The Monarchs of Michoacan

Join a small group for this special journey to Mexico's state of Michoacan, (MEECH-wa-cahn), where you will witness the Palm Sunday arts and crafts festival in Uruapan before visiting the wintering home of the monarch butterflies in the oyamel forests of the region. The trip begins in colonial Morelia, and continues to Uruapan where the Palm Sunday (Domingo de Ramos) festivities include one of the most important and revered arts and crafts fairs in Mexico. Visit the villages of the Meseta Purepecha, and the artisan communities on the shores of Lake Patzcuaro. Finally, you’ll visit the winter home of millions of monarch butterflies that migrate to exactly the same region, year after year. It was not discovered until the 1970’s that the annual southern migration path of the monarchs, east of the Rockies, was to the oyamel fir forests of Michoacan where the butterflies cluster in trees to stay warm and protected from the cold air.

In 2006, JOURNEYS first Michoacan group was accompanied by Joan Weber and led by Mexico expert Stephanie Schneiderman (also known as Tia Stephanie). Our travelers were charmed by the beauty and lack of pretension in Michoacan, by the sincerity and welcome offered by the guides and hosts, and by Stephanie’s enthusiasm and insight.