Travel and Adventure by Various Travel Authors

Imagine this Christmas season that instead of going to the mall for gifts, instead you visit the lakeside Mexican colonial town of Patzcuaro, situated 6,706 feet above sea level.

Yes, there is the expense of a trip to the Mexican state of Michoacan to consider. But there are comparative bargains to be had, plus the benefit of purchasing your gifts from the hands that made them.

I have to admit the idea wasn't mine. Five years ago I was sitting in the restaurant of the Hotel Mansion Iturbe, which overlooks a grand square in Patzcuaro. The city is located on the shore of Lake Patzcuaro in the Sierra Madre, about four hours by car northwest of Mexico City and four hours southwest of Guadalajara.

There was a group of American women sharing two small tables and speaking of the items they had purchased on their adventures the day before. A van pulled up. A second van pulled up. The second van, I was told by one of the women, was for all the crafts and artwork the women had purchased along the way. The second van would follow the women to the airport that day for easy shipment of their gifts home.

When my barber, Elizabeth Galloway, mentioned that she was going on a shopping spree to Patzcuaro in February 2008, I asked if I could tag along.

On her first trip about six months earlier, Galloway had hired experienced local guide Arminda Flores, who drove her and another friend around to the villages where all sorts of crafts are made by hand, including leather goods, ceramics, copper kitchen and bathroom wares and artistic wooden masks.

Patzcuaro, like Oaxaca in the southern part of the country, is a Mexican arts-and-crafts center.

The reason lies in Michoacan's regional history and the vision of a well-known priest named Don Vasco de Quiroga — a priest turned prosecutor who removed from power Nuno de Guzman, the second in command of Cortez's army — for cruelty to the native population. Quiroga was known for educating the indigenous people in all the villages around the lake and teaching the villagers of each area a different craft.

Galloway makes two trips a year and brings crafts back to offer to friends and family at a holiday craft sale.

Betsy McNair, the leader of the group has led shopping tours in Patzcuaro for five years. She has a long history in Mexico tourism and markets her tours under the simple name: My Mexico Tours.

Both women offered tips and direction to help me make the most of my time in Patzcuaro and the surrounding towns and villages:

 

SHOPPING SPREE

Quiroga: Go there for all sorts of leather goods from purses to belts to wallets even leather jackets and don't miss the famous lunch of carnitas, or braised pork, at Carnitas El Rey on that town's main square.

Tzintzuntzan — Go for straw goods, ceramics, wooden furniture and to see the oldest olive trees in the New World, planted around the Convento de San Francisco. Tzintzuntzan, which means place of the hummingbirds, was the seat of the native Tarascan Empire. Manuel Morales sells lead-free pottery out of his workshop studio near the courtyard.

Santa Clara de Cobre — When I told my sister I was heading to Patzcuaro, she began pleading with me to bring back a copper farm sink for her bathroom remodel. They would be a bargain. What costs $350 or more in the United States costs $50 in this town. Many of the copper bathroom basins we are seeing in interior decorating catalogues come from this town of artisans in the highlands of Michoacan.

McNair advised me to visit El Porton to see the "best demonstration of any shop in town." On just about every avenue are copper craftsman and their stores.

Santa Clara is not located near the lake, but can be reached by bus or taxi about 35 minutes away from Patzcuaro.

Tocuaro — This town, located about 20 minutes from Patzcuaro, features artisans who carve wood masks, some of which are museum quality. I visited the house and courtyard workshop of mask maker Felipe de Jesus Horta Tera. His cousin, Juan Horta, a well-known wood and grand master passed away in December 2006. Look for signs advertising "mascaras" near the front door and ask to see their work. (An American fan of Felipe Horta created a Web link for him at www.KosherComedy.com.)

Galloway introduced me to Barro Sin Plomo, which she learned about on an earlier gift-buying trip to Mexico. Barro Sin Plomo, which means clay without lead is an organization that educates artisans to practice their ancient craft of pottery making but without leaded clay — improving everyone's health, craftsmen and consumer. Lead-free ceramic plates and cups can be used in the microwave and on dinner tables.

There is a new generation of small hotels and bed and breakfasts in Patzcuaro.

 

WHERE TO STAY

Galloway stays at the Casa Encantada, a popular Bed and Breakfast located about a half-block from the main plaza, which features a fountain and a bigger-than-life sculpture of Don Vasco de Quiroga.

I stayed in the Hotel Mansion Iturbe, the standard bearer of classy small hotels on the main plaza. I enjoyed watching life unfold on the square from my 18th century balcony. For tours, the hotel recommends Francisco Castilleja, an English-speaking guide who can be reached through the hotel.

Another great source of information about Patzcuaro, the villages and vacation rentals is Michele Roosothe. She can be reached at: www.ecomexico.org.

The closest regional airport is in the state capital city, Morelia, located about an hour and a half away from Patzcuaro. I decided, however, to fly into the beach resort town of Ixtapa and take in a couple days at the beach before embarking on the shopping spree. A new highway opened between Ixtapa and Michoacan several years ago and now major first-class bus lines offer twice daily service.

In Ixtapa the hotel Presidente Intercontinental is a perfect choice for an overnight or two. I could wheel my suitcase across the street directly to the Parikuni bus depot. Two buses depart daily. I got in a morning of beach and sun and occasionally finding a wave to ride. I ate a big last breakfast and checked out. I purchased a $27 bus ticket and I was off to the highlands of Mexico. The bus line offers a cold drink and a movie on the bus.

Kentuckians Katie Ford, her husband and Terry Roat, an occupational therapist from Illinois rented a car at the Ixtapa Airport for their journey to Patzcuaro in February. That may have been smarter than, I as it was easier to carry their gifts home.

 

IF YOU GO

— My Mexico Tours: Betsy McNair: www.mymexicotours.com; 831-476-9693.

— Barro Sin Plomo: www.barrosinplomo.org

— Hotel Mansion Iturbe www.mansioniturbe.com; Toll free fax: 1-866-678-6102

— La Casa Encantada: www.lacasaencantada.com

— Ixtapa Presidente Intercontinental Hotel: www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/overview/ZIHHA

— Bus Line from Ixtapa: www.parhikuni.com

Stuart Wasserman is a freelance travel writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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