At the time of the arrival of Hernán Cortés Cholula was second only to the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan as the largest city in central Mexico, possibly with a population of up to 100,000 people. In addition to the great temple of Quetzalcoatl and various palaces, the city had 365 temples.

In 1519 Cortés, either in a pre-meditated effort to instill fear upon the Aztecs waiting for him at Tenochtitlan or (as he later claimed when under investigation) wishing to make an example when he feared native treachery, conducted an infamous massacre here, killing thousands of unarmed members of the nobility gathered at the central plaza and partially burning down the city.

A few years later Cortés vowed that the city would be rebuilt with a Christian church to replace each of the old pagan temples; less than 50 new churches were actually built, but the Spanish colonial churches are unusually numerous for a city of its size. There is a common saying in Cholula that there is a church for every day of the year.

During the Spanish Colonial period Cholula was overtaken in importance by the nearby city of Puebla.

The Great Pyramid of Cholula, also known as Tlachihualtepetl (Nahuatl for "artificial mountain"), is a huge complex located in Cholula, Puebla, Mexico. It is the world's largest monument and largest Pre-Columbian pyramid by volume.

The temple-pyramid complex was built in four stages, starting from the 3rd century BC through the 9th century AD, and was dedicated to the deity Quetzalcoatl. It has a base of 450 by 450 m (1476x1476 ft) and a height of 66 m (217 ft). According to the Guinness Book of Records, it is in fact the largest pyramid as well as the largest monument ever constructed anywhere in the world, with a total volume estimated at over 4.45 million m³, even larger than that of the  Pyramid of Gyze in Egypt which is about 2.5 million m³. However the Great Pyramid of Giza is higher at 138.8 m (455 feet). The Aztecs believed that Xelhua built the Great Pyramid of Cholula.

Today the pyramid at first appears to be a natural hill surmounted by a church. This is the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios (Church of Our Lady of the Remedies), also known as the Santuario de la Virgen de los Remedios (Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Remedies), which was built by the Spanish in colonial times (1594) on the site of a pre-Hispanic temple. The church is a major Catholic pilgrimage destination, and the site is also used for the celebration of indigenous rites. Many ancient sites in Latin America are found under modern Catholic holy sites, due to the practice of the Catholic Church repurposing local religious sites.

Because of the historic and religious significance of the church, which is a designated colonial monument, the pyramid as a whole has not been excavated and restored, as have the smaller but better-known pyramids at Teotihuacan. Inside the pyramid are some five miles (8 km) of tunnels excavated by archaeologists.

The colonial city of Puebla is pretty easy to discover. Almost everything important is located close to the Zocalo.

During the French intervention in Mexico on 5 May 1862 in the Battle of Puebla, defending Mexican forces under Ignacio Zaragoza defeated the French army under Count de Lorencez, which was considered to be the most powerful in the world at the time. The city’s name was changed to Puebla de Zaragoza in 1862, by a decree issued by Benito Juarez and the holiday “5 de Mayo” (Cinco de Mayo) is a major annual event here. The city was attacked again by the French in 1863, who succeeded in taking it. French forces left in 1866 and reconstruction began in 1867. So, there is at least one thing we have the French to thank for: Cinco the Mayo…;-)

During the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, Puebla remained important culturally and economically. It had a thriving textile industry at this time. Immigration from Europe was encouraged and people from Spain, Italy, Germany France and Lebanon came to live in the city. French influence can still be seen in much of the city’s architecture. The Germans mostly settled in the Humboldt neighborhood where Bavarian style houses and the Alexander von Humboldt German College can still be found. German immigration here was one of the reasons Volkswagen built a large factory just outside of the city, later in the 20th century.

German House in Puebla

After spending so much time in a beautiful city like San Miguel it is difficult to appreciate a city like Puebla. It is nice but just too big to really have flair. After two nights in Puebla we are going to move on to Oaxaca.

Days 81 - 85
April 5th 2010 - April 9th 2010

San Miguel de Allende - click HERE for photos of San Miguel de Allende

Our time in San Miguel de Allende comes to an end. We will move on either Sunday or Monday.

Last week, Nicole continued with her jewlery making class. So, custum made jewlery anyone?  We also spent a day in Xalo, a waterpark with waterslides and games. The pools are fed by natural spring waters and have a temp. of 80 F. Xalo is in the middle of nowhere so we were very surprised to see how clean and well kept the whole park was.

The rest of the days was filled with little repairs, oil change and - of course - with doing nothing.

As written earlier, it's time to move on. Next stop will be Puebla, followed by Oaxaca and later Chiapas.

Day 80
April 4th 2010

Easter really is a big holiday here in Mexico - and a loud one. Last night at around 10.30 pm the church about 100 yard away came to live. Must've been an open air mass. The priest kept preaching for about 2 hours and I am sure he would've been a great cheerleader. At the end of the mass the bells started ringing for the first time since last Thursday. After that the fireworks started. At 0.30 am !!! But no, fireworks only would've been too boring. They blew of some kind of aerial bombs. The camper shook every time one went off. Amazing.

Then at 12 noon today, another part of the Easter festivities started. They strung ropes across the street in fron of the main plaza and hung up some kind of lifesize dolls - and blew them up. One after another. They had about 20 dolls... I was told that the dolls represent the judas.  

Please click HERE if you want to watch a short video

I don't know what's next but I am sure it will be loud and happy...

Days 76 - 79
March 31st - April 3rd 2010

San Miguel de Allende & Guanajuato - Click HERE for Guanajuato Pics or go to the Photos Page

We are still in San Miguel. It's Easter Week and Easter is a very important holiday here. Semana Santa as the Mexicans call it. We wanted to be able to experience it first hand. The Holdiday also means a lot of traffic on the roads because most Mexicans take a vacation during this week.

So far we were able to witness two processions here in San Miguel. One last Wednesday and one yesterday, on Good Friday. Pretty impressive I have to say.

Two days ago we drove to Guanajuato, a very important place in Mexican history.
The city played a major role in the Mexican War of Independence since it is the capital of the state of Guanajuato in which Miguel Hidalgo started the independence movement. The statue of El Pípila and the Alhóndiga de Granaditas still remind of that time.

Pípila,  became famous for an act of heroism near the very beginning of the Mexican War of Independence, on 28 September 1810. The insurrection had begun in the nearby town of Dolores, led by Miguel Hidalgo, a criollo priest born in Pénjamo. He soon moved to the city of Guanajuato, Guanajuato, where the Spanish barricaded themselves–along with plenty of silver and other riches–in a grain warehouse known as the Alhóndiga de Granaditas. The granary was a stone fortress with high stone walls, but its wooden door proved to be an Achilles' heel.

With a long, flat stone tied to his back to protect him from the muskets of the Spanish troops, Pípila carried tar and a torch to the door of the Alhóndiga and set it on fire. The insurgents–who far outnumbered the Spanish in the warehouse–stormed inside and killed all the soldiers and the civil Spanish refugees. Some accounts say that Pípila was not alone but went accompanied by other indigenous miners ready to fight for their freedom from the Spanish, but as the story is told today in Guanajuato, Pípila stood alone to break through the door.

Guanajuato is different from other colonial cities, that had room to grow. Those cities lost a lot of their colonial charme. Guanajuato did not have room to grow, since it is located in a valley surrounded by mountains. 

Uwe - the german guy we met on the road to Aquascalientes - came to San Miguel for a visit.He stayed for two days and it was a lot of fun.

Days 70- 75
March 25^th 2010 - March 30^th 2010

San Miguel de Allende

The drive back from Mexico City was pretty easy and fast. As nice at it was, it was good to be back in San Miguel de Allende. It’s just a little bit more relaxed than the big city.

The last couple of days were filed with “nothing”. We just relaxed and hung out. Only the occasional sightseeing tour interrupted the “mexican living” .

We drove to Dolores Hidalgo - more or less the birthplace of Mexican Independence. A quiet little town with a small main square. Almost all the main “attractions” are concentrated around this square.

The city was a small town known simply as Dolores when Father Miguel Hidalgo uttered his famous cry for the independence of Mexico (the Grito de Dolores) there in the early hours of September 16, 1810, in front of his parish church. After Mexico achieved independence, the town was renamed Dolores Hidalgo in his honor. On September 28, 1810, Hidalgo's forces killed more than 500 Spaniard and Creole loyalist soldiers during the battle for Dolores; 2,000 Indigenous Mexicans died in the fighting. Today Dolores Hidalgo is known primarily for its ceramics industry, which provides income to well over half the city's population. The inexpensive and mass-produced output of the town is marketed throughout Latin America and the United States.

Dolores Hidalgo is also famous for its ice cream. The vendors offer crazy flavors like Beer, Tequila, Roasted Pig, Chili. I sampled the Tequila Ice cream which is not really made of Tequila but of a cactus.

On March 28^th we celebrated Marissa’s 2^nd Birthday. It was a fun filled day with lots of presents from Omi & Opi, Oma & Opa and the rest of the family. We even had a Black Forest Cake and Baerbel and Joachim joined us for Coffee.

Last week, Nicole took a jewelry making class. She made a ring and two pendants. Really great work. Maybe there is a new career waiting for her…;-)

Days 65 - 69
March 20^th 2010 - March 24^th 2010

Mexico City - for photos click HERE or go to the Photos page

Today we drove to Mexico City. We left our Camper at the campground and took a rental car. We stayed at the Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel.

Mexico City or D.F. as the locals call it is the capital and largest city in the country of Mexico. Mexico City is considered one of the two most important financial centers in Latin America, (the other being São Paulo, Brazil). Supporters of this view point out that the market capitalization of the Bolsa Mexicana de Valores, Mexico's main stock exchange, is greater than the combined market capitalization of the main stock exchanges of Argentina, Chile, and Peru.  It is also considered a global city.Located in the Valley of Mexico, a large valley in the high plateaus at the center of Mexico, at an altitude of 2,240 metres (7,350 ft), the city consists of sixteen boroughs.

With over 20 million people Mexico City is one of the biggest cities in the world and with a land area of 1,485 square kilometres (573 sq mi), Mexico City is one of the most densely populated cities in the country.

The city now known as Mexico City was founded by the Mexica, also called the Aztecs, in 1325. The old Mexica city is now referred to as Tenochtitlan. The Mexica were one of the last of the Nahuatl-speaking peoples who migrated to this part of the Valley of Mexico after the fall of the Toltec Empire. Their presence was resisted by the peoples who were already in the valley, but the Mexica were able to establish a city on a small island on the western side of Lake Texcoco. The Mexica themselves had a story about how their city was founded, after being led to the island by their principal god, Huitzilopochtli. According to the story, the god indicated their new home with a sign, an eagle perched on a nopal cactus with a snake in its beak. Between 1325 and 1521, Tenochtitlan grew in size and strength, eventually dominating the other city-states around Lake Texcoco, and in the Valley of Mexico. They took these people by force or conquer. When the Spaniards arrived, the Aztec Empire reached much of Mesoamerica, touching both the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.

We booked a tour to Teotihuacan. 10 years ago, when we visited Chitzen Itza, we missed the inside info only a tour guid can give you. So this time we enlisted the help of a guide. The downside was the “touristy touch” of the whole tour. The good thing was that we also went to some other places and the detailed info about those places.

Before the bus took us to Teotihuacan we stopped at the Basilica of our Lady of Guadelupe.

The name Basilica of Guadalupe (also Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Spanish) may refer to one of the two churches built on top of Tepeyac hill, north of Mexico City. The site is nearby the place where it is said Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in front of Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. This site is also known as La Villa de Guadalupe or, in a more popular sense, simply La Villa.

The new Basilica houses the original tilma (or apron) of Juan Diego that shows the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Thus it is an important pilgrimage site and is visited by several million people every year, especially around December 12, Our Lady of Guadalupe's Feast day.The Basilica is part of the Historic Centre of Mexico City, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1987.

Old and new

Officially known as the "Templo Expiatorio a Cristo Rey," the construction of the old basilica began in 1531 and was not finished until 1709. It is characterized by its doric interior and marble statues of Juan Diego and Fray Juan de Zumárraga. The church was granted basilica status by Pope Pius X in 1904.

The apron of Juan Diego was housed in this church from 1709 to 1974. In 1921 a bomb planted in a flower vase near the altar by a anticlerical activist exploded causing great damage to the interior of the building. The apron survived the incident largely undamaged.

The old basilica was sinking as a result of the weakness of the ground, as the city was built on a former lake. As a consequence a new, more spacious, basilica was built. The old one was closed for many years and repairs have recently finished. It is now again open to the public and perpetual adoration is held there. It is a very important place for Mexico City.

The modern basilica was built between 1974 and 1976 by the Mexican architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez who was also the architect of the Estadio Azteca. It is a circular building constructed in such a way as to allow maximum visibility for the image to those inside. The structure is supported by 350 pylons that prevent the basilica from sinking with the rest of the ground..

The Basilica is considered as the second most important sanctuary of Catholicism (this based upon the number of pilgrims it hosts per year) just after the Vatican City.

The Basilica has sitting space for 10,000 people inside the premises. However, temporary seats are often placed in the atrium that allow up to 40,000 people to take part of the Mass and other ritual celebrations. There are nine chapels in the ground level each able to seat about 200 people.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe (Spanish: Virgen de Guadalupe). According to the traditional account, the image appeared miraculously on the cloak of Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City on December 12, 1531. The icon is on display in the Basilica of Guadalupe in the same locality and is regarded as Mexico's most popular religious and cultural image.

After an hour we moved on to Teotihuacan, which is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas. Apart from the pyramidal structures, Teotihuacan is also known for its large residential complexes, the Avenue of the Dead, and numerous colorful, well-preserved murals.

At its zenith in the first half of the 1st millennium BC, Teotihuacan was the largest city in the pre-Columbian Americas. At this time it may have had more than 200,000 inhabitants, placing it among the largest cities of the world in this period. The civilization and cultural complex associated with the site is also referred to as Teotihuacan or Teotihuacano.

Although it is a subject of debate whether Teotihuacan was the center of a state empire, its influence throughout Mesoamerica is well documented; evidence of Teotihuacano presence, if not outright political and economic control, can be seen at numerous sites in Veracruz and the Maya region. The ethnicity of the inhabitants of Teotihuacan is also a subject of debate. Possible candidates are the Nahua, Otomi or Totonac ethnic groups. Scholars have also suggested that Teotihuacan was a multiethnic state.

The city and the archaeological site were located in what is now the San Juan Teotihuacán municipality in the State of México, Mexico, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) northeast of Mexico City. The site covers a total surface area of 83km² and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. It is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico.

The early history of Teotihuacan is quite mysterious, and the origin of its founders is debated. For many years, archaeologists believed it was built by the Toltec. This belief was based on colonial period texts, such as the Florentine Codex, which attributed the site to the Toltecs. However, the Nahuatl word "Toltec" generally means "craftsman of the highest level" and may not always refer to the Toltec civilization centered at Tula, Hidalgo. Since Toltec civilization flourished centuries after Teotihuacan, the people could not have been the city's founders.

In the Late Formative period, a number of urban centers arose in central Mexico. The most prominent of these appears to have been Cuicuilco, on the southern shore of Lake Texcoco. Scholars have speculated that the eruption of the Xitle volcano may have prompted a mass emigration out of the central valley and into the Teotihuacan valley. These settlers may have founded and/or accelerated the growth of Teotihuacan.

Other scholars have put forth the Totonac people as the founders of Teotihuacan. There is evidence that at least some of the people living in Teotihuacan came from areas influenced by the Teotihuacano civilization, including the Zapotec, Mixtec and Maya peoples. The culture and architecture of Teotihuacan was influenced by the Olmec people, who are considered to be the "mother civilization" of Mesoamerica.

The earliest buildings at Teotihuacan date to about 200 BC. The largest pyramid, the Pyramid of the Sun, was completed by 100 AD.

We also visited the National Museum for Anthropology The Museo Nacional de Antropología (MNA) exhibits the pre-columbian as well as the Indian culture of Mexico.

One of the most important exhibits is the Piedra del Sol or Stone of the Sun.

The Aztec calendar stone, Mexica sun stone, or Stone of the Sun (Spanish: Piedra del Sol), is a large monolithic sculpture that was excavated in the Zócalo, Mexico City's main square, on December 17, 1790.

Measuring about 3.6 metres (12 ft) in diameter, 1.22 metres (4 ft) in thickness and weighing 24 tons. Images from the Sun Stone appear on the reverse of Mexican peso coins of all denominations. Because of the carved hieroglyphs, with the names of the days and the cosmogonic suns, it was first incorrectly identified as a calendar stone Actually it has been a "temalacatl", a round stone utilized to tie captive warriors in gladiatorial sacrifices.

Outside the museum, we were able to watch the Voladores and an over 500 year old ritual. The ritual encompasses part of the richer symbolism of Totonacapan: the fertility and union of God with human beings. It is executed by five people in traditional attire (with embroidered flowers, birds, in many colors). The central element is the "flying pole" (a wooden post by which originally a solemn religious ceremony was erected) as the connection of the ground with the heavens. 

We spent around 4 hours in the museum before we moved on the zoo across the street which by the way is free..

Days 60 - 64
March 16^th - March 20^th 2010

We took our camper off the truck and officially moved to Mexico. No, not quite, but we are going to spend some time here in San Miguel de Allende. The city has a great vibe and it just feels good to be somewhere for more than 1 or 2 nights. There are many Americans here and I guess that’s part of the reason we like it. Also, as I wrote earlier, we met a couple from Germany. They come from the same region in Germany were we were born and we made a connection.

There is so much to see in and around San Miguel. We spent the last day discovering the area. Mineral de Pozos for example, which is 40 miles north of San Miguel de Allende.

Pozos (wells or mine shafts) is a nearly abandoned mining town. A hundred years ago, its miners and other inhabitants numbered more than 40,000. Mining stopped when the 1910 Revolution began and has never resumed. Miners joined or were conscripted into the various fighting factions. Foreign capital (many of the mines were operated by Europeans and Americans) dried up. Without pumps groundwater filled the shafts and spare parts for mining machines became unavailable.
At one point in the late 1800s more than 300 mine sites were claimed.

The population now stands at fewer than 1,000. A number of movies have used Mineral de Pozos as a location.

In the mining area called Santa Brigida three 50 ft high melting ovens, built by Jesuits around 1597, are among the oldest structures in the State of Guanajuato.

On the way back from Santa Brigida to town we got lost in the wide open space. The roads became potholed horse tracks and driving became difficult. After an hour we finally found our way back.

The Tree at La Huerta

Together with our new German friends we drove to the village of La Huerta. It is reached via a dusty, abandoned railroad track and a quarter mile long tunnel built around 1900. La Huerta is best known for having one of the biggest trees in Mexico. It is thought to be about 500 years old. The tree is about 70 feet high, the trunk 80 feet in circumference and about 25 feet in diameter. It is a Montezuma baldcypress which is the national tree of Mexico.

I am pretty sure that we drove the first car with NY Plates into this isolated village.

Tomorrow we will drive to Mexico City. We’ll leave our truck and camper here on the campground and take a rental car.

Day 59
March 15th 2010

San Miguel de Allende

As I wrote yesterday, the location of the campground makes it easy to explore this beautiful city by foot. 

San Miguel de Allende is a historic town founded in 1542 that has become an attractive tourist destination for wealthy Mexico City residents and has a large American and Canadian expatriate community composed primarily of retirees. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The town was founded in 1542 by the Franciscan monk Fray Juan de San Miguel. It was an important stopover on the Antiguo Camino Real, part of the silver route from Zacatecas, Zacatecas. The town featured prominently in the Mexican War of Independence. General Ignacio Allende, one of San Miguel's native sons, was a leading player in the war against Spain for independence. Allende, captured in battle and beheaded, is a national hero. San Miguel el Grande renamed itself "San Miguel de Allende" in 1826 in honor of his actions.

By 1900, San Miguel de Allende was in danger of becoming a ghost town. Declared a national historic monument in 1926 by the Mexican government, development in the historic district is restricted in order to preserve the town's colonial character. During the Cristero uprising in Mexico, when clergy and their families were persecuted, the grandchildren of Gen. Mariano Escobedo came to San Miguel de Allende, which was conveniently in a secluded condition while verging on being a ghost town.

The six children of the daughter of Mariano Escobedo, Donna Maria del Refugio, were Don Anastasio Lopez Escobedo, Don Ezequiel Lopez Escobedo, Dr Ignacio Lopez Escobedo, and the sisters, Balbina and Isabella Lopez Escobedo. The elder child was a Cura, a charismatic head priest, Don Jose Lopez Escobedo, for whom the family was persecuted. The Cura Jose Lopez is interred at the main altar under St. Peter in the main Parroquia church of San Miguel, with a beautiful dedication to his work restoring the church in the 20th century. Lopez Escobedo is interred in the Church by the world-famous and miraculous Christ of the Conquest. The family fled their native home hacienda, Hacienda de los Lopez, to San Miguel Allende, where the Escobedo had a home, on Calle de Mesones and where a plaque still identifies the house.

Few descendants from this family live in San Miguel, as only Don Ezequiel Lopez Escobedo had children. The eldest of his grandchildren is Marcela Andre Lopez, an international teacher and designer of jewel garlands now in residence in the historic district in one of Don Ezequiel Lopez Escobedo's homes. Sr. Ezequiel Lopez Basurto, son of Don Ezequiel Lopez Escobedo, has presided over many works by the Rotary Club.

In the early 20th century, the family fortune of the Lopez Escobedo brothers and sisters was largely donated to schools for girls, convents for nuns, or lost to older distant relatives and people helped by the family who falsified papers or discovered hidden treasure after Don Ezequiel's sudden stroke and death. The impoverished barkeeper's assistant who found Don Ezequiel's property deeds and gold kept the find from Don Ezequiel's widow and five children who suffered hardships as orphans. The barkeeper's assistant had leased the store at Calle Relox and San Francisco Street from Don Ezequiel's widow and in the abundant inventory found more than could have been imagined.

Tonight, Nicole went to an African Dance class with Baerbel. Sorry folks, no pics available here. Even I would've died to see that. African Dance in Mexico...

Day 58

March 14th 2010

Drive to San Miguel de Allende

Today we drove about 180 Miles from Patzuaro to San Miguel de Allende. 
Our Campground is located in the city and makes it easy to explore.  The cobblestone streets are very narrow and it was kind of difficult to ge through the gate of the campground. It took somme maneuvering and patience. We met another couple from Germany on the campround. They've been travelling Africa, USA and Mexcio since 2006. 

Day 57

March 13th 2010

Sidetrip from Patzcuaro: Tzintzuntzan

Today we explored the area around Patzcuaro. We drove to Tzintzuntzan to see the remains of this pre-hispanic city.

The pre-Hispanic city of Tzintzuntzan extended from Lake Pátzcuaro to the hills just to the east and had a population of between 25,000 and 30,000 when the Spanish arrived in the 1520s. The city lost most of its population after the Conquest, and what is now called the Tzintzuntzan archeological site is only the ceremonial center and is located one km west of the current center of the town. The site is located on a hill that overlooks the modern town and Lake Pátzcuaro. It is situated on a large artificial platform that was excavated into the side of the hill. The ceremonial center contains a large plaza and several buildings know 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 ceremonial center was called Taríaran or “House of the Wind.” On each of the yacatas was a temple made of wood, in which the most important rites of the P’urhépecha people and government took place, including burials, of which about sixty have been found. These are the best known P’urépecha yacatas and considered to be an icon of the region.

First modern references to the yacatas of Tzintzuntzan date from 1855, when it was first identified as the capital of the ancient Tarascan state, but the ruins were not excavated until the 1930s. The Museo de Sitio de la Zona Arqueológica was inaugurated in 1992, with the aim of displaying artifacts found at the Tzintzuntzan site.

Tomorrow we are going to move on to San Miguel de Allende

Day 56

March 12th 2010

Isla Janitzio / Patzcuaro



After breakfast and some grocery shopping we took the boat to the Isla Janitzio.

Isla de Janitzio is the main island of Lake Patzcuaro

The town of Janitzio, which means "where it rains", is located atop the hill. Janitzio can only be reached by boats which run regularly back and forth from about 7:30 am to 6 pm, accessible from Pátzcuaro's pier (embarcadero). These boats can be hired to take you around other parts of the lake. The town is famous for the butterfly fishermen who are skilled at lowering their butterfly-shaped nets to catch the local famous cuisine "pescado blanco". The butterfly fisherman were also located on the back side of the 50 peso Mexican banknote.

Day 55

March 11th 2010

Patzcuaro 


Temple Sagrario.

Pátzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320’s. Since the Mexican Revolution, Patzcuaro has worked to keep its traditional colonial-indigenous look. Unlike the capital, houses in Pátzcuaro are made of adobe and/or wood and generally have tiled roofs. Cobblestone streets dominate the center of town down to the lake.The town is filled with stores and vendors selling a wide variety of crafts, many in bright colors. Patzcuaro is the market hub of the region, with smaller villages bringing in their own specialized crafts such as copperware, black pottery, musical instruments, baskets. Today, 65000 people live here.  Patzcuaro managed to keep the small town atmosphere alive.

We enjoyed walking through this beautiful town. We checked out the local market and bought some vegetables for later.  

Tomorrow we will take the boat to Isla Janitzio in Lake Patzcuaro.

Day 54

March 10th 2010

El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary 

After breakfast we drove the 20 miles uphill to the Sanctuary on 10,000 feet. Roads are not in the best shape and some mudslides destroyed part of the road. 

The El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the winter home for the Monarch butterflies. During spring and summer they fly as far north as Canada. But from December to March there are millions or even billions of these orange colored butterflies. They go through several generations on the flight from the US and Canada to Mexico and back yet they still manage to give the GPS Coordinates to the next generation. Nobody really knows how they do that.

Our visit was late in the season. Many butterflies have already left but there were still many many here. It's an amazing sight (and sound) to see the fly.

Late in the morning we drove the 140 miles to Patzcuaro We arrived  at  6.30 pm and got the last spot on the Campground.

Campsite today:
Villa Patzcuaro
GPS Location: 19.53388 N, 101.61088 W
Altitude: 6800 feet

Cute little campground with 24 spaces. All full hook up. Voltage is kind of low. Pool. Brand new bathrooms and showers. Laundry accross the street.

Day 53

March 9th 2010

We left Guadalajara early today to drive the 250 miles to the El Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary between Morelia and Toluca.

Rushhour in Guadalajara is like the one in New York City, It took us over a hour to get out of the city. Most of the toll roads are in pretty good shape so we could go 60 - 70 mph. The last 50 miles were pretty bad, though. We arrived at 4.30 pm. Enough time left to give Marissa some playtime.

We stayed on the rear of the Hotel Villa Monarcha Inn on a grassy field. 

Campsite today:
Hotel Villa Monarcha Inn
GPS Location: 19.48464 N, 100.36199 W
Altitude:6300 feet

No hook ups.  Toilets available. Very expensive (250 Pesos)


Day 52

March 8th 2010

Guadalajara

Day 51

March 7^th 2010

Campground.

We spent the morning and the early afternoon at the campground. It was a relaxed Sunday with some sport and playtime. Later in the afternoon we moved closer to the City of Guadalajara since the campground we’ve been on is a little too far away and doesn’t offer public transportation into the city. On the way to the Campground our GPS guided us into a neighborhood and - to a wall. The entrance to the campground was behind that wall... Some locals came up to us and explained that in order to get to the campground we had to drive a 5 mile loop. There was no easier or faster way around that wall. Are you kidding me??? One of the guys told his two teenage sons to go with us to show us the way. Wow...another example of Mexican hospitality. With the help of the two kids we finally managed to find our campground. They were happy about the sweets and soft drinks we gave them. 

Day 50

March 6^th 2010

Agave field, Tequila.

Tequila – a town that doesn’t need much introduction. We drove 1.5 hours to the town that is responsible for many great parties and some hangovers. On the way there we drove past Agave fields. Agave is the plant used for Tequila.
We visited the Jose Guervo Distillery and took a tour to learn more about the making of Tequila. There are about 200 different kinds of Agave plants but only the blue Agave is used to make Tequila. The plant needs to grow for about 8 years before it can be used. The useable part is in the ground. All you can see are the leaves of the plant. The useable part – called pineapple has to be dug out and stripped of the leaves before it is transported to the distillery. The pineapple weighs between 100 and 200 lbs and one pineapple is good for about 2 Gallons of Tequila. Jose Guervo receives 150 Tons of Agave each day. That is a lot of Tequila, hombre.
If you experience a hangover after your next Tequila party it’s probably because you are CHEAP…;-) There is the Tequila with 100% Agave, meaning no extra sugar is added. Only the sugar extracted from the Agave is in the Tequila. Then there is the rest. If it doesn’t say 100% Agave on the bottle it means that all kinds of extra sugar is added and this is the reason why people don’t feel that great after a night of Margaritas or cheap Tequila.
There are 3 kinds of Tequila. The white, the rested and the “Anejo”. The white goes through the fermentation process, gets bottled and sold. The rested gets  - as the name suggests – a little rest in barrels. Usually a couple of months.  And the Anejo sits in a wooden barrel for 1 – 2 years. Its golden colored and very smooth. Jose Guervo offers a 4^th kind, the Reserva. It rests in barrels for up to 7 years. We got the opportunity to try a little of the Reserva and it tastes almost like a great Cognac. Very smooth.

The town of Tequila has not too much to offer besides the liquor. The nicest part of town is around the main plaza with its church.

Day 49

March 5^th 2010

It was a relaxing day, today. We spent it at the campground which is also a sports facility where the locals come to play soccer, volleyball, tennis or swim in the pools.

The place is directly on the shore of Lake Chapala and is one of the nicer campgrounds we’ve been to so far. lake Chapala is the largest fresh water lake in Mexico ( 80 km x 18 km) Unfortunately, Lake Chapala is so polluted that you can’t swim in it. Neither do the fish – anymore. Only one kind of fish survived. It’s called XYZ Fish and apparently it tastes very good. I don’t think it’s a good idea to eat a fish that lives in an environment that killed all other fish…but maybe that’s just me…
The countryside out here is really nice. The campground and the lake are located in a small valley surrounded by mountains. 

The lake from space

Day 48

March 4^th 2010

We didn’t go back to Zacatecas. The place we spent the last two nights was just too loud and uncomfortable. We decided to move on to the Guadalajara Area. First we are going to spent a couple of nights at Lake Chapala, about 20 miles south of Guadalajara, before we move closer to the City.

It was a long day of driving. Luckily we were able to drive most of it on toll roads. Those are roads in very good shape and you are allowed to go 70 Miles.
Somewhere on the road, we just passed another of those military checkpoints, a driver in a pick up signaled me to roll down my window. There we were, driving with 60 miles an hour, side by side and this guy asks me if I am from Germany.( We have some German flag stickers next to the American flag on the truck) I screamed back “yes”. He was,too. We pulled off the road and chatted a little bit. It turned out that he is from a small village only 5 miles from where I grew up. He moved to Mexico 7 years ago and he loves it. The world is so small. We talked for half a hour before we moved on.

Around 7pm we arrived at the place we were looking for. Actually we are still looking for it. There was no campground – nothing. It was getting dark fast, so we moved on to another place we passed about 10 miles ago. Let’s see how that place looks at daylight….