The Seven Artisan Groups in Pátzcuaro

Pátzcuaro is a handicraft center par excellence. Here you can find some of the most representative Mexican handicrafts in our country. If you are a lover of crafts, the Lake Region of Michoacán will thrill you!

Patzcuaro is a handicrafts certner here you the Casa de los Once Patios a place to visit in our colonial town

Guests at Hotel Mansión Iturbe want to leave with at least a sampling of the crafts of Michoacán. And professional gallery buyers of Mexican folk art in both Mexico and abroad come to discover handicrafts in Pátzcuaro.

Artisanware is a significant source of income for the inhabitants of the communities, and is actually the primary base of income in many households.

An Artisan from Ihuatzio working with Vegetable Fibers

You can find typical Michoacán crafts in many shops in Pátzcuaro, or if you can go the extra mile and visit the craftsmen’s workshops in different communities in the Lake Region.

In Pátzcuaro, three of the most frequented outlets are La Casa de Los Once Patios, the Huitziméngari Palace, and the open-air market; at these three locations, you can enjoy direct contact with the craftsmen. But remember that there are other stores and galleries scattered throughout our Pueblo Mágico.

Here are the seven principal areas of craftsmanship you will find in and around Pátzcuaro:

1.  Laquerware.  The artisans use ancestral techniques, outlining in gold lacquer, decorating in great detail objects such as basins, bowls, jewelry boxes, chests, and other decorative objects.

Laquerware from Patzcuaro

2. “Vegetable Fibres.”  Artisans use natural materials found in the Lake Region of Pátzcuaro.  These include reeds and straw.  Ihuatizio, Tzintzuntzan, Puácuaro, Tarerio, and San Jerónimo Purénchecuaro are major centers for these handicrafts.  And you can’t miss Jarácuaro where they make the greatest hats in the Lake Region!  People are always surprised to see the variety of furniture, lamps, animals, rugs or baskets.

Furniture made with Vegetal Fibers in Ihuatzio

3.  Wood.  You will find a huge variety of rustic and exotic woods used to create carved figures, masks, spoons, toys, as well as quality musical instruments.  Pátzcuaro has its own collection of quality woodshops, while short trips to Cuanajo and Quiroga will reveal a wealth of imagination and talent.  And longer day trips to Pichátaro and Paracho will really expand your horizons.

Different Handicrafts made of wood you will find in Pátzcuaro an its surroundings

4.  Copper.  In Pátzcuaro, you will find several shops selling copper crafts from our famous Pueblo Mágico Santa Clara del Cobre.  But if you have time, please visit this charming town located a short distance from Pátzcuaro.  You can even visit some of the workshops – frequently behind storefronts – and watch them creating their beautiful pieces of art.

Copper Handicrafts from Santa Clara del Cobre

5.  Pottery.  In the surroundings of Pátzcuaro, various communities have made pottery using different techniques such as polished, coil, glazed polychrome clay, among other methods.  

Pottery from Santa Clara del Cobre

Friday is a big day in Pátzcuaro if you like pottery.  A pottery faire occupies the entire Plazuela de San Francisco, where numerous Michoacán artisans bring their wares.

Pottery & Vegetal Fiber Baskets that you can find a the Pottery Fair in Patzcuaro

6.  Textiles and Embroidery.  Michoacán artisans are renowned for the quality of their embroideries, and in Pátzcuaro and the Lake Region you will find beautiful, unique creations. Among the communities that stand out in the Lake Region are Tócuaro, Erongarícuaro, Santa Cruz, and Cuanajo to name a few.

Artisan Textils of Patzcuaro

Textiles and embroidery at Lake Patzcuaro Area

7.  Corn Stalk Paste.  Magnificent works of art using this ancient technique are in Pátzcuaro (see the exquisite Virgen de la Salud at the Basílica), Tzintzuntzan, and Tupátaro.

Virgin of Health in Patzcuaro made of  Corn Stalk Paste

Two important dates for see the greatest collections of Michoacán crafts are the week around November 2, Noche de Muertos (Night of the Dead) artisan faire in Pátzcuaro, and the Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) artisan faire in Uruapan. But keep your eyes and ears open for other artisan competitions throughout the year.

Support the preservation of handicrafts, which is a deep part of the Purépecha culture, where craftsmen obtain and use raw materials from their surroundings to create pieces of singular beauty.

Remember that each piece has a story, and one in which its creator has invested many hours.  Buy their handicrafts, and practice fair trade!

*Text, video 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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Hotel Mansión Iturbe
Portal Morelos 59
Plaza Vasco de Quiroga

61600 Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

México

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