A couple of weeks ago I was having lunch with
my mom and one of her friends, an American lady named Jackie who has been
living in Mexico for five years. After chatting with her for a while I was
surprised to hear me express a phrase I never thought I would actually say: I
would love to retire in Patzcuaro!
Now, I must confess that even though I consider
Patzcuaro to be a beautiful and interesting place to visit, I always thought
that it was a little boring to live in. Yes, after almost 30 years of my life I
openly admit that I’m a “city girl”. But, don’t get me wrong, there are plenty
of facts about Patzcuaro that make it a wonderful place to inhabit.
Patzcuaro is a small city (looks more like a
town, actually) with an estimate population of 90,000 people. It is located by
the famous lake that carries the same name, “Patzcuaro”. Its beauty and
uniqueness made it one of the eight “Magic Towns” of the State of Michoacan.
This Spanish-colonial city is famous for its
characteristic streets with red and white painted houses. It is also
internationally known for the celebrations of the Day of the Dead which take
place there and in the surroundings every year in November.
So, other than being a great place for
tourists who like cultural destinies, it is a functional and cosmopolitan city
which population is compounded by people with different nationalities and, as I
discovered while talking to Jackie, it can be everything but boring.
She was telling me all about her busy days in retirement, how she meets with her book discussion club, her language classes, her yoga classes, and even her weekly meetings with a hiking club. She also told me about parties frequently organized for English speaking people who want to meet with Spanish speakers in order to practice languages. Overall, all her activities sounded awesome!
To sum up, the authentic style of this
Mexican city, its traditions and its increasing number of retired people, makes
Patzcuaro more and more interesting every year.
If you wish to learn more about Patzcuaro go to: http://www.visitmexico.com/en/magicaltowns/pacific-region/patzcuaro and http://www.patzcuaro.com/.
Photos by: Lilirog
