| | |  Travel & Outdoors 
The Magic of Traditions and Nature
 VisitMexico.com
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November 18, 2010
 This route includes both historical cities and natural landscapes; beaches and quaint little towns, with great tourist attractions. From the elegance of Morelia to the crazy night life in Acapulco, and from vestiges in Tzintzuntzan to urban life in Uruapan, this is an unforgettable tour rich in history, landscapes and the most memorable: people.
Destinations that make up the Route
MORELIA
A stroll around the Centro Historico is enough to reveal the majesty of Morelia, founded in 1541, which was home to wealthy Spanish families during the Colony. Even today, it is an example of the Viceregal splendor, but it is also a dynamic city, venue of one of the most important film festivals in Mexico. After sunset, the cathedral lights up, bars open, the streets fill up with stalls that offer local delicacies and, during an evening walk, it is not uncommon to run into a troubadour reciting the legends of the city.
SANTA CLARA
In this town, a pot is much more than a cooking utensil. Behind its creation is the history of a city that has built its identity around copper, the material used to make objects that include everything from a simple saucepan to the most Baroque of decorative creations. Although there is a Copper Museum, with outstanding pieces, it is best to visit family workshops, inside small white houses with red tile roofs, to observe the manufacture of each object and get to know the custom of hospitable inhabitants.
TZINTZUNTZAN
The archaeological site that is found here is a look at what used to be the capital of the Tarasca culture. Its pyramidal constructions contrast with the former Franciscan convent found in the town’s plaza, surrounded by olive trees that Vasco de Quiroga himself planted. A few steps away you will find the handicraft market, where local artisans work with wood; in the streets, there are also palm workshops, where palm crafts are created that include religious figures and complete zoos (including fantasy animals).
PATZCUARO
This Colonial city, which looks like a puzzle made up of red tile roofs when seen from a mountain, is also a breeding ground for artists and intellectuals who have found an inspiring place to settle down. At restaurants La Surtidora or Doña Paca, which face the main plaza, tourists and inhabitants come together eager to taste delicious coffee and regional gastronomy. It is essential to visit La Casa de los 11 Patios (House of 11 Patios), which houses handicraft workshops, to try sorbets sold at the Portals and to get lost among the market stalls.
SANTA FE DE LA LAGUNA
Sitting at the plaza and contemplating the local life is a pleasure: women dressed in regional attire, parishioners walking in and out of the Colonial church, as well as the hustle and bustle of the vegetable and flower stalls. In this town, Vasco de Quiroga founded the first hospital of the state, and today there are still some objects that belonged to the famous priest which are conserved and being exhibited. For years, there has been manufacture of pottery with glass finishing, and the pieces are almost as beautiful as the experience of talking to those who create them.
URUAPAN
This is the second most important city in Michoacan, and although its Centro Historico conserves Colonial architecture – its cathedral and La Huatapera hospital are just two examples –, it is a city full of life with more and more entertainment options. The Cupatitzio Ravine National Park is a heavenly place for contemplating the region’s natural wonders: lush trees, exotic flowers and even palm trees. Here, inhabitants are experts in lacquered objects, a technique they use to make trays, bowls, masks and wonderfully elaborated boxes.
CAPULA
You must make a stop in this small Colonial town, which remains isolated from the growth of other regions in Michoacán, in order to walk its white streets and feel like you’re travelling to a different epoch. The pottery tradition is hundreds years old; however, artisans headed in a new direction when they took the famous catrinas (stylized skeletons) by José Guadalupe Posada and turned them into elegant figures of a thousand sizes, colors and styles. Even so, plant pots, suns and other figures continue to be made.
IXTAPA - ZIHUATANEJO
What was once a secret beach that even Aztec emperors visited became a tourist development during the eighties with large hotels, lush palm trees and cocktails around the pool. However, its sister city, Zihuatanejo, still has the lifestyle of people from the coast and there, you will find handicrafts, food and bars that attract both its inhabitants and travelers seeking to explore the “real” life of locals and have some fun like they do.
TINGAMBATO
Perhaps the greatest charm of this archaeological site is that many tourists make the mistake of ignoring it, and because of this low attendance by visitors, you can visit the pyramidal constructions, the ball game area and the extensive green areas in total freedom. It is also worth visiting the town’s plaza, where the Santiago Apóstol temple is found (a simple construction from the 17th Century), and roaming its streets to find somewhere to try carnitas, corundas and atole.
ACAPULCO
The favorite escape of Mexico City inhabitants is a place that has many faces: from the most luxurious, represented by modern hotel developments on the beach, to the nostalgic Acapulco, where the rich and famous from other decades lay in the sun and had fun, which today has a charm that the new buildings cannot match. Quite close to the bay are Pie de la Cuesta and Barra Vieja, beaches that are less crowded where you can relax and sunbathe. And in front of Caleta beach, the De los Mares Virgin is submerged by the island La Roqueta.
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Michoacán
One of the most diverse states in the country, it is a place where indigenous traditions are conserved at the same time that it boasts a rich Spanish legacy. Its attractions range from the Colonial city of Morelia, a World Heritage site, to virgin beaches such as Maruata, Nexpa or Faro de Bucerías; and it also includes small traditional towns around the lake in Pátzcuaro and the monarch butterfly sanctuary. In Michoacán, people who changed the course of the country’s history were born, like leaders from the Independence José María Morelos and Josefa Ortíz de Domínguez, and former president Lázaro Cárdenas.
Guerrero
Where to begin? There are beaches, naturally, led by the very famous Acapulco bay, but also Ixtapa with its fine sand or Playa Paraíso and its youthful ambiance. The center of the state was the birthplace of the father of the nation who gave it its name, Vicente Guerrero, and the state includes historical cities as well as nature. The mountainous region is where traditions and landscapes are best conserved: forests, valleys, ravines, waterfalls and rivers, and also rites and customs. It is a state rich in handcrafts where extreme sports can be practiced.
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