On Saturday the 13th (or first full weekend here) we spent the day in three towns near Morelia; Patzcuaro, Tzintzunzan, and Santa Clara de Cobre (cobre is Spanish for copper). I took a TON of pictures, so sorry about that. I know that there’s a lot buildings in there that may seem repetative, but they were amazingly gorgeous in person.
We first went to Tzintzunzan, where a huge temple and many pyramids were built by the indigenous tribe of the region, the Purépechans. Although smaller than the Aztecs the Purépechans (also called the Tarascans) were their biggest enemy because Purépechans were expert metal workers. They had iron and copper weapons against the Aztecs’ stone so were able to maintain their independent sovereignty. Their descendants still practice the metal work (and many other crafts) without using modern technology, and produce some of the most beautiful integrate work I’ve ever seen. They divided up the tasks by town, and so each has its own specialty today. In Tzintzunzan we saw the remains of their pyramids (which were round) in Patzcuaro we spent a lot of time walking through their HUGE market looking at all the produce, then went to Santa Clara de Cobre where we watched an expert make a vase. It was really an amazing day to see all the stuff that these people make by hand.
The next day my family took me back to Patzcuaro, which was fortunate. The day before we had been led around by a guide who didn’t really give us any time to just meander through shops. I was able to do that with my family. That Sunday we also went to a town that focused on wood work (I can’t remember the name. It started with a “c” if that helps) which was beautiful to watch as well.
In that town we went into an old cathedral that had unbelievably intricate carvings and paintings on the ceiling. I sat down and stared up at it for a while. When we walked out I felt a little light headed, then stepped off the walkway into the long grass and managed to find the one hole in the entire yard. I twisted my ankle pretty bad and my headache got worse. I don’t remember anything much after that, though according to my camera I took a picture. The next thing I woke up on the ground. That’s right: I fainted. Me, who didn’t even cry when my knee basically tore everything in it, fainted after twisting my ankle. It’s still a little bit of a sore subject for my pride, but I’m trying to work my way through it. I also managed to twist my other ankle on the way down, so I was limping around for a couple days. It freaked my family out (my HD thinks that I should convert to Catholicism because it happened right after I left the church, and I’m almost superstitious enough to believe him. Almost, but not quite) and ever since then my Mom asks me if I feel dizzy at least once a day. It’s cute, but she wouldn’t let me climb the stairs to the roof either. I finally convinced her that I was not prone to dizzy spells and spend time everyday up there. It’s not the best view, but I like being outside and they don’t have a yard.
Speaking of my family, my cousin is getting married on the beach this November, and she invited me. I’m very excited about it since I love weddings, but now need to get a dress cause nobody’s allowed to wear anything but white (cause of the beach theme).
Hope everybody is having a great time at home. I’m thinking about you and miss you all.
Rheana
