Adiós Pátzcuaro

After two wonderful weeks today we pack the car and head back to Zihuatanejo. Of course, with the beautiful sunshine that greeted us this morning, we had to pop into town for one last trip around the Plaza Grande (and a bite of breakfast). This is the statue of Vasco de Quiroga, the first bishop of Michoacán, in the center of the plaza which also bears his name (and a rare capture without a pigeon on his head).

According to Wikipedia: In Patzcuaro he [Quiroga] founded the cathedral and the Seminary of San Nicolas. He worked to gather the Indians in large towns near Lake Pátzcuaro in the center of Tarascan territory. Using Thomas More's Utopia as a model, here the Indians were to be taught religion, crafts and the fundamentals of self-government. Each town was to become the center of an industry. Each person worked six hours a day and contributed on an equal basis to the common welfare.

Our vehicle is testament to the success of his ideals, full of items from the the various towns we visited throughout our stay. I suspect, however, the people today work quite a bit longer than his desired six hours per day.