Lugares para visitar en Pátzcuaro y sus alrededores

The “Pasta de Caña” technique was used during the pre-Hispanic epoch by the original inhabitants of the Lake Pátzcuaro region to create their much adored idols and deities. The pasta de caña technique amazed the Spanish during their evangelization for its light weight, and they themselves started to use the same technique to create their own religious images . Religious Imagines made with the Corn Cane Paste Technique in Patzcuaro, Michoacan The foregoing is an example of the “melding” of cultures that occurred during that era.  The figures were made with the skills learned in Europe, but with the materials from the lake area and the very technique used by the Purépechas . As a result, different images began to be created, many of which were taken to Spain in the sixteenth century, and today we continue to find them in various parts of Spain. These “New Spain art” pieces, modeled in pasta de caña , were sent back to Spain unpainted, where they were later painted. Imagines ...

Religious figures of corn pulp are an important legacy of the Pátzcuaro Lake region indigenous people (Purépechas) , partly because this technique, which was developed by the prehispanic Purépechas , was unique in the entire world.    Museums around the world prize these figures among their collections. For our guests at Hotel Mansion Iturbe who love art and culture, visiting our temples where these extraordinary religious sculptures are located is a memorable experience. Señor de la Tercera Orden in Pátzcuaro during the Easter Season These figures were created during the 16 th , 17 th , and 18 th   centuries, mainly in Pátzcuaro and Tzintzuntzan . The Spanish evangelists were fascinated by this unknown technique and many of the figures were taken back to Spain, where they were widely recognized for their level of detail, as well as the astonishing lightness of the material. Religious Figure of Corn Purp in Tocuaro, Michoacán There was an artistic ...

The Patzcuaro Lake Region , with its cultural, culinary, and artisan treasures, has found a niche this year at the Vatican as part of the Mexican Christmas Program.  Michoacan is present at the Vatican this Christmas Season The show includes photographs, Christmas trees decorated by Michoacan artisans , and two nativity scenes – one made of wax from Purépero, and another pre-Histanic design ( pasta de caña de maíz, or corn stalk ) from the Patzcuaro Lake area .   On your next trip to Patzcuaro , don’t miss the artisan workshops where you can find these art forms.   Sacred art executed by the Purépecha is unique.  The Michoacan Folk Art present at the Vatican this Christmas Season The corn stalk nativity scene in the Vatican, by artists Martin Agustín Gaspar Rodríguez and Beatriz Ortega, was blessed by the current Pope.   Pirekua, music of the indigenous Purhépecha – and recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage – was also part of the ...

            Centuries ago, corn was – and continues to be today – the main food staple of Mexico .  But the Purépechas found a surprising, secondary use for this otherwise innocent plant:  They used it, combining it with various other local “ingredients,” in creating figures.  The Purépechas called the resulting substance “J’ATZINGUENI” – a legacy of the Purépechas to the world.  The Spanish themselves came to appreciate this “new” artistic medium. It was a custom of the mesoamericans to carry images of their gods into war; they believed the presence of the heavy and bulky figures would increase their chances of success on the battlefield.  Typically, it was the principal god who accompanied them to infuse the warriors with valor and courage.  Furthermore, they also believed that if they were defeated and the figures ended up in the hands of the victorious, the idols would wreak revenge upon them e...