Janitizo
Population 2,000

Janitizo is a small volcanic island in the middle of Lake Patzcuro. The people claim to be pure descendants of the Purepecha. Some islanders, having never left the island, speak only their native language, not Spanish.

The island is famous for it’s Pre-Day of the Dead celebration, "The Hunting of the Duck". The hunt begins at dawn on October 31st. Men and their sons use harpoons to kill the ducks, which become food offerings to the deceased.

Tourists arrive by boat thirty minutes from Patzcuro. Mariachi musicians hop on board and play for pesos. There are no accommodations on the island, so tourists stay in neighboring Patzcuro.

The small cemetery sits on the edge of a hill overlooking the lake. In the evening of November 1st. women and children carry marigolds and food offerings to the grave sites in silence. At midnight families hold somber vigils. A bell tolls all night to evoke the spirits to return to commune with living relatives.