PÁTZCUARO & JANITZIO MICHOACAN! (THINGS TO DO & SEE)

Hola, Bienvenidos! Welcome to beautiful Pátzcuaro! Buenos días! Good morning country collectors! Today we have found ourselves in the Pueblo México Pátzcuaro Michoacán located on the shore of Lago de Pátzcuaro. It's a beautiful town filled with culture and tradition and we can't wait to dive in. But before we get started make sure to hit that subscribe button and ring the bell so you don't miss out on any of our future adventures. Let's do this! To get here we took a DD from our spot in Morelia for 354 pesos. The 55 kilometer journey took just over one hour. Welcome to where we're staying! We found this lovely spot in Airbnb for $47 per night. Our bright airy room consists of a large comfortable bed, tv, fireplace, wi-fi, private bathroom and private terrace as well as a shared well-equipped kitchen and a shared terrace with incredible views of the town and lake. All right let's hit the streets and see what this place has to offer. One of the first things you're going to notice are these cobblestone roads that give you the feeling like you've stepped back in time. And like i might roll my ankle at any moment. Yeah so make sure you're watching where you're walking. Before the Spanish arrived in the 16th century this town was founded in the 1300s by the Puripechos, an indigenous group that has called Michoacán home for over a thousand years. Pátzcuaro actually translates to the door to heaven and was one of the Puripechos main religious sites. It's believed to be where the gods ascended and descended. So while you're here you're going to notice the colonial influences as well as the very prominent indigenous heritage. So make sure to come here with an open mind and an open heart because it is then when you are truly going to feel the culture and tradition of this very sacred place. Right now we are in the town's central plaza called Bosco de Quiroga which i read is the second largest colonial plaza in Latin America after the Zócalo in Mexico City. It's such a And right here in the center of the plaza you will find the statue of Quiroga who was the first bishop of Michoacán. Here in Pátzcuaro he founded the cathedral and the seminary and was also responsible for teaching each Puripecha community a skilled trade and the fundamentals of self-government which helped each town become the center of an industry. That's why you'll notice in some of towns around here they are known for a specific item such as copper, pottery, or guitar making. Surrounding the Zócalo you will find 17th century buildings that have been converted into cafes, restaurants, and shops. Behind me here you will find the municipal palace where you can go in and check out a beautiful mural as well as some art exhibits. And right down here is the cutest dog Wow. Look at those big ears. The biggest ears ever. Hey buddy. He just wants some scratches. Big ears and belly rubs. This guy's got it made. And when you're down here you might even get lucky and be able to see danza de los viejitos which is the dance of the old man. It's a traditional dance from this region and it's so unique. We just love it. These ladies keep walking by with churros and they are very enticing. But I think we're gonna head into Casa del Naranjo and get some breakfast as we have heard some great things. So let's go do this. Wow what a special place to enjoy a meal. The setting is so welcoming and full of character from the art on the walls up to the vibrant papel picado strung across the ceiling. This gentleman just came in and played some traditional purépecha music for us all to enjoy. It was beautiful. To eat we went with three recommendations of the house. Adam got the chilaquiles tarascos which are fried tortillas bathed in salsa tarasca, habanero chocolate, cheese and crema. I went with the aporeadillo which is consisted of scrambled eggs in a house salsa cumin and cecina. And for you we went with the uchepos, the sweet tamales that originated in this region. Open up. Here comes the tamale queen. What a delicious and relaxing breakfast especially thanks to our wonderful waiter Juan right here. He was absolutely Juanderful. Muchas gracias. So let's keep this day moving. Located just across the street from the restaurant you will find Casa de los Once Patios. This two-story colonial building was once a convent. Nowadays you can find five of the original 11 patios whose bedrooms and courtyards are now filled with artisan shops selling beautiful handicrafts. You may even get the chance to see them hard at work creating these masterpieces. It is a very unique part of this town and definitely worth a visit. Out here in one of the courtyards you will find this marvelous mural which represents the union between the Spanish and the purépecha. Earlier I mentioned Don Bosco's influence and behind me here you can see him holding a wheel. This symbolizes the many tools and machinery that were built and used to make many of these handicrafts. And if you're feeling a little risque it's none of your business but this is where the nuns used to bathe. What a great place to come down and spend some time, pick up some handmade souvenirs, and really feel like you're part of the history in this town. It is a must do. Let's keep going. Across the street here are some steps that will take you up to a mirador so you can look down over the city as well as this complex to see just how big it really was. Now let's head up and take a look. And just a few steps up here like Adam said you can really see how massive this was. The convent over here and templo de el sagrario over here which was founded in 1540 by Don Bosco and used as a hospital. And out here in the distance is Estribol Grande or the great stirrup mirador. If you are up for some exercise you can hike up it to get the best views in town. We did it last night and from our place it took about an hour and a half to reach the viewpoint. The walk cuts through town then heads uphill with cornfields on one side and the lake on the other. Once you reach the top you will find a kiosko, some places to barbecue, a bathroom, as well as 400 more steps that will take you to the tippy top which we wouldn't do but could be fun. It is definitely something we recommend. All right let's head back down and continue this day. We are down here in the courtyard of the temple I was just talking about and it is so tranquil and I love the architecture and these arches you can see back here. You can also see the layers of the paint and the rocks, the construction. It really tells a story of the history of this place. Just diagonally from the church you will find the cultural center which has rotating exhibits featuring Michoacan artists. And just across the street here you will find the museum of arts and popular industries which features many pieces from Puerto Rican culture which show us their traditions and heritage. It even has some ruins inside the building. It costs 65 pesos to enter. And please drop us a comment. We would love to hear what you think of this beautiful Pueblo Mexico so far. And you know what time it is! Hug bug baby! We're sending you all a virtual one or two actually. Look there's another one right over there. And if you continue just north you will run into the main catholic church here in town known as Basilica de Nuestra Senora de la Salud. Inside the church you can find her beautiful image that was created by the hands of the Portupecha as well as the mausoleum that contains the remains of Don Bosco. And right in front of the church on the weekend they set up an artisan market so it's a great place to come down and pick up some handmade souvenirs. Wow! That is so soft and so warm inside here. It's got that nice wool. And as you can tell I'm wearing a long sleeve because the climate here is nice and fresh. I mean we've been some very hot places in the past month in Veracruz and this is like such a nice respite from that heat. It certainly is. So definitely bring layers or buy some while you're here. All right now let's head over to the next square. Come along. Another cute dog. They're everywhere. Oh another one. I could stay and pet them all day but we have a lot more to do. Sorry buddies. Let's keep going. And it looks like we made some new friends. They've just been following us. If you walk just a couple of blocks west you'll run into this plaza. Plaza Hertrudis Boca Negra aka Plaza Chica or the small plaza. In the center of the plaza you will find the statue of Boca Negra. She was born here in Patzcuaro to Spanish parents and during the She sided with the insurgents. She became a spy and a messenger and was ultimately shot dead here in the plaza for treason. On one side of the park you will find the public library. I definitely recommend stopping in and checking out the massive mural on the back wall. It's very powerful. Just next door is the very beautifully restored theater where you can go in and catch a movie. And on the weekends this place comes alive. Markets spring up. People are just hanging out having a time. There's live music and you can pick up some great produce and other stuff too. And while we're here we had to stop in and get a paleta because there's a statue of originated here in Michoacan and where better than La Michoacana. They have many points of sale throughout the country but what is difficult is choosing a flavor because they have over 120 of them. But I went with the mango con chile which is just fantastic. And while we are finishing up these tasty treats we would love to give a shout out to our new patrons. Jean, Jose, Blanca, Jeff and Vivian. Thank you so much for all of your support. We are just so grateful and blessed to have you a part of this community. And thank you for these lovely treats. I mean you help to make these possible so I especially appreciate you. Yes and as much as we're inspiring people so are you and I hope you really feel that. So if you would like to join our Patreon community we will put the link in the description below. All right we're gonna finish these up and then hop in a van because we are about to head to the lake. Join us. And to get over to the dock you can either take a taxi or shared transport that stops right here in front of the library. It costs 10 pesos and it's said to come about every five minutes. They have a green stripe across them and it says Lago on the front window. So let's go hop in this one and get going. Gracias. We made it. Let's go get our tickets and see what this is all about. I'm excited. And right as we stepped out of the van there's all these stands. They are selling Charales. If you remember from Lake Chapala they had those little fish that they fried up and you just pop them in like Cheetos or something. We just walked down a little bit and saw this stand selling tickets. They are 100 pesos each on Saturday and Sunday. The last boat comes back at seven but throughout the rest of the week it comes back at six o'clock. So keep that in mind. Well let's head down and get on our boat. And while we're waiting for our boat to fill up we just learned that there are 32 indigenous communities surrounding the lake and there are six islands. And as I just said that I realized I didn't even tell you what we bought tickets to do. We are boarding a boat to go out to the main island Henicio. It's one of the most popular activities to do here in Patzcuaro. We are so excited. It looks like the captain is calling us over now so let's do this. And look if you're hungry they're selling snacks on here. Yeah snacks. You don't go hungry in Mexico that's for sure. The captain's taking his seat. He started the engine. We're pulling away. Let's go do this thing. Wow this is cool already. Look at all these water plants. I was going to say lily plants but I don't think that's what they are. There's a lot of pretty flowers here as well. So nice just being back on the water here. And a beautiful quick 25 minute boat ride later and we have arrived. Welcome to Henicio. Right as we got off the boat oh my gosh it's like a fiesta. You can hear it and you can feel the energy. You can hear actually the dancers over there Danza de los Viejitos. That dance we showed you earlier of the old men. They're performing it here. There's vendors set up selling clothes, food, micheladas, whatever you want they have it here. And also over here are the Henicio letters which is a great place to snap a photo. And look it right here I met Juan who is Purépecha and he lives on the island. Yeah in Henicio and he was saying for Dia de los Muertos this is the best place to come. Look at that. You heard it from him. Muchas gracias. Te apreciamos. He said come here for Dia de los Muertos on November 1st. He said it's absolutely beautiful and we have heard the same thing. This is the best place to you know experience that tradition and the celebration. We did it in Oaxaca last year and we have a video I'll link it above right here for you. And it was life-changing. So yeah if you got the time definitely make it down here or make it a priority to come here to experience it. One of the top things to do while you're here is hike up to the top of the island and see the giant statue of Morelos one of the heroes of the I love this. These streets are so cool. They're like winding up the hill. This place is selling some more meat, geladas, and souvenirs. I'm getting excited. Let's keep going. No one said the stairs were going to be like this. Okay I'm going to give it a shot though for you guys. Definitely get a little glute workout in. I feel like those Los Viejitos. I need my little cane. Already got a nice view from here. Just up the steps there is this beautiful mirador that looks out over the lake. And on the other side is the famous cemetery here. It's actually where they took the scene from Coco where he climbs in the window and steals the guitar. This is where the inspiration came from because of that huge celebration they have here every year for Dia de los Muertos. And just up the hill here between these two houses you can see the statue we're heading to. Let's keep going and get the best view possible. We have made it up to the top. Well almost. It was 10 pesos to get in and you can come up here and see this 40 meter statue of Morelos with his arm up high saying power to the people. Biggest armpit I've ever seen. But what I said was the climbing's not done yet because we're going to actually go up the steps inside of him up to the tip of that fist up there to get the absolute best view of this entire surrounding area. I hope you're ready for a little more climbing. Let's go. Let's do it. Well I can honestly say I was not expecting this. I read that there were murals but I didn't know it was going to be this spectacular. They're actually 64 and they depict the life story of Morelos. They wind up all the way to the top so let's go check them out together. And I'll be honest it feels like you're on a rocking ship here. If you have vertigo just know that because I am like all over the place. But don't worry they have some great railings you can just grab right onto and follow them all the way up to the top. It's true luckily. Wow. Have we made it? We have made it to the tippy top and it was absolutely worth all those steps for this view. Check it out. We are up here in his fist looking out over the island. I can see Patuaro in the distance. What a beautiful symbol of freedom and oh I'm getting choked up. You know it's it's those people who ultimately died and sacrificed their lives and their loved ones and everyone for the freedoms that we have today in the United States and Mexico all over the world. I don't know why I'm getting so emotional. It's just yeah this was very special and just very grateful for all those people who put their lives on the line for us. Wow this view is the best you can get in the entire city in my opinion. And it was so incredible the journey coming up here seeing those murals, watching the life. It was birth, it was death, it was revolution. And the thing is the man that this is dedicated to Morelos he gave everything for freedom. He gave everything for his people and it is just so incredible that they built this monument and that we can share in the beauty of it. Well it's getting a little cramped up here so we're gonna head back down we'll see you there. Welcome back down to the waterfront. Our plan was to go to one of the restaurants here and get the pescado blanco, the white fish. I believe it's from the lake. It's one of the local dishes here but unfortunately it's getting a little late. And I don't want to have to swim back after all those steps. I just don't think my little legs could handle it. But thank you so much for joining us today in Patuaro and here on Janitzio. We had such a blast with you. And it would have been nowhere near as much fun if you hadn't been here to share it with. So thank you for making it so much fun for us. Yeah it's such a pleasure to have you here with us. So if you enjoyed this video please give us a big thumbs up, comment, subscribe, and don't forget to ring the bell. We'll see you next time. Adios.