Guitars of Paracho, Michoacán
The
guitars of Paracho are famous
internationally, and this community is known as the Guitar Capital of Mexico.
Located in the Purépecha plateau, it is located about 90 minutes from Patzcuaro. To get there, take the
Highway 14D to Uruapan. There, you
will have two options. The shorter of the two is to go via San Juan Tumbio and
Cheran; the other is going through Uruapan itself. Check your favorite
navigation app.
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| Guitar of Paracho, Michoacán |
The
short trip from Pátzcuaro to Paracho is yet another opportunity for
our guests at Hotel Mansión Iturbe who seek to learn more about Michoacán and appreciate the
traditions, crafts and traditional cuisine.
While
Paracho is renowned for the
manufacture of musical instruments such as mandolins, violins, cellos, double
basses, the instrument par excellence that has made them famous is the guitar.
(You can also find a variety of handicrafts in wood, including traditional toys.)
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| Musical Instruments of Paracho, Michoacán |
The
origins of this type of crafts in this area date back to the time of
evangelization in the 16th Century,
when the Franciscan friars arrived, headed by Fray Juan de San Miguel, and then the famous Bishop Don Vasco de Quiroga. During that time,
they organized indigenous and taught them to use the raw material of the region
(in this case wood), transforming it into crafts and different tools for
everyday use.
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| Guitars of Paracho, Michoacán |
There
are different types of guitars to
suit all tastes and budgets. There are precious woods like the spruce,
rosewood, cedar or cypress. There are also miniature instruments for the youngsters,
which are true works of art themselves.
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| Miniature Instruments from Paracho, Michoacán |
We can find about 400 instrument makers and fifteen large factories in Paracho. Prices depend on the quality of the guitar and the wood used. These instruments have gained worldwide fame for their quality, and they are exported around the world.
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| Guitars of Paracho, Michoacán |
Recently
the guitar of the Disney Pixar film of "CoCo",
was commissioned to Germán Vázquez Rubio,
a native guitar maker of this community, currently based in the United States.
This event greatly helped stimulate the economy of Paracho, where people come looking for a guitar that is similar to
that of "Coco."
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| Michoacan Handicrafts at Hotel Mansión Iturbe in Patzcuaro |
Every
year around the first of August, the International Guitar Faire takes place with important activities such as the National Contest of Guitar Builders and
the Guitar Festival of Paracho, with
musicians and soloists gathering from around the world.
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| Guitars of Paracho, Michoacán |
Check out Paracho and discover another place full of traditions in the Purépecha Plateau, cradle of great craftsmen. Visit their workshops where they create lovely musical instruments; maybe even take one home! Oh, and by all means, enjoy their great food while you’re at it!
*Text and pictures property of Hotel Mansión Iturbe.
We invite you to check more post in our blog, you will find information about Pátzcuaro and its surroundings that we hope will be useful for your next trip to our colonial town in Mexico.
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