Experience Patzcuaro with EcoMexico Sustainable Tourism
EcoMexico offers hotel rooms, vacation rentals, all inclusive retreats/weddings/reunions, and day trips to artisan workshops, parks and ruins. Let us help you plan the vacation of your dreams. EcoMexico
Patzcuaro Lakeside Villages
Michoacan: lakes, mountains and quilt work of villages
The state of Michoacan, in western Mexico, offers some of the most outstanding landscapes in the country. The vast, often rugged, countryside is a breath-taking mix of mountains, rolling hills and valleys, forests, rivers and deep lakes. Most of the state is situated at a high altitude, and the lakes in Michoacan are some of the highest lakes in the world.
Aside from its capital city, which is colonial and regent in its style and appearance, Michoacan state is made up principally by a quilt work of small towns and villages, mostly indigenous, and often dotted around one of the many lakes.
Fishing has been a principal source of food and income for the local people here over the centuries; and the state's symbolism is often associated with fishing: look at the reverse side of a current-day $50 peso note, and you'll see important images relating to the state of Michoacan, including a reference to fishing.
Lake Patzcuaro and its Villages
Lake Patzcuaro is probably the most well-known of all the lakes, not least because of the notoriety and popularity of the town after which the lake is named.
Experience Patzcuaro with EcoMexico Sustainable Tourism
EcoMexico is a one-stop shop for visitors to Patzcuaro that believe in protecting nature, promoting self-determination and celebrating local culture.
EcoMexico offers hotel rooms, vacation rentals, all inclusive retreats, weddings, reunions, and day trips to artisan workshops, parks and ruins.
The lake hosts a handful of small islands and islets, the principal one is the island of Janitzio: today, the island gets particularly crowded with tourists at weekends and especially on Dia de Muertos festivities, you can read about Janitzio in our guide to Patzcuaro.
The villages of Lake Patzcuaro, as they are known collectively, comprise of small hamlets, inhabited by local indigenous people who have remained true to their heritage and customs. Many of the people in the villages only speak Purepecha, the dominant indigenous language of the region.
Visiting Patzcuaro today offers you a unique and wonderful opportunity to visit the villages around Lake Patzcuaro.
Each village has its own specialist art or craft and you can watch as hats, masks and other crafts are created.
The art and craft works on sale make excellent, unique and beautiful gifts or souvenirs and your purchases make a direct and significant contribution to the local economy of the region. You may, in some instances, also participate in the creation of the crafts.
A tour of the villages will give you insights into the local culture as well as a an opportunity to absorb the authentic ambience. Many of the villages also feature old colonial churches and missions, some of which date back some 400 or more years.
Guided Visits
Most of the artisans around Lake Patzcuaro speak Spanish and some even know a few words of English.
For the best experience, we recommend you take a guided tour of the lakeside villages. In addition to the language translation, you will enjoy the benefit of local knowledge which the guides have and be given an in-depth explanation of the villages and the local culture while you are there.
You may contact Eco Mexico to arrange local tours of Patzcuaro, including a tour of villages around Lake Patzcuaro.
The Lakeside Villages
To discover each of the villages and their key attractions, click on the village names on the left-hand menu above under "Lakeside Villages".