February 21, 2010 — Ah, Patzcuaro! The chill mornings at 7,000 feet, the evergreen-forested hills, the lake, the field stone fences painstakingly constructed by generations of campesinos, the 400-year old stone buildings, the rustic wood cabins with steep tile roofs, the church bells, the wood smoke, the ice cream vendors and consumers,
the market,
the beautiful Purepecha faces,
the easy pace and, of course, the crafts.
In Patzcuaro and surrounding villages there are hand-woven table linens in a riot of colors, pine needle baskets, wood carvings, furniture, cheerful flowers fashioned from corn husks, hand-hammered copper, cantera stone carving, leather, traditional ceramics, and the best guitars in Mexico. We have returned many times, and it touches us still.
The beautiful old Plaza Quiroga is being refurbished this year to the design originally mandated in the 1500’s by King Felipe II of Spain.
The project provides lots of jobs in these hard times, and the result will no doubt be beautiful. But it may take a while to acquire the patina of the old square we loved.
The construction deprives us of or our accustomed morning paseo, and young lovers must find other places to embrace. We wonder whether the birth rate will be affected.
We end the day after dark, in a little shop that sells hearts, crosses and other mysterious items made with the little tin “milagros” that are so popular at Chiripa.
When we tell the young shopkeeper that we are from Chiripa, her eyes sparkle and she breaks into a beautiful smile: “Oh yes, I remember you!”
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