Travel blog project – Non-published article
Mexico is well known for celebrating death in a festive way. For our ancestors, death was the start of a journey to “Mictlán”, the underworld and realm of the dead. This festivity takes place on November 1st and 2nd when families gather to remember and welcome their defunct relatives.
Lights, music, colors, and aromas fill the environment the moment you enter Janitzio, the island located in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, where the most magical celebration happens. Among Purépechas (indigenous population in the area), the legend says that when souls come back from the underworld, they fly like butterflies over the Pátzcuaro lake to reach Janitzio, and, if you open your heart and have faith, you will be able to see them reflected in the waves created by the boats.
We started our journey on the first day in Patzcuaro when the sun went down the dancers came out, the famous “Danza de los viejitos” starts in the main garden and it was the perfect time to enjoy a delicious dinner in any of the stalls placed for the festivity, we were able to enjoy regional food such as corundas, uchepos, carnitas, charales, and many other options.
Later, as a Mexican saying goes “Barriga llena, corazón contento” (full belly, happy heart) we continued in the direction of one of the piers to take a small boat to arrive at the island, when you descend you can see all the colors and the lights that decorate all houses and shops.
The main goal is to arrive at the Pantheon, there, families go and make altars in the graves to honor them. The relatives place cempasúchil flowers, candles, food, and papel picado, and with lights and music, the souls find the way back from Mictlán to visit the earth once a year.
Even though Janitzio is the most famous place in Michoacán to visit, there are other villages that are as magical as the Island. On day two, we had the purpose to visit the village where “Mamá Coco” (from the Disney film Coco) was inspired, same as the day before, we arrived in Santa Fe de la Laguna at night, and there, most of the population still speaks Purepecha, the ancient language of the region, in the Plaza, the local market is full of artesanías and my inner shopaholic wants to buy every piece at sell.
One particular thing of the village tradition is that families place “Altares de Muertos” in their houses, and you, as a tourist, can enter the houses to see those altars, and before you leave, most of the families will offer you to stay for dinner, you don’t have to pay for it, but it is a nice gesture to bring fruit or candles to the altar as a sign of gratitude.
