Pátzcuaro

Before we knew it, the salt air was in the rear view mirror; we were approaching pine trees, puffing on the last of the cappuccino cigarillos.

Pancho chugged along, lungs burning with the 7,000 ft+ elevation gain; while the rest of us were more relaxed, relieved to be in cooler weather!

Driving into Pátzcuaro was like emerging from an ancient time machine. Narrow cobblestone streets lined with colonial red and white buildings, a history book town that has preserved its traditions, architecture and charm since being founded sometime in the 1320s..

Winding our way up a narrow wooden, wobbly staircase; we found our casita for the night.

To get better acquainted with town, we hit the main plaza to see what was going on… stumbling right into a carnival parade.

Live music erupted as paper mache bulls danced in the streets, chasing after the cross dressing sayacas… kids in masks, confetti and…BOOOOM, SNAP, CRACK fireworks and bottle rockets exploding and echoing off the surrounding courtyard walls.

There was so much to take in, a little hungry and tired from our journey inland, we opted for street food carts so we could take a seat and enjoy the show!

“¿Tamal Oaxaqueños?” … ¡Si, dos por favor!

We anxiously watched as she delicately unwrapped the delicious bundle from its banana leaf into our cups, generously topping them with crema and salsa verde.

It was perfection, all washed down with an icy cup of agua de jamaica.

Following the spectacle, the crowd grew larger as we all spilled into yet another, bigger plaza where other parades were merging together.

There, we ‘parked’ it with the festivities till the sun went down, relaxing on the grass and enjoying the rich culture of this magic town.

Strolling home, there was one more show…the sunset softening the sky, splashing a warm light all over the walls, like the golden pages of the old history book we had fallen into…

Buenas noches!