Patzcuro
Population 75,000

Patzcuro is the cultural and spiritual heart of the region. It’s a Spanish colonial town with narrow streets connecting four plazas. Plaza Vasco de la Quiroga, is the life center of the town.

This is the place to be several days before Day of the Dead. Street markets burst with flowers, sweets, breads, and candles. Artisans from surrounding villages set up street stalls with copperware, ceramics, masks, and embroidery. Tourists armed with cameras and video camcorders – mostly middle-class Mexicans from Mexico City and yes, a few Americans – jam the streets.

Patzcuro celebrations begin on October 31st. in the plaza. Traditional dances performed by young girls and boys (5-15 years old) are accompanied by a handful of musicians. One of the dances mimics a bullfight. A senorita (unmarried girl) and a teenage boy face each other. The girl waves a red scarf towards the boy, beckoning him. Holding a huge paper machie bulls mask, he charges her. As he whirls past, the crowd cheers.

After the dances, the performers and musicians form two lines for a parade through the town. The dancers lead the parade, followed by four elderly women carrying a large glass box. Inside is a 16th century statue of the Senora de la Salud, the Virgin of Health – patron saint of the region. Villagers who have lost a loved one within the past year join the parade. The musicians trail behind them. As the parade snakes around the back streets before reaching its destination, the Basilica church, home of the statue, firecrackers sizzle and pop.