Michoacán - the soul of Mexico The state of Michoacán is an uncommon place. From the sugar cane fields of Los Reyes, the avocados, coffee, and macadamia nuts of Uruapan, the melon fields of Apatzing... read more

A trip to the cloud covered village of Cuetzalan, high in the Sierra of Puebla, elicited questions. How does the regional dress of pure white cotton stay so clean when it rains nearly every day? How do vehicles get to the center of town when most of the cobblestone streets are stairways rather than roads? And how is it that some of Mexico's most remote farms are growing one of the world's most expensive luxury foods? read more

David Santos Alonso massaged the clay flower pot as stinging smoke skulked from the wooden cooking area. Inside the kitchen, his wife Maria Lydia prepared tortillas on a comal over a brick fogon next t... read more

The Dos Estrellas (Two Stars) mine has had a long and checkered history. It was a fabled producer of gold and silver in the 18th century. Then one night more than 70 years ago, the god of the mine vented its wrath, unleashing a tragedy on those who made a living from its veins. read more

They crept and crawled, oozed and slithered from the clay, prickly spiders and sneaky snakes and pesky lizards darting from the dark wet dough, turtles swimming to its surface, bug-eyed devils rising from the mud, all brought to life by the magic touch of Antonia Cruz Rafael. Ocumicho is part of a cluster of villages in western Michoacan known for its clay crafts. read more

When I first set eyes on the pure, crystal blue waters of Lago (lake) Zirahuén in the central highlands of Mexico, my stomach did a nose dive. How could such striking alpine beauty exist in a country ... read more

Her bold hands coax the thread through white cotton, relinquishing a fragment of the kaleidoscopic hues within her soul to cavort freely across the snowy landscape. The joints of her fingers moving wit... read more

Our two friends from AmSoc told Mary and me about going to see the Monarch butterflies. Every year the Monarchs migrate from Canada and the US to their winter home in central Mexico. As they migrate, s... read more

The 52-year-old artisan and married mother of three sons only began working in arte plumaria in 1999, but she has already earned an impressive reputation for herself. A book featuring her work titled Mi Collar, Mi Pequeña Pluma (My Necklace, My Little Feather) contains photos of her images endowed with a calamitous beauty . . . read more

Michoacán is unique and one-of-a-kind, the perfect fusion of Natural Beauty, Picturesque Towns, Art and Culture. To travel to Michoacán is to take a trip through the extraordinary history, culture and folklore of México. To journey to Michoacán is to discover and learn what is the soul of México.

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Alfredo Zalce, at age 94, is the elder of Mexico's last living renowned, great revolutionary muralists. He was born in Patzcuaro, in the state of Michoacan, on January 12, 1908. During his early year... read more

The Spanish Virrey Don Antonio de Mendoza founded the city of Morelia back in 1541, calling it "Valladolid" after the city of the same name in Spain. In tribute to the national hero Don Jose Maria Mor... read more

In a country filled with wonderful beaches and resorts, what could possibly prompt someone to visit Playa Azul? Perhaps because it's there - representing the only sizeable beach town along the 250km o... read more

Morelia is a colonial city, capital of the Mexican state of Michoacan, which is well-known for its majestic buildings, squares (plazas), gardens, an aqueduct of wondrous proportions and all of this ... read more

A guide to the highways and byways of Michoacan's handcraft routes, through the highways and byways of the Soul of Mexico. read more

Roberto, one of my Mexican neighbors once asked if he could hike with me. He had heard rumors that I roamed the hills around Morelia. I, of course, said: "Yes." It is good to have company when you hike... read more

Introduction Michoacán is recognized in México for its perfect combination of colors and flavors, the melancholy and joy of its music, the joy and vitality of its dances, its cultural wealth, its tr... read more

Caminos de Michoacan (an old ranchera song) by composer: Bulmaro Bermude is a musical tour of this Mexican state. read more

This guide takes you through the highways and backroads of Michoacán, where time seems to have stopped amid the jewels of colonial architecture and life in the Meseta Purépecha. Michoacán is history, culture, tradition, customs, fairs, fiestas, dances, music, arts and crafts, cuisine, architecture, archaeology, and diverse natural beauty. The Meseta Purépecha is the best example of what makes up Michoacán, and that's why Michoacán is the soul of Mexico.

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I was nine years old the first time I visited Morelia, in 1973. I was living with my family in Xicotepec, a small town in the north of the State of Puebla. We spent our summer vacation that year with m... read more

"I learned from my parents. It's been passed down from generation to generation." read more

The paths are riddled with streams of water that exhale their sweet musty breath as they descend toward the river; the forest is bathed in a powerful mist, emboldened by its fragility where the thunder... read more

An endless number of approaches to familiar motifs show themselves throughout the town. A trogon, its cherry red neck gleaming against a body of emerald green, crawls up the side of a picture frame, f... read more

Inspired by the caricatures of lithographer Jose Guadalupe Posada, the elegant Catrina has her origins in Day of the Dead celebrations. Capula's Catrinas arrived only recently. They stand in the doorw... read more

The Purepecha Indians throughout Michoacan have developed a tantalizing culinary heritage for centuries that still awakens the senses with its powerful aromas and flavors. In Uruapan, Morelia and other... read more