Tzintzuntzan, Pátzcuaro & Morelia

We've had a nice little breakfast in our hotel with coffee, toast and fresh fruits. Then we walked back to the city center and the impressive church Diocesan Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe with the glowing stained glass windows by the morning sun. The center with the church and plaza looked so much better at day than at night. We strolled for a while but then made way to our next stop that I was very excited for, Tzintzuntzan, which in Purépecha language means: " place of hummingbirds".

The former capital of the pre-colonial indigenous Purépechas with a relatively small but we'll preserved temple complex overlooking lake Patzcuaro. We had the whole complex almost for ourselves and enjoyed the view over ruins, lake and town! We also were lucky enough to see a hummingbird flying around the Yacatas, circular pyramids. The town is also a pueblo mágico with the large convent of St. Anna and a nice little church. The inside of the convent is a museum where we read about the indigenous people and the colonisation.

About half an hour South is the town Patzcuaro, another pueblo mágico and very well deserved! The streets are rough but the buildings beautifully made with red and white paint all over. The highlights are the Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Salud, the plazas and what I liked most, the Casa de los Once Patios. A large complex housing a lot of different artisans showcasing their arts for sale. What was most impressive about the town was that it had the same clean style all over, unlike many other towns where only the historic center is well maintained. We enjoyed the time in town very much and almost wanted to stay for the night but it was still early and we had one last stop for the day, the capital of Michoacán, Morelia.

It was formerly named Valladolid and has very well preserved 17th-18th century streets and it's characteristic buildings made of the region's pink stone. The walk through the narrow streets was accompanied by a nice breeze and allowed us to enjoy the sights fully. There were some interesting special food options for here like Gazpacho (not the Spanish cold tomato soup but a fruit salad with chili, onion and cheese). We weren't hungry so we passed on that 😅

We drove on afterwards for another two hours to Ciudad Hidalgo which didn't have a lot to offer except being close by to tomorrows stop. Many food stalls, except for Tacos, had already closed but we found a small corner shop offering Tortas. After dinner we went to the hostel and feel asleep exhausted, the day had been pretty intense but rewarded with so many new impressions.Read more