Frequent boats will take you across from Patzcuaro to the Island. At the top of Janitzio, there is a statue of Jose Maria Morelos in honor of one of Mexico's greatest revolutionary heroes. You can climb the stairs inside the statue, to see the panoramic views from the top. If you don't like heights, you may want to give this a miss: the stairway is bi-directional, narrow in places, with only a metal banister between you and a 150 ft drop at the top!

We travelled without “real plans” and were willing to stop in any town or road side store along the way.  It is in these villages that many of the real Mexican handicrafts are made and sold in the markets of Tonola and Guadalajara…and at half the price.  Unique pottery, tile work, stone statues and yes even the best guitars of Mexico are found in these areas.

Many of the small cities like Zamora have huge cathedrals that are as magnificent as any found in Europe, while the villages just a few miles from the main highways speak only in their native Indian language.   Two gringos, driving a Mexican plated Jeep brought many stares of disbelief from the children and adults alike.

One of our biggest adventures was our eight hour horseback ride up to the top of an active volcano of Paricutín. 

The following is an excerpt from Mexico Connect written by Luis Dumois

“On February 20th, 1943, after a couple of weeks of ominous earth tremors and strange underground sounds, the Paricutín volcano in Michoacán, erupted among prayers and rogations, fire displays and intense noise.

The church bells of San Juan Parangaricutiro, five kilometers down the narrow valley, rang by themselves, dancing with the moving ground. Frightened people, not knowing what was going on, talked about the end of the world and punishment from Heaven.

The lava river flowed at a very slow pace, about three meters an hour, but. black volcanic ash covered roofs and roads, fields and flora, destroying everything. There were no crops that year, and soon there was hunger in the land.

The villages of San Juan and San Salvador Paricutín, the last just one kilometer from the rising volcano, were in danger, but nobody wanted to abandon land and home. President Lázaro Cárdenas himself went to San Salvador and tried to convince the people to leave, but, to no avail. The same happened in San Juan, where the President recruited the local priest to speak in favor of the immediate evacuation of the area. The people from Angahuan, a small town above the valley, witnessed their neighbors' fate with mixed feelings of anguish and relief.

In March, new lava current aimed directly at San Salvador Paricutín forcing everybody to leave. They moved and founded the new town of Caltzontzin, on land assigned by the government, five kilometers south of Uruapan. Paricutín was completely swallowed by the volcano: and later, Caltzontzin by the urban development of Uruapan.

Meanwhile, the town of San Juan Parangaricutiro stood firm. By February, 1944, the speed of the lava flow was increasing, in spite of the prayers, masses and rogations. In April the river of melted rocks felled the wall of the cemetery. That was the sign for the people of San Juan to surrender their hopes. In the small nearby valley known as Los Conejos, Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro was born. "The men and women from San Juan left their dead, but took their memories with them."

It was with that history that Larry and rode our horses though the lava fields and beds up into the mountain and volcano cone.  Our rears slightly sore but our senses once again overwhelmed by the sights including a church buried by the lava flow. (If you want the name of the English speaking guide feel free to write editor@jaltembasol.com )

That night, sore and tender, we stayed in the world famous town of Paracho, known for its guitar making and friendly people.  We slept with three horse blankets on us that night as the temperature dipped to freezing. 

Travelling through the back country of Michoacán we headed west through the state of Colima where we came upon another active volcano, Colima.  Down back roads we looked for a clear view of this four thousand meter cone, its top covered by clouds and steam. 

Finally we found a spot to shoot some photographs, a field of corn, sugar cane and trees filled with daisy flowers…near the town of Totolan…Larry’s only comment…”Dorothy this sure doesn’t look like Kansas.”