Tacámbaro is a small city, ideal for relaxation and for excursions through its beautiful landscapes. With this complete guide you will be able to fully know the Magic Town Michoacan.
1. Where is Tacámbaro located and what are the main distances there?
Heroica Tacámbaro de Codallos is the head city of the municipality of Tacámbaro, located in the central area of the state of Michoacán, 107 km. from Morelia traveling southwest towards Uruapan. The city of Pátzcuaro is 55 km away. of the Magic Town and many tourists take the opportunity to get to know the two towns in one trip. Regarding the capitals of the border states with Michoacán, Tacámbaro is 276 km. from Guanajuato, 291 km. from Querétaro, 336 km. from Toluca, 377 km. from Guadalajara, 570 km. from Colima and 660 km. of Chilpancingo. To go from Mexico City to the Magic Town you have to travel 400 km. heading west on Mexico 15D.
2. How did the town arise?
Tacámbaro was conquered by the Purepecha of the Cuyuacán chiefdom approximately a century before the arrival of the Spanish. The conquerors appeared in 1528 led by the Basque encomendero Cristóbal de Oñate and shortly after the Augustinian friars arrived and began the process of evangelization. The Hispanic town was founded around 1535 and in 1540 the first religious buildings were already erected. After the Independence, Tacámbaro was in ruins due to the war and in 1828, after recovering a little, it received the title of town. The municipal rank was obtained in 1831 and the city rank came in 1859. For a brief time during the Mexican Revolution, Tacámbaro was the capital of Michoacán. In 2012 the city was declared a Magic Town to stimulate tourism, due to its religious and natural heritage.
3. What weather awaits me in Tacámbaro?
The city enjoys a pleasant temperate climate, without extreme variations in temperature throughout the year. The annual average temperature is 19 ° C, which averages 16 ° C in the coldest month (January) and rises to 22 ° C in the warmest month (May). Occasionally there is some extreme temperature, which can approach 8 ° C in winter and 31 ° C in summer. Annual rainfall is 1,150 mm, with a rainy season that runs from June to October. Between December and April it hardly rains.
4. What are the attractions of Tacámbaro that should not be missed?
The great attractions of Tacámbaro are its charming natural landscapes, among which the Cerro Hueco Ecological Park, the La Alberca Volcanic Crater, the Arroyo Frío Spa and the Laguna de La Magdalena stand out. It also has some parks in which the hand of nature and the hand of man come together to create cozy places of relaxation, such as the El Manantial Water Park. Among its architectural landscape, buildings such as the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Fátima and the Chapel of Santa María Magdalena stand out. Tacámbaro is avocado land and the cultivation and commercialization of the delicious fruit is one of the economic sustenance of the municipality.
5. What does the Cerro Hueco Ecological Park have?
This park nestled in the so-called Tierra Caliente de Michoacán, is covered with pine trees and beautiful green areas, being an excellent viewpoint to appreciate the immensity of the landscape, including the volcanic crater of La Alberca. Its access is located very close to the historic center of Tacámbaro and has convenient parking, a camping area, spaces for children's games and sports, and pavilions for family gatherings and parties. It is the scene of international exhibitions of gray quarry sculptures and has a permanent collection of large-format works made by artists from Japan and various states of Mexico.
6. How are the Arroyo Frío Spa and the Laguna de La Magdalena?
As its name indicates, the spa waters are suitable for stretching in a jiffy, since their temperature ranges between 16 and 18 ° C. The Arroyo Frío spa is located 9 km away. del Pueblo Mágico, in the community of Parocho, and the springs that feed it come from the ejidos of Domínguez Moreno and Pedernales. The Laguna de La Magdalena is a beautiful body of water located 800 meters from the Chapel of Santa María Magdalena and is equipped with gazebos for family and social gatherings. It is used for swimming in open water and for camping.
7. What is the attraction of La Alberca Volcanic Crater?
The extinct volcano La Alberca de los Espinos is 2 km away. de Tacámbaro and receives its name from the body of water that formed in its crater and from the nearby community of Los Espinos. The highest point of the crater is located at 2030 meters above sea level and the beautiful emerald green water mirror has an area of 11 hectares. Together with La Alberca de Teremendo, near Morelia, it forms the only pair of volcanic lake cones in Michoacán. In the area of La Alberca you can practice entertainment such as boat rides, hiking and controlled fishing.
8. What can I do at El Manantial Water Park?
It is the ideal place in Tacámbaro for the full enjoyment of children and young people. It has three pools, one deep that reaches 3 meters in the deepest part, one for waves and another that has a slide. There is also a wading pool and the place is very clean and safe, so that adults can relax and enjoy the day, while the little ones have fun in the water. The park is open every day of the year from 10 AM to 6 PM and its rates are 50 pesos for adults and 25 for children from 3 to 11 years old. The "happy day" is Thursday, when two enter for the price of one, both adults and children.
9. What is the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Fatima like?
This sanctuary is one of the main pilgrimage sites in Michoacán and in Mexico, mainly for its four Refugee Virgins, four images from Poland, Hungary, Lithuania and Cuba, named for the religious persecution that reigned in those countries when the figures were carried to Tacámbaro. The temple was started in 1952 and in 1967 it was consecrated to Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima. The image of the Virgin of Fatima is a replica of the original made by the 20th century Portuguese sculptor, José Ferreira Thedim, for the famous Lusitanian sanctuary. In the temple of Fatima there is also a replica of the Holy Sepulcher.
10. What is the history of the Chapel of Santa María Magdalena?
It is an architectural icon of Tacámbaro for being the first religious building that was built in the town. It was built in the late 1530s on a property owned by Cristóbal de Oñate, Governor of Nueva Galicia. Despite its importance in the evangelization of Michoacán, the Chapel of Santa María Magdalena was forgotten and semi-unknown until the 1980s, when a group of connoisseurs promoted its rescue, being restored years later. This historic gem is located 2.5 kilometers from the center of Tacámbaro, on the road to Tecario.
11. How important are avocados for Tacámbaro?
Mexico produces one of the most delicious avocados in the world and the municipality of Tacámbaro is the second largest producer of national importance. Every year, more than 100,000 tons of the fruit are harvested in the fertile lands of Tacámbaro, some 40,000 MT being destined for the North American market and another important lot to Japan. Many residents of the city of Tacámbaro live on avocado, both those who are in the extensive plantations and those who work in the processing plants selecting and preparing the best fruits for the demanding export market. In Tacámbaro, do not forget to taste their tasty avocados.
12. What are the main festivals of the Pueblo Mágico?
Tacámbaro has 5 major festive periods throughout the year. Between April 11 and 20, the Agricultural, Livestock and Industrial Fair and Exhibition is held, in which the best cultivated products and the best animals raised in the municipality are shown. Independence is celebrated on September 16 and the 30th of the same month is the great day of the festivities of San Jerónimo, the scholar who translated the Bible into Latin in the 4th century and patron of Tacámbaro. On November 20, the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution is festively commemorated and on December 12, as in all of Mexico, the Virgin of Guadalupe is celebrated.
13. How are crafts and gastronomy?
Tacámbaro is famous for its carnitas, being the periodic venue of festivals and competitions organized around this Michoacan and Mexican delicacy. They also eat at discretion uchepos, corundas, steamed tacos with shredded meat and aporreado, a dish of Cuban origin prepared with jerky or fresh beef, cooked in a stir-fry of lard and seasoned with various ingredients. If you had a drink the night before, be sure to order an invigorating oxtail soup. The main crafts of the Magic Town are huaraches, saddles, tapestries and woolen garments.
14. Where do you recommend staying and eating?
Mansión del Molino is a cozy 12-room hotel, located in Morelos 450, which was installed in the building of an old wheat mill, whose milling machine is exhibited as a museum piece. The Posada Santo Niño, located in the square of the same name, has 9 rooms in a beautiful building of quarry architecture from Michoacán. Many tourists who go to Tacámbaro settle in the nearby cities of Pátzcuaro and Morelia. For dining, the Molino hotel restaurant is highly praised for its clubbing and other regional dishes. The most varied and delicious carnitas at solidarity prices are served at Carnitas Rey Tacamba González. Another option is El Mirador de Tacámbaro, at km. 2 of the highway to Pátzcuaro.
Preparing the suitcase to leave for Tacámbaro? Do not forget to leave us a brief comment about this guide and about your experiences in the beautiful Magic Town of Michoacán.
