing an overnight trip in all of the other seats. Watching the road and the antics of the drivers is better than an inflight movie, in my opinion. I noticed that the lower level was way warmer than the upper deck, which would have been uncomfortable during a daytime trip.

Before boarding the bus, an attendant checked our carry-on bags for weapons. I am guessing that that was what they were looking for, since I had a couple of beers in my backpack that was of no interest to the attendant searching my stuff. Once seated, someone came with a camera and took a video of each passenger, for security reasons, but who knows. Each passenger is offered a choice of beverage and a snack or small sandwich tucked into a bag for the journey. Truly first class service.

The trip will take you away from the coast on the cuota, the toll highway, which is still only a two lane highway, but travelling at 110 km/h for the most part. A large hydro-electric lake, Infiernillo, appears soon into the trip up into the mountains. Saw lots of white pelicans in the water, birds that migrate up to the western mountains of the US and Canada for the summer months. After than, you enter an area known as Tierra Caliente, which is aptly named as the tempertures were in the high 30s during the daytime drive. The buses that we had displayed the outdoor temperature as we drove along. Our bus had A/C which set at a very comfortable temperature, although we had packed long sleeves and a light sweater, as some might find it got too cold with the A/C.

Around the town of Nueva Italia, the bus stops at a station in a place called Cuatro Caminos. The stop isn’t long so I wouldn’t recommend getting off the vehicle. After the Tierra Caliente, the climb begins up to Uruapan.

Once arriving at Uruapan four hours later, you’ll need to get a ticket to the next destination. Purhépechas buses run every 15 - 20 minutes to Pátzcuaro and came to M$62 per person. Being a second class service, we had to toss our own bags into the storage area under the bus. I took a seat near the window to keep an eye on the luggage, just in case.

The trip takes just a bit more than an hour through a ton of avocado huertas and up through a pine forest. Uruapan is 1600 m (5000’) above sea level and you’ll be climbing about another few hundred metres to Patz. The vistas are quite nice, which makes up for the drop in luxury quality of buses when compared to the Zihua to Uruapan leg of the trip.

Once in Patz, our bus stopped off along the street somewhere along the edge to town. The driver offered no inkling as to whether or not we should get off. One of the passengers said that if we weren’t going on to Morelia, that we needed to get off. Later, we figured out that we were at a place called Estación on the north side of Patz. I am assuming it is called Estación either for the buses that stop along there or for the fact that we were along the railroad tracks and perhaps it was a train station, as well. From here, you pull out your luggage and figure out a way to get to El Centro. There are cabs available, but if you’re travelling light, combis drive past that charge only 7 pesos per person for the trip into town which are a bargain. The combis will have their destinations written on the windscreen, but ask the driver if indeed you are pointed in the right direction - south into town.

The main paradas for the buses are just about two blocks from La Plaza Chica and four from the main plaza of Pátzcuaro.

Things to do in Pátzcuaro:

The colonial era town of Pátzcuaro actually predates the Spanish arrival, having been founded in the early 1300’s by the local Purhepecha people. But the Spanish have left their mark in the architecture and culture found throughout the town. It really needs a few days to take in and explore, especially when the surrounding villages offer more to see. A trip around the lake is overload in just one day.

Just to one side of the Plaza de Getrudis Bocanegra, there is a library with a famous mural by an American depicting a utopia that Bishop Vasco de Quiroga envisioned in the 1700s. The idea was to teach each village a trade so they would not be competing against each other. He built the church in Pátzcuaro.

Combis can get you to any of the villages for cheap, usually around 15 pesos per person rather than M$120 per hour for a cab. From the northeast corner of La Plaza Chica (Gertrudis Bocanegra), go east about a block or so to the paradas where the combis gather. During Semana Santa, el Centro is closed to vehicle traffic, so the combi move another block north near the Pemex gas station. There are a ton of helpful people who’ll make it work for you. Each combi will have the name of the village or villages written on the windscreen so it’s easy to figure out. Just remember to ask driver when the last bus leaves the village back to Pátzcuaro, or else you’re cabbing - not a bit deal, really.

If you are going up the side of the lake with Tzintzuntzan, make Quiroga your first stop. This shopping and carnitas mecca will not disappoint.

A lot of tourists like to book tours, usually available through the hotels, in order to check out the surrounding villages that produce a large number of locally made handicrafts which are available for great prices. You can also do a tour of the little villages between Pátzcuaro and Morellia. There’s a lot of history in this part of Mexcio

Because of the elevation, it can be cold, and the temperatures during the summer are rarely in the 30s. Sweaters and long pants are a good idea for the evenings, although many of the locals looked like they’re dressed to go a a skiing adventure.

If you want to do something completely horrible, take the boat to Janitzio. While other travellers may it promote it as a place to explore, have lunch, climb the Morelos statue, and enjoy yourselves; don’t be fooled. This place is nothing more than Tijuana on a steep hill with your only means of escape limited by a boat departure. Granted we were there on a busy day during Semana Santa, but in my opinion, if we went during a quieter time of year, the agressive hawkers would have zeroed in on us like flies to honey since they had some many easy marks with the crowds. It is very popular with the nationals, but it is definitely not to my taste. The only silver lining was the fact that the local inidigineous women were wearing traditional clothing and looked very nice in their finery. They were selling locally caught fish from the lake, which is akin to exposing yourself to radiation or taking up smoking tobacco. Charales are small fried fish which have probably concentrated the toxins of the lake during their brief life in the polluted lake. The other fish was moharra, steeped in greasy oil. Moharra is nothing more than a large pigment-free goldfish - a carp. Pátzcuaro has far too many great food options to be eating this stuff, as far as I’m concerned. I wish that we had used the time to explore some of the other villages in the area. We did visit Tzintzuntzan which was a worthwhile trip via combi and I’m sure that the other villages are similar in some regard.

In one village, there are artisans known for hand carved wood products. Tzintzuntzan, is known for it's pottery and there is a historical site, Tarascan ruins, that over looks the town. The street leading to the church and convent grounds is lined with very inexpensive pottery. Going into the church grounds and exiting on the right from the grounds, a short distance is a famous pottery artisan. Another village to the south of Pátzcuaro, Santa Clara del Cobre, is known for its copper handicrafts.

If you’re into shopping for the various handicrafts, you would be well advised to hire a local guide who would take you directly to the different artisans’ homes and studios.