Once we arrived to Tzintzuntzan, we were greeted by a number of people dressed up in traditional indigenous attire there to serenade us and lead us to the luncheon.
It was odd to have discussed “ethnic” performances to the foreign world by indigenous groups in Mexico all week at the conference and then go to a luncheon where precisely that takes place as soon as we got off the bus. All the same, everyone was very welcoming and treated us with kindness during our visit.
Tzintzuntzan is a little town that lies just 15km north of Pátzcuaro whose name means "Place of Hummingbirds" in Purépecha. Historically, Tzintzuntzan was the Tarascan capital when copper blades aided the Tarascans to defeat the Aztecs that invaded them during the 15th century.
When the Spanish later arrived with a religious mission backed by the Bible, a drive for riches, and a violent fury against the indigenous, the Purépecha chief made peace with Cristóbal de Olid, the leader of the first Spanish expedition in 1522. However, when Nuño de Guzmán arrived 7 years later with an insatiable desire for gold, he had the same chief burned alive.
As you can tell by my gigantic plate of food, the luncheon was fabulous. I have never eaten so many wonderful things in all of my life. There was even a woman making homemade ready-to-order enchiladas on a large skillet. Topping it off with an horchata water to drink, I was quite content. And with such fine company, what more could you ask for?
Toward the right corner of the Ex-Convento de San Francisco where the luncheon was held was the Templo de Nuestra Señora de la Salud.
On the last day of the conference, the organizers offered all of the participants the opportunity to attend a luncheon held at a local convent in Tzintzuntzan, a little town just outside of Morelia. Here are some of the pictures that I took along the highway as we bused into Tzintzuntzan.
