Zinapecuaro platter

Michoacán Arts and the Great Easter Market
March 29 - April 7 , 2009

Pivoting around Mexico’s greatest folk art event, the Easter market in Uruapan, this is a journey that opens doors to riches in arts and history in the highlands of Michoacán.

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A sweeper tidies a park in Morelia

road lakes surrounded by small villages, rich fields dotted with volcanic cinder cones, elegant colonial cities, lush forests, and village after village of traditional artisans, Michoacán is one of Mexico’s loveliest and most interesting states to visit. Yet it remains little known to outsiders. Perhaps even less known to outsiders is the great Easter folkart market of  Uruapan. Artisans from the entire state of Michoacán converge here for over a week of selling their best wares. There is no other event like it in the country and for folkart lovers, it is a must. This tour opens this world to you from the inside. We stay in Michaocan’s most lovely towns; Morelia, Patzcuaro and Uruapan, and visit her potters, coppersmiths, mask carvers and reed weavers. We take a peek at some of the gems of colonial architecture in rural Michoacán, and through these building's stories and our visits with artisans, we learn the story of Michoacán, the Purepecha Indians, the Spanish Conquest and Michoacan today. Our guide, Miguelangel Nuñez, is a long time resident of the state, an anthropologist, professor and guide and is uniquely able to provide us with a rare peek into this yet undiscovered world of deep roots and living history.

Day 1, Sunday (D). We will have our first meeting this evening at 8:30pm at Hotel Casino in Morelia to meet, ask questions about the trip and enjoy dinner. Morelia has an international airport. Evening in Morelia.

Day 2, Monday (B,L). Morelia was one of Mexico’s first Spanish cities, founded in 1541, and was and is a prosperous center of trade. The colonial heart of this city is elegant and fabulously well preserved. We will enjoy a walking tour of the city in the morning soaking in the grand beauty of the plazas, parks and cathedrals. Then we climb into the van and travel on to the pottery village of Capula, which is one of Michoacan’s largest pottery centers. The village is famous for its decorative glaze work and clay skeletons. Then we head to the beautiful and very ancient feeling Spanish town of Patzcuaro that will serve as our base camp for the next four nights. Evening in Patzcuaro.

Day 3, Tuesday (B,L,D). This morning we visit Santa Clara del Cobre where the pounding of hammers on copper resonates throughout the village. There are dozens of copper workshops in this town producing beautiful wares. We’ll visit a couple of the masters and learn how this metal is turned into works of art. Then we return to Patzcuaro to take some time to explore the town and learn a bit about its long history. Evening in Patzcuaro.

Zinapecuaro pottery

Day 4, Wednesday (B,L).Today we explore villages along the shores of Lake Patzcuaro. We begin our day in the village of Tócuaro, famed for its mask makers and dances. We will visit with two excellent mask makers. Then we head down the road to the lakeside village of Puácuaro and will visit a cooperative of artisans who work with the cattail reeds that grow in lakes of the region. Traditionally woven into sleeping pads, fans and tortilla baskets, the artisans now create all sorts of wonderful things from the reeds. We’ll also visit with some hatmakers and a distiller that makes the best firewater on the lake.  We’ll have lunch at a small restaurant with a sweeping view of Lake Patzcuaro and its islands and enjoy local fish, avocados and cold beer. Evening in Patzcuaro.

The pounding of hammers on copper resonates throughout the village of Santa Clara del Cobre

Day 5, Thursday (B,L).We will visit the recently restored chapel of Tupátaro with its rare example of a painted wood ceiling dating back 1700s. Then we travel on to the village of Tzintzuntzan, The Place of the Hummingbirds, which was the capital of the Purepecha nation at the time of the Spanish conquest in 1522. We will visit the remains of pre-Colombian temples above the village as well as visit the ancient Convent of San Francisco that has olive trees in the courtyard that are thought to be the oldest olive trees in the Americans. There are skilled potters in this town and we will visit a couple of workshops and we’ll take time to explore the town’s folkart market. Evening in Patzcuaro..

Day 6, Friday (B,L).We travel on from Patzcuaro today and deeper into the land of the Purepecha people. Our first visit will be to the village of Paracho, which is a town filled with guitar makers. Almost all the guitars used in Mexico come from here. If you are thinking of picking up a 6-string, 12 string, lute, violin, etc. save your cents for Paracho. If you already have your string needs met, it is still a lovely town to visit and see how guitars are handcrafted. We then visit a nearby village and the household of women who weave very fine rebosos, or traditional shawls. Then we head to town of Uruapan where we will stay for two nights. Our hotel is in the peaceful countryside on the outskirts of town and surrounded by avocado orchards. This town calls itself the avocado capital of the world, and there will be no shortage of guacamole while we are staying here. Evening in Uruapan.

Purepecha women

Day 7, Saturday (B,L). We travel even deeper into Purepecha land today, through valleys of corn and wheat surrounded by pine clad volcanoes and edged by small Purepecha villages. We will visit several indigenous towns today. In Cocucho we’ll meet with potters who create some of the largest vessels in Mexico. In Nurio we’ll see an outstanding example of a colonial, painted chapel with a beautiful, carved wooden ceiling. We’ll visit the important and lovely town of Charapan with its shaded plaza, time weathered buildings and large church built upon a Purepecha pyramid. Evening in Uruapan.

Tocuaro devil mask

Day 8, Sunday (B,L,D). Today we venture into the heart of Uruapan for one of the biggest market days of the year- actually, this amazing market goes on for 2 weeks, but today is the first day! If we time it right we’ll be able to see the cream of the cream at the annual market folk art competition, and then we will explore this market, which highlights the best of Michoacán’s artisans. We may even see some familiar faces in the form of artisans we’ve met in our travels.  Once satiated with the market we will climb in the van and return to Morelia and relax for a bit.   Evening in Morelia.

Catrina figurines-Photo by Sean Shanahan

Day 9, Monday (B,D). Today, having traveled far and seen much, we take it slow. In the morning we will visit a few places of interest with Miguel…museums, folkart shops, churches, galleries… we’ll decide together what we want to do. After lunch the afternoon is yours to fill with rest, exploring on your own, last minute shopping, people watching…Tonight we’ll have our final group dinner at a nice, local restaurant.

Day 10, Tuesday (B). This morning we share one last breakfast together and then head out via plane, bus or donkey.