Michoacán, the Soul of Mexico

Designer and visual artist Rodrigo Toledo-Crow drew inspiration from the crafts produced in the central and lake regions of Michoacán, particularly from the town of Capula, to breathe life into the visual identity of the 21st edition of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM).

Among the wide field of pottery, Capula stands out for its unique style based on the use of detailed dots, particularly for its stippling and "capulineado" technique, which designer and visual artist Rodrigo Toledo-Crow used for the image of the 21st FICM.

Michoacán stands out for its dazzling beaches, which attract crowds of visitors year after year. Watersports, turtle camps and dreamlike views make up some of the state's most popular attractions.

In addition to its mountainous landscapes, Michoacan has stunning destinations stretching over more than 200 km of coastline on the Pacific Ocean. This is a region where tourists can connect with nature in multiple ways.

Michoacán has ten magical towns that protect the culture and traditions of the state. In them, the visitors can enjoy the local gastronomy, admire the lovely natural landscapes, and spend time with the community through their customs and festivities where the indigenous legacy still remains.

Among these are two, whose touristic attractions stand out for their diversity and the preservation of the state's uniqueness. Learn more here about Angangueo and Cotija.

Michoacán is ready to conquer its visitors through the palate. It is known as the cradle of Mexican gastronomy. The state's culinary heritage is perceived in every detail, from the sourcing of ingredients to the way they are prepared and cooked.

The culinary tradition is kept alive through traditional cooks, who have been in charge of protecting and preserving ancestral techniques and recipes. One of its key tasks is the conservation of the use of utensils for the preparation of artisanal dishes, such as the comal, the metate and the molcajete.

Michoacán is part of the "Paraísos indígenas" program, which since 2015 has brought together tourist attractions with high natural, cultural and historical value under the protection of indigenous communities. The project seeks to allow villages to share part of their culture, traditions and landscapes with visitors, all while respecting their habits and customs.

Every year, Michoacán is the setting of one of the most impressive natural phenomena: the arrival of the sea turtles. Playa Azul, Corolla and Ixtapilla are the gathering spots for females to lay their eggs.

The state annually receives three of the seven sea turtle species that exist in the world: leatherback, olive ridley, and black. The first one, the largest of them all, reaches lengths of up to 1.80 meters (5 ft 11 in) and weights of 500 kilograms (1,100 lb), while the olive ridley is the most abundant and small of all sea turtles and growing to less than 80 cm (2,6 ft) and weighing about to 40 kilograms (88 lb).

In the months of July and August, the plowing of the land to plant the seed of the cempasúchil flower begins. In Michoacán the flowers grow in Tarímbaro, a town located 8 miles from Morelia.

The sowing is in charge of the community and the families who prepare for the rainy season so the “Cempohualxochitl”, word of Náhuatl root that means “twenty flowers” or “many flowers,” can bloom.

Michoacán: la cuna de la cocina mexicana

In the center-west of the Mexican territory is located the state of Michoacán, a privileged place for its Purepecha heritage that is present even in its local cuisine.

Since 2010, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) decided to recognize Mexican gastronomy as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, thanks to a phenomenon they called The Michoacán Paradigm. "It is a complete cultural model that includes agricultural activities, ritual practices, ancient practical knowledge, culinary techniques, ancestral community customs and modes of behavior," from which some of the most representative dishes of the state come.

It is no surprise to anyone that Morelia, Michoacán, is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the Mexican territory. Morelia was founded and baptized as Valladolid on May 18, 1541. The city was recognized by UNESCO in 1991 as one of the most beautiful in the world. It was declared a "Cultural Heritage of Humanity" thanks to the fact that it preserves most of the architecture and historical monuments from the colonial era.

Such qualification is undeniable. Just walk through the cobbled streets of the centre and admire the most representative buildings of the "Morelian Baroque" style, the ornamentation in pink quarry stone, the elegant fountains such as "Las Tarascas", the planters and the particular light of its street lamps.

Pueblos mágicos de Michoacán y sus destinos

There are plenty of reasons to visit Michoacán: semi-virgin beaches, colonial architecture and families that preserve their ancestral customs. Additionaly, let's remember that Michoacán is considered the cradle of Mexican cuisine thanks to its unique flavors and expertise.

Juan O'Gorman painted “La historia de Michoacán” in 1942, a mural located in the Gertrudis Bocanegra Library in Pátzcuaro. The painting shows the creationist worldview of the Purépecha people, the pre-Columbian era and the Spanish conquest, important figures for the flourishing of the Tarascan state, such as Don Vasco de Quiroga and heroes of the War of Independence such as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, as well as the wealth and value of its people.

Four bird men dance in free fall representing the cardinal points. They fly across the earthly and the divine, accompanied by a leader, also known as volantín, who with flute and drum sounds the ceremony dedicated to their patron saint Peter the Apostle, while the whole town, with their eyes gazing at the sky, admires the festivity.

It is in the town of Tlalpujahua de Rayón in Michoacán, Pueblo Mágico of eternal Christmas known for its production of Christmas ornaments, where every June 29th they celebrate the flight of its dancers. For that reason they were recognized in 2009 by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Pirekua, word of Purépecha root that means singing, a literary and musical expression, which through its lyrics, resources and symbols express the feelings of its composers, historical events, religion, life and death, social activism, politics, family and love.

A song that goes beyond generations between families and communities, promoting the culture and the pride of traditions of the Tarasco people of Michoacán de Ocampo.

Talent is in abundance in the Tarascan state. There are many national and international acclaimed actors, actresses, and directors who were born in the state of Michoacán, cradle of the Purépecha culture, located in the western region of the country.

It is no surprise that great figures of the Mexican cinema like Felipe Arriaga, actor and singer born in the municipality of Cotija de la Paz also known as “El principe Purépecha,” or Julio Alemán regarded as the first Mexican actor who participated in the first national produced soap opera come from a such rich state in cosmovisions and ways of thinking.

Every year the monarch butterfly is the living proof of needing to migrate in order to survive. This small day traveler insect travels up to 3100 miles to arrive at the natural reserves that will host them during the winter, until March of the next year.

These migratory butterflies hatch in the summer and in early fall begin their journey to the California and Mexican reserves, where they shelter from the winter in the oyamel firs and pine trees of the sanctuaries.