Now that the Nuevo Milenio highway (Mexico’s Fed. Highway 37D) connects the Bajio and interior of Michoacan to Zihuatanejo and other areas of the Costa Grande, a weekend trip into those cool, pine-covered, lake-studded mountain regions makes for quick and easy respite from the humid lowland climate that we are accustomed to . As much as Ixtapa Zihuatanejo and Playa Azul have become favorite beach destinations for residents of Morelia, Patzcuaro and Uruapan, those cities and their quaint, colonial surrounding villages are magnets for those of us who spent the majority of our days wallowing in the humid heat of the Pacific coast.
Near Infiernillo
We recently took a trip into the hills and thought to share a few photos and comments about the trip for those of you who might be considering taking a jaunt in that direction. The Nuevo Milenio highway into the interior is in very good condition even after the rainy season. From Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, access is gained to Highway 37D by traveling north on Federal Coastal Highway 200 past the Ixtapa, Troncones and La Union turnoffs (all of which have Pemex stations) in the direction of Lazaro Cardenas. This coastal highway has not been fully rehabilitated after years of on-and-off work and still has many portions that do not have shoulders of any kind; some of the towns have bypasses that have been completed around the settlements, but others have not. There are topes (traffic bumps), curves that are sometimes obscured by overgrown vegetation on the sides of the roads, buses and often large semis transporting steel and other industrial goods from Lazaro’s port, and untethered livestock along this section, so beware. The turnoff onto the Morelia / Uruapan highway is at Feliciano, at approx. km 70 of Highway 200.
The Feliciano to Uruapan highway is a wide, recently completed toll highway and the wonder of it is that it has cut down the travel time between Zihuatanejo and the interior from what used to be a grueling 8 or 9 hours of twisty, desolate mountain driving to an easy 2-1/2 or 3 hour sprint (closer to 3-1/2 all the way to Morelia). It is well worth the cost and once you’re on it, the major worries of the coastal highway can be left behind. The highway has ample shoulders and *most* slower drivers and truck traffic on this highway do the faster roadrunners the favor of pulling over to the side to allow easy passing even on hills and wide curves. The highway follows the great towers of the high-tension power lines running from the Petacalco Hydroelectric Plant inland and rises into and through the hills of Guerrero, which most of the year are pretty stark and tinder dry with very little life to be seen except the occasional kid on the side of the road trying to sell an iguana or two. At this time of the year, though, the hills are still gorgeous, with the remnants of the rainy season moisture still wreathing the hills with greenery and the blossoms of bocotes and other flowering vegetation.
Highway 37D crosses the Rio Balsas, one of Mexico’s greatest rivers, bringing you with that crossing into the state of Michoacan. This is Infiernillo (Little Hell), and it’s not hard to figure out why it gained that name when you traverse the region. Though the river runs through it, and the Infiernillo Dam has created an enormous, octopus-like reservoir that has resulted in kilometers and kilometers of extra inland shoreline, the hills are almost barren of vegetation even down to the fluctuating water line. The afternoon temperatures here rise regularly to sweltering degrees and the air is bone dry and oven-like. Although you drive alongside or above the lake shore, and on this particular trip the level of the water after the rains was particularly high, the sight of it does little to ease the harshness of the surrounding landscape.
Zihuatanejo - Uruapan highway
Beyond Infiernillo one continues to climb steadily toward the distant, green covered mountains, through the more hospitable agricultural area near Nueva Italia and Lombardia, with it’s stands of citrus and mango trees. The countryside becomes greener, lusher, and the vegetation changes. Bananas and mangos make way for pines and berry brambles by the side of the road. By the time you reach the fork in the highway that directs you either east toward Patzcuaro and Morelia, or to weest, into Uruapan itself, the temperature is much more moderate, and you are surrounded by avocado orchards and evergreens. Nights are cool in Uruapan pretty well year-round, and we’ve been there are times in February and March when we’ve quite trembled with cold despite wearing layers of sweaters and shawls and socks after the sun goes down.
Uruapan is not the type of typically quaint, quiet, colonial town that Patzcuaro is. The architecture is more modern, its streets more bustling and busy, but it has a number of attractions that really make it special. Here are a few suggestions as well as some photos of the area taken on this most recent trip:
- The Lic. Eduardo Ruiz National Park – wander through the wooded paths and over stone bridges following the water tumbling down the Cupatitzio river bed whose sourse is a natural spring that bubbles out from the earth near the Mansion del Cuptatzio Hotel.
- Antigua Fabrica de San Pedro and the Telares Uruapan cloth factory and outlet store – a fabulous brick building that has been undergoing restoration over the past several years. One portion houses a cloth factory that produces wonderfully handwoven fabrics. The lower floor of the building still hold the old machinery and installations of the original factory. The other portion of the property houses salons and facilities for special events, weddings, etc.
- The very 3-block-long town square that recently has been rid of all extraneous vendor stalls and can now be viewed and enjoyed in its entirety from almost any vantage point around it. Take note of the churches, arcades, fountains, the bandstand and tree-lined walkways. Very well enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.
- The Cultural Center, or Museum of Popular Art, on the northern side of the square, shows a small and elegant display of local and regional art within it’s confines that are undergoing restoration. The building, called La Huatapera, it was originally constructed in the mid-1500’s as a hospital.
- Uruapan’s great coffee – there are several coffee shops around the square and most famous is Cafe La Lucha
- Avocados – Uruapan is the avocado producing capital of the world and has some of the best tasting fruit available. Eat some!
- Not far outside of town to the west is the well-known Paracutin volcano that erupted out of a corn field beginning in1943 and eventually covered the town of San Juan Parangaricutiro and neighboring villages with lava and ash. The volcanic lava field with the town church spire sticking out of it can be visited on horseback or on foot
- Every year at Easter the Uruapan Crafts Fair takes place, which is an incredible showcase for thousands of area craftspeople who display their wares, including textiles and embroidery, pottery and ceramics of every conceivable kind, carved wooden furniture, basketry and straw goods and so much more.
Uruapan, Michoacan
Telares Uruapan
Uruapan Town Square
