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Dia los Muertos in Patzcuaro, Michoacan
Associated to Place: AncientWorlds > The Americas > Meso America > The Highlands > Tenochtitlan > articles -- by * Moonbeam MorningStar (38 Articles), Social Article


Semana Santa in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán



Pátzcuaro means "city of stones" in the Purepecha language. Before the Spanish conquest, it was one of the three central cities of the Purepecha. The town is tucked away high in the mountains, veiled from the outside world by a wall of pine trees. The lake to the north, Lago de Pátzcuaro, is one of Mexico's highest. The local butterfly fishermen got their nickname from the winged shape of the nets they use to catch whitefish in the lake. Pátzcuaro has kept much of its ancient charm, despite a recent influx of tourists. The buildings are mostly one-story adobes roofed with red tile. Some locals still go by horseback on the cobblestone streets.

Dia los Muertos is known as Semana Santa here. The customs retain much of the culture of the pre-Hispanic native population. A lot of the festivities are sexually segregated. The floral tributes, feasting and candlelight vigils are done by the women while the men engage in the older, more traditional harvest rituals. In the central plaza garden everyone dons colorful costumes for dancing. Skull or devil masks are the most popular.

At midnight, people light candles and ride winged boats called mariposas (butterflies) to Janitzio, an island in the middle of the lake where there's a cemetery. The natives believe this lake is the place where the barrier between life and death is thinnest. Many still respect it as a portal where the gods go between heaven and earth.

Photos from Wikipedia Commons.

Click on the marigold to go to the next tour stop.





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Posted Oct 28, 2008 - 19:11 , Last Edited: Oct 30, 2008 - 19:28











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