A visit to Patzcuaro

Ever since we became fascinated with Mexico, we've wanted to visit Patzcuaro. Yesterday, we took the collectivo minivan bus from the place where we are staying, all the way around the west shore of the lake and down to the city of Patzcuaro.

It was approximately 37 kms (23 miles). The cost was 20 pesos ($1.52) each for the hour long ride.

(A) Where we are staying (B) Where we got off the bus.

We headed to el Centro (downtown) first. The streets were not very busy until we got right to the plaza. There was a lot of traffic there because most of the public transportation also begins and ends at the central plaza. 

We passed a couple of churches along the way and of course had to stop in and see what they look like.

This one had an interesting facade.

And the interior was beautiful as well.

This is the main cathedral near the plaza, but we didn't go in because there was a funeral going on.

This church is no longer a church! Now it's being used as a library...

We wandered around the two main plazas in the central area. There is also a market with the best looking fruits and veggies, but we didn't want to carry them around with us. We had lunch at one of the many food stalls in the market area...3 tacos each for a total of 36 pesos ($2.74).

Very colorful market!

This was a very old church. The interior was very plain though.

Probably the most famous part of Patzcuaro is the island. There is a statue on the top of the island that you can go into and up into the arm for a view, similar to the statue of liberty in New York. There are no cars on this island, only walking. We didn't have time to visit yesterday, but we will make a point of going there before we leave the area.

Zoomed in on the island and it's statue.

The boats that take people to the island.

By this time we had had enough and started heading back to Sherman. We decided to take the route on the opposite side of the lake, and found the parada (bus stop) to go to Quiroga. We ended up taking a private taxi with another lady. The cost for the private taxi was 17 pesos ($1.30) each. Public transportation is so cheap and plentiful in Mexico. In Quiroga, we bought a few groceries and then took another collectivo from there to Sherman for 10 pesos (76 cents) each.

Sherman, parked in Jorge's driveway. We are fairly close to the road, but other than the collectivos during the day, there is very little traffic.

Jorge has a beautiful view from the back of his house!

We are walking distance from two different villages nearby, so I think that we will stay closer to Sherman today and do some exploring in the nearby area.