DUE BALANCE - MORELIA & PATZCUARO

We will depart from San Miguel early in the morning for an about two and a half hour drive to Morelia, known as the pink city, because the pink limestone used to build all of the historical mansions and churches. There we will spend one night, and almost two full days. We will visit: 

• the beautiful Cathedral with an amazing baroque pipe organ, one of the most beautiful in México. The interior of the Cathedral is full of religious art
• the folk art museum that features works of the indigenous Purépecha from all over the state of Michoacán who make and sell what is considered some of the most beautiful folk art in México
• the Museo Regional Michoacano, with a display of archeological Purépecha culture, and weapons used during war of Independence from Spain, and paintings from the colonial period
• the Museum of Colonial Art which is also worth a visit, with multiple artistic manifestations of the arts of the colonial era, in which some of the most interesting are the ones made with an unique technique called Pasta de Caña or corn stalk paste
• the Alfredo Zalce Contemporary Art Museum is also very interesting. It has a collection of 20th century paintings by José Clemente Orozco, Alfredo Zalce, and Manuel Pérez Coronado
• the house of José María Morelos is another museum we can visit, he was a disciple of Miguel Hidalgo, one of the main leaders who fought for independence from Spain.

On the morning of the third day we will drive to Patzcuaro, where we will spend three days. We will visit the most important buildings and churches in Patzcuaro and also visit a number of nearby indigenous villages:

• Santa Clara del Cobre, known for the famous copper pots, you will see how the process is done
• Tzintzuntzan, the capital of the Purépecha empire and the very first Spanish settlement in the first half of the 16th century, is known for its unique traditional pottery. We will visit the studio of the folk art artist Manuel Morales, and also visit the market that features lots of crafts made with straw. Also we will walk through the large atrium, surrounded by 500 year old olive trees.
• Tocuaro, known for their beautiful wooden masks, made originally by their artists to be used by local traditional dancers.
• Capula, known for the very famous clay Catrinas. We will visit a studio where they make some of the most beautiful ones. On the same property we will see the studio of the famous Michoacán artist Juan Torres, known for his traditional style. 
• Erongaricuaro, known for beautiful textiles.
• We will take a boat to visit Janitzio island, inhabited only by indigenous Purépecha, and home of the world famous celebration of the Day of the Dead.