Tzintzuntzan

Tzintzuntzan - "place of hummingbirds" - was the seat of the Purepecha empire, the state that held off the Aztecs to its east and then met the Spanish in the 1520s. Its ceremonial platform still terraces the hillside above Lake Patzcuaro, carrying five yacatas: pyramids of a shape used nowhere else, keyhole-plan structures joining a rectangular body to a round tower, faced in fitted volcanic slabs. From their line the whole lake and its islands spread below, which was the point - this was the empire's ritual balcony. Downhill, the Franciscans built early and hard: the convent of Santa Ana keeps a vast walled atrium planted with olive trees said to have been brought by Vasco de Quiroga in the 1500s, now enormous, hollow and sculptural, with a chapel, open-air arches and a Christ figure that draws pilgrims each Holy Week. The village between the two runs on craft - straw figures, ceramics and carved wood in stalls along the highway - and Night of the Dead here fills the cemetery with candles a night ahead of Janitzio's more famous vigil.

Highlights

• The five yacatas - keyhole pyramids on the lake terrace.
• The lake panorama - Patzcuaro and its islands below.
• The olive atrium - ancient trees in the Franciscan yard.
• The craft stalls - straw, clay and wood along the road.

When to go

Dry-season mornings for clear lake views from the platform; late October and early November for the Night of the Dead vigils. The site is exposed - avoid midday sun.

What to expect

The yacatas are partly reconstructed and roped in places; interpretation is modest. The village stalls are pressing but good-natured. Combine with Patzcuaro rather than travelling out alone.

Nearby

Quiroga's craft market, Patzcuaro's colonial centre and Santa Clara del Cobre's workshops are all within half an hour.