3rd House Journal

Stegner's Morelia

There's a nice piece in the travel section of today's NY Times on the Mexican city of Morelia, in Michoacán, which I visited last spring. The NY Times piece uses the angle of following in the footsteps of Wallace Stegner's character, Susan Ward (and her real-life inspiration), in Angle of Repose. Funny, it's one of my all-time favorite novels and yet I hardly remembered that the main characters in the novel visited Mexico, much less Morelia. It was a brief section and I read the book a long time ago, certainly long before I'd even dreamed of visiting Mexico. Anyway, nice piece and a nice reminder of my visit. However, I must point out that the article neglected to mention in its "What to See" section one of my favorite spots, the Museo de Dulce - the candy museum. Best hot chocolate I've tasted in my life (made me absolutely high, too!) and interesting history of sweets in Mexico. Shouldn't be missed.

Pátzcuaro

[Plaza Don Vasco, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán; March 26, 2006]

The town of Pátzcuaro was the last place we visited on our tour from Morelia to the Lake Pátzcuaro area. Unfortunately we only had about a half an hour there for reasons that weren't entirely spelled out, but Jodi had an inkling that someone wanted to be back in Morelia by a particular time.

Our guide parked the van in the plaza, right in front of the best ice cream vendor in the state, in his estimation. Pátzcuaro is apparently known for its nieve de pasta, an ice cream flavored with cinnamon, almond and honey. This finally explained the word pasta that Jodi and I kept seeing around Morelia on the signs of the ice cream carts, which would often have only two flavors, pasta and limón. Pasta ice cream?? We couldn't figure it out. Pasta means "paste" in Spanish, so that didn't help. I also recalled my favorite Spanish teacher demonstrating the expression poca pasta, pulling out the pockets of his pants to show "very little money."

So in Pátzcuaro another mystery was solved, but only partially since it was unclear what exactly the flavoring of nieve de pasta was (found it here). The ice cream stand, outside under the portal of a colonial building on the plaza, had an ungodly variety of ice cream flavors - tequila, cinnamon, berry, avocado... I had a scoop of the pasta and another of chocolate. Delicious.

The others in the group were apparently tired out from the day and got back on the van, while Jodi and I were given 15 minutes to stroll around the pretty little plaza. There were restaurants and more vendors of artesenias, but we were pretty much shopped out so we didn't miss anything there. We finished our nieves and returned to the van, enjoying the Cantinflas video on the way back and arriving in Morelia at 7pm. A full day. Well, not quite over; after a shower and a rest, we went back out to sit in the cafes to enjoy a margarita, have a bite to eat, listen to the estudiantinas (strolling musicians) and, since it was Saturday night in Morelia, experience the unexpected delight of seeing fireworks over the catedral.


[Restaurant under the portales in the plaza at Pátzcuaro]

Janitzio

[A restaurant on the Isla de Janitzio, Michoacán; March 25, 2006]]

Isla de Janitzio

[Isla de Janitzio, on Lake Pátzcuaro, Michoacán; March 25, 2006]

The highlight of our tour from Morelia to Lake Pátzcuaro was taking a boat out to the island of Janitzio. About 25 people - our group of eight plus some families enjoying their Saturday tiempo libre - loaded up in the low, covered boat for the 20-minute trip. Once out on the lake, a fresh breeze blew in through the open sides, dispersing the heat and diesel fumes that had built up inside while we waited for everyone to board. The water, rather muddy brown and probably polluted, smelled fine. Approaching the island, the most striking feature is the huge (130-foot) statue of War of Independence hero José María Morelos raising his fist from the top of the island.


[José María Morelos statue over Janitzio]

On the way up the steep, narrow alleyways to the top of the island, 365 steps we were told, you're ambushed on both sides by a continuous onslaught of food stalls and vendors of all kinds of artesenias and odd stuff. The food stalls were gorgeous - overflowing in fruits and vegetables, fresh charales (small lake fish) and chilis frying in flat frying pans or set out in bowls, full-grown white fish laid out on ice, soup in giant tureens, and the ever-present fresh corn tortillas.


[Frying charales and chilis along an alleyway to the top of Janitzio]

Our guide was apparently friends with the people at one of the restaurants near the top of the island, and he led us there. We placed our orders, then had 30-40 minutes to go up and explore the top of the island before returning for our comida, the mid-day meal. We snacked on fried charales (a bit fishy for my taste) and salsa, then most of us had fried white fish filets, beans and tortillas along with a cerveza to wash it down.


[Cooks fry tortillas and charales at our restaurant near the top of the island]

The top of the island, which you pay a few pesos to enter, is relatively open after the nearly claustrophobic alleys on the way up, but there are a few vendors up there as well as a park and, of course, the base of the Morelos statue. You can enter the statue and climb to the top, but I prefered to enjoy the view and the fresh breezes from off the lake.


[View from the base of the Morelos statue on Janitzio]

Redes de pesca

[Small fishnets; Janitzio, Michoacán, Mexico; March 25, 2006]

These colorful fishnets were popular with the kids visiting the island of Janitzio on Lake Pátzcuaro. I don't know if adults actually use these or if they're just for kids or for souvenirs. Unfortunately we weren't there at prime fishing time to see how the big boys fish with their magnificent nets.

Tzintzuntzan

[Templo de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, Tzintzuntzan; 3/25/06]

The next stop on our tour of Lake Pátzcuaro was the town of Tzintzuntzan, founded by Purépecha (or Tarascan) Indians as their capital city in the 13th century. (There's a nice history of the town here, or see the capsule version on wikipedia.) After the rather tacky handicrafts stores of Quiroga, the garden of the Ex-Convento de San Francisco was peaceful and expansive. Spread out across the tranquil grounds are 33 ancient, gnarled olive trees (one for every year of Christ's life), planted almost 500 years ago by Don Vasco de Quiroga, a champion of the Purépecha people. Beside the Templo de San Francisco, built earlier for the Spanish, is the Templo de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, built for the Purépechan people. [Click photo to view larger.]

With thunder rumbling over the lake but never moving in, we listened to our guide's explanation of the history of the place, then we all dispersed to wander, photograph, and explore for a half an hour or so before returning to our van.


[500-year-old olive tree in the garden of San Francisco in Tzintzuntzan]

Trip to Lake Pátzcuaro

 
[Storefronts in Quiroga, near Lake Pátzcuaro, Michoacán; Mar. 25, 2006]

While visiting Morelia, we took a day tour out to the area around Lake Pátzcuaro. A minivan picked us up, along with a couple from Monterrey, a couple from Puebla, and two women from Cancún, one of whom was an American who'd moved to Cancún many years ago. Our driver and guide dropped a video screen down for us to watch a couple of tourist videos, in Spanish and English, about the state of Michoacán, turning it down when needed so he could point out (in Spanish) a few of the sites along the way. It's about a half-hour or so drive out to the Pátzcuaro area, slowed a bit by some crawls on narrow streets through small towns which our driver made up for by speeding breakneck along the twisty highways.

Our first stop was Quiroga. Not the most attractive town, it appeared to be a tourist trap and I had some doubts about our tour, but it did have incredibly cheap stuff, some of it rather nice. I'd spent enough time (and money) in the shops and mercado in San Miguel so I only picked up some brightly colored woven palm coasters and a couple of those silly charro pens.


[A store in Quiroga displays its wares]

A propos of nothing... I mentioned earlier the video screen in the van. On the way home from our trip, the driver used it to show El Padrecito, a movie starring Mario Moreno Reyes, also known by the character he portrayed, Cantinflas. I'd never seen a Cantinflas movie before. It was hilarious! I can't recall now if they subtitled it in English, I think they did, but it was the Spanish wordplay that was so clever and funny. Our ride ended before we got to the end of the movie. I must see if I can get a hold of a copy. Also interesting was that El Padrecito was set in San Miguel de Allende - interesting to see a little of what it looked like long before the American hordes arrived.


[Yellow - very yellow - storefront in Quiroga.]

Memorias

[Entrance to a cafe in Morelia; Mar. 24, '06; click to view larger]

Supply your own title and/or story ______. If you can't see it clearly, it's a map of Mexico, with towns and cities in central Mexico labeled and linked by routes. The pages flying off the map appear to be diary pages. The torsos, well, you can see those. It makes me think, just now, of some of Ernesto's poems. If I had time, I'd find one to link to.

At first I thought it was an odd mural for a cafe. But maybe not. One drinks, one reminisces...

Museo de Dulce

   
[A woman makes candy at the Museo del Dulce, Morelia; 3/24/06]

How can you not love a city with its own candy museum? As if Morelia isn't sweet enough. When Jodi and I were perusing the guide pamphlets, we zeroed right in on the Museo del Dulce as a must-see. In the museum itself, there's an historical account of how before the Spanish arrived the locals ate sweets made from honey and fruit. Then the Spanish arrived and brought with them sugar cane and cinnamon from the Orient. Dominican nuns, who came to bring Christianity to the New World, made sweets in the convents. Then, of course, there was chocolate - first used by the Maya as a bitter ceremonial drink and then the Aztecs who elevated it to near gold status, even using it for money. See more on chocolate's culinary evolution. On my previous trip to Mexico, I had a hard time finding actual Mexican chocolate, or any chocolate for that matter. I should have come to Morelia.


[In the cafe at the Museo del Dulce; Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico]

Yes, there is a cafe at the museum, so that you can taste a bit of history perhaps, or to finally satisfy the mouth-watering craving you experience from all the smells. I wasn't sure whether to ask for my hot chocolate amargo, bitter, or semi-amargo. How bitter is this, I asked the period-clad waitress. She assured me there was sugar in the amargo, and indeed, it had just the right amount. I really don't have that much of a sweet tooth. I find most candy and desserts unbearably sweet. Not this chocolate caliente. It was perfect, intensely chocolate but not too sweet. It made me absolutely high, too - I was flying all afternoon! And without the near sugar coma that usually follows.


[Little turtles, in the cafe at the Museo del Dulce]


[The best museum shop in the world; Museo del Dulce, Morelia]

Of course you can't leave the museo without purchasing a few recuerdos to take home. Since this was the end of the trip, I could only fit so much in my suitcase. So I bought a nip of rompope, an alcoholic beverage that tastes like eggnog, some marzipan almendritas, and a hefty packet of Mexican chocolate. There are apparently some 300 Mexican candies, according to this excellent article on the Museo del Dulce. I have no idea how many you can get a taste of in the museum, but as the article says, "The museum seems to be the best way of getting to know the authentic history of this place.''


[The kitchen in the Museo del Dulce]

Morelia

[The catedral in Morelia, Michoacan, from the Plaza Ocampo; March 24, 2006]

Julio, who we met in Guanajuato last year, had told us about the cantera rosa, the pink volcanic stone, that was used for many of the buildings in Morelia's historic center. Like rose-colored glasses, it lends a tranquil, all's-right-with-the-world air to the city, an attitude that also seems to have rubbed off on its citizens. The catedral, built between 1640 and 1745, is said to be the most beautiful in Mexico (according to Frommers). At night it is lit up, making it even more dominant in the city center. (Like the town of Guanajuato, which we visited last year, Morelia's historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Centre.)

A couple of blocks from the catedral there's also the lovely Templo de Las Monjas...


[Facade of the Templo de Las Monjas; March 24, 2006]

Next to Las Monjas is the Palacio Federal, with its beautiful murals (click on any photo to view it larger)...


[Palacio Federal, Morelia; March 26, 2006]


[Palacio Federal, Morelia; March 26, 2006]

Continue down the Avenida Madero and you reach the colonial aqueduct. Built between 1785-89, there are 253 arches designed to bring water to the city from hillside springs almost a mile away [link].


[Fuente las Tarascas - fountain still fed by the aqueduct; see also here]


[Acueducto, in the Plaza Villalongin; March 24, 2006]