31 January 2010 This morning Louise and I walked the mile and a half to the “muelle” (dock) and caught one of the morning blue and white 40’ long water-taxi’s for a 30 minute ride to the Isla Janitzio (you can see the island at Google Earth coordinates of : 19.57361°N 101.65194°W ).
The town of Janitzio, which means “where it rains” (hell, does this mean that Seattle has to change its name ????) can only be reached by boats. The water taxis run from a number of locations around the lake, but the primary departure location is from the embarcadero (pier) here in Patzcuaro.
The town of Janitzio, which means “where it rains” (hell, does this mean that Seattle has to change its name ????) can only be reached by boats. The water taxis run from a number of locations around the lake, but the primary departure location is from the embarcadero (pier) here in Patzcuaro.
The Isla of Janitzio is famous for the “Butterfly” fishermen who are skilled at lowering their butterfly-shaped nets to catch the local “pescado blanco”.
Fact is that’s exactly what Louise and I had for lunch and it was very tasty… I read that the butterfly fishermen are also located on the back side of the 50 peso note…how interesting. Besides the butterfly fishermen being a draw to the island, there is a 40 meter (132 feet) statue of Jose maria Morelos.
He was and still is a great hero of Mexico’s independence. This statue was started in 1933 and has been a major draw for the Mexican tourist ever-since. It sits at the very top of the island and can be seen from just about any point around this huge lake. You can climb to the top of the statue by way of a staircase that spirals up the inside.
Most of the interior walls show the life of Morelos in murals painted by Ramon Alba de la Canal and others. The murals are great works of art but are also is a good Mexican history lesson. Once you finally reach the top of the statue (which the last few yards are climbing through a narrow staircase up the raised arm to his wrist) you can peer through “peepholes” (areas with just enough room to get your head through) to view the spectacular view of the island, lake and the surrounding villages and towns around the lake.
Some of the people of Janitzio and the towns surrounding The island is a primary location for the variety of handmade textiles and artwork being sold around this area. There is one time that I think would really be interesting to be around the island. That is when they celebrate the “El Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead). Part of this festivity are the candlelit boat processions that make their way to the island and then to Janitzio’s church and graveyard (jeeezzz, I missed getting the picture of this cemetery, it was really very pretty). After remaining there for the night and enjoying the large festive vigil, we can only imagine the “imbibing that was and is involved…what a party!!!
We had heard that once you depart the boat, you start your hike…STRAIGHT UP HILL!!!! That is no bull, and if you remember, we’re at 7200 feet already…PUFF PUFF. Well I think we did really well. Did we have to stop and catch our breath??? Oh ya, but not all that many times. Almost every step you took would land you in front of another little shop
We had heard that once you depart the boat, you start your hike…STRAIGHT UP HILL!!!! That is no bull, and if you remember, we’re at 7200 feet already…PUFF PUFF. Well I think we did really well. Did we have to stop and catch our breath??? Oh ya, but not all that many times. Almost every step you took would land you in front of another little shop
that was always there ready for your break. It’s amazing how many little shops that are selling just so many of the same products can survive through the day. I’m afraid we didn’t help the economy of the island much…$40 pesos each for the found trip taxi ride, $6 each for entry to the statue, and lunch of $100 pesos ($8 US)…That was our full day today, and it was really enjoyable. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the entertainment we had throughout the day… First, on every water taxi there is a group of musicians to entertain you while crossing the lake, and then as we arrived at the statue, we were met by a group of young dancers. They were portraying the “Old Man Dance”…
We’d seen that once before on our first trip through the mainland of Mexico in 1990 and enjoyed it then as well…what a treat!!!