March 7, 2018 - Pátzcuaro motorcycle touring

We took the motorcycle tour around Lake Pátzcuaro today getting an early start. We headed north on the east side of the lake heading to the Tzintzuntzan archeological site. We passed by several places selling all kinds of lawn and garden statues. We didn’t see anything we couldn’t live without!Our first real stop was the Tzintzuntzan archeological site which contains the ruins of an important Purépechan city that received its name which means “place of the hummingbirds” from the many hummingbirds that gathered there. We didn’t see any hummingbirds, but we did spot this pretty red-headed bird.Tzintzuntzan was the ceremonial center of the Purépecha kingdom. It is situated on a large artificial platform excavated into Yahuarato hill overlooking Lake Pátzcuaro from the northeast shore. The ceremonial center contains a large plaza and several buildings known to house priests and nobility, but the main attraction is the five yácatas or semi-circular pyramids that face out over the lake area. This is an aerial view taken by the archaeological society.On each of the yácatas was a temple made of wood, in which the most important rites of the Purépecha people and government took place, including burials, of which about sixty have been found.Tzintzuntzan was the capital of the Purépecha Empire when the Spanish arrived in 1522. When the Spaniards conquered the Purépecha in the early 16th century, they pilfered most of the yacata stones to build their nearby Monastery of San Francisco. From the hill overlooking the town of Tzintzuntzan, we could see the Monastery.After visiting the archeological site we drove into town to see the Monastery of San Francisco. We walked to the church with its wide-open square lined with rows of ancient olive trees. Planted by Vasco de Quiroga in 1530, these stout twisted olive trees are considered the oldest in Mexico. Following the path were also stones marking the Stations of the Cross.After visiting the Monastery, we stopped by this lady’s gorditas stand to have a morning snack. A gordita in Mexican cuisine is a pastry made with masa and stuffed with cheese, meat, or other fillings. We had ours with beans and cheese. For 15 pesos it was a good treat!Back on the motorcycle, our next stop was Quiroga. We arrived at the central square and were not disappointed! All of those umbrellas are little stands selling food. One of the really great things about this square is many of the food vendors offer samples so you can decided if you want to eat their food!The first pork we sampled was from Carnitas Carmelo. We came back and got our “torta” (sandwich) from him. It was moist and tender and was big enough for us to share one sandwich! We spent some time wandering through the markets and looking at the churches near the square. The Parroquia de San Diego de Alcala church was undergoing some renovations outside, but it had a beautiful ceiling inside! On the way out of town we saw another square with the Quiroga sign so it was picture time!The weather was great as we continued around the lake, stopping several times to look at the lake. We were able to see Janitzio Island. Six years ago we took a boat out to the island and climbed the long path to the top where there is a statue of Jose Maria Morelos, a great hero of Mexico’s independence. This time, we looked at it from the shore!There were several small towns that had these pottery shops so we stopped to check it out. Well, this is mass production! These  are bundles of ceramic cups which are then distributed to other areas where they are sold to tourists. The quality was not great.We could see this yellow church from the road so we turned into the town to check it out. It was interesting to see because the altar was lit up with neon!There were also several interesting statues along the right side of the church. We weren’t sure what this one represents – just interesting.Six hours and about 80 kilometers later, we were back at the Villa Pátzcuaro Hotel and RV Park. It was a fun day!Tomorrow we will stop at Santa Clara del Cobre, another of the “Pueblo Magicos” of Mexico, before heading back to the coast.