Explore Jiquilpan: Michoacán's Pueblo Mágico and Cultural Hub

Jiquilpan de Juarez is one of the eight Pueblos Mágicos de Michoacán (Magical Towns of Michoacán) and is located very close to Lake Chapala. This is the land that saw the birth of General Lazaro Cardenas and where the jacarandas dye their streets purple during springtime. It is also a place to admire the art of José Clemente Orozco and the indigenous women who are experts in weaving rebozos.

 

To get caught up in the serene and bohemian atmosphere of Jiquilpan, you have to sit in its gardens. The trees were illuminated with rustic colored lamps to create a warm atmosphere, especially in the Jardín Colón (Columbus Garden), in Plaza de Armas. Its gateways are a meeting point for the coffee afternoons that last until the evening. All around, the most emblematic monuments of the town can be admired, such as the Fuente de la Aguadora, in honor of the indigenous women who collected water in jars to take home.

 

A few steps away from the fountain, the Franciscan order built the Exconvent of San Francisco de Asís, in the 16th century, inside there is a Christ that was given by Emperor Carlos V to Fray Jacobo Daciano, a religious belonging to the royalty of Denmark. The temple of the Sagrado Corazón (Sacred Heart) is another site of great value for Jiquilpan; its pink dome and a map of the region during the Cristero War stand out. In the 20th century it was used as a military barracks, theatre, and cinema.

 

In the same Plaza de Armas is known the Biblioteca Pública Gabino Ortíz Villaseñor (Gabino Ortíz Villaseñor Public Library), whose walls have the stokes of José Clemente Orozco. The muralist captured the motives that led the Mexican people to the Revolution. Some of the outstanding visitors who were with the artist during the work were Leon Trotski and Frida Kahlo.

 

Other jewels of the Pueblo Mágico de Jiquilpan de Juárez (Magical Town of Jiquilpan de Juarez) are: the silk workshops, where women give lessons to visitors to make rebozos with wheel looms. The men are also masters of miniature pottery and of making palm hats. On the outskirts, you can visit the Bosque Cuauhtémoc (Cuauhtémoc Forest), the resting place of the ex-president Lázaro Cárdenas, and the Otero Archaeological Zone, which was an important agricultural center and whose buildings date back to 900 B.C.

 

If the trip is made between November and April, you must visit Petatán Island, half an hour from Jiquilpan. This place becomes the sanctuary of the pelícano borregón (American white pelican) that migrates every year from southern Canada to the waters of Lake Chapala. 

 

Jiquilpan is a good place to rest in hotels of colonial architecture, mainly near the Plaza de Armas. However, you can also sleep in cabins installed in the tourist corridor of El Tigre, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from downtown. This route connects Jiquilpan with the Pueblo Mágico de Mazamitla (Magical Town of Mazamitla), in Jalisco.

 

How to get there: Jiquilpan de Juárez is located three hours from Morelia, although it is also accessible from the city of Guadalajara, with a travel time of two hours.