Paracho
Paracho de Verduzco (always referred to as simply Paracho) is a city of 21,000 people (2020) in central Michoacan. The town is famous for having hundreds of master luthiers and guitar shops. It calls itself the "world capital of the guitar". The town is one of Mexico's designated Pueblos Mágicos.
Understand
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Mexican Guitars
Mexican guitars come in a dizzying array of styles and sizes. Guitars include:
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Paracho is an indigenous community of the Purépecha plateau rich in traditions, among them the artisan production of guitars and other stringed musical instruments. It also has a wide and varied gastronomy.
The town center has a kiosk and a market where toys and food are sold. In addition, Paracho has a House of Culture, which was a boarding school for indigenous youth from 1937 to 1972; it now hosts different exhibitions, workshops and all kinds of cultural events. During the International Guitar Fair, the Paracho House of Culture becomes the main venue for the different exhibitions and stalls selling artisan products, not only from Paracho itself, but also from towns in the surrounding region.
History
[edit]In the pre-hispanic era, the town was home to a Purépecha indigenous community. The Spanish invaded the area in the early 16th century. During the colonial era, missions were established throughout the territory under the leadership of Bishop Vasco de Quiroga (first Bishop of Michoacan). Vasco had an idea that the missions would specialize in different crafts with villages developing their own specializations. Long before the Spanish arrived in Mexico, Paracho had a reputation for quality woodwork, which lent itself perfectly to their assigned specialization of stringed musical instruments.
Get in
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Drive north from Uruapan on federal highway MEX-37 for 50 km, or take one of the frequent combis.
By bus
[edit]From Uruapan, Primera Plus offers direct service to Paracho several times per day. The 40-minute trip will cost about M$200.
- 1 Autobuses de Paracho (Bus station), Francisco de Castro 447, Dr Enrique González Ruiz, Centro. Small bus station with waiting room. Served by Primera Plus.
Get around
[edit]The core downtown area is easy to walk around by foot, and that's where most of the interesting luthiers can be found, but you'll want a taxi to visit outlying areas.
See
[edit]Thursday is market day, when people come in from nearby villages to buy and sell.
Do
[edit]Festivals
[edit]- Feria de la Guitarra, during the first two weeks of August each year, the town fills with musicians and music fans to come and celebrate their favorite stringed instrument. More than 400 of the town's luthiers mingle with visitors and enjoy concerts, workshops, guitar competitions, and dancing and great food.
Buy
[edit]Paracho is known for guitar-making and is full of shops selling handmade guitars and other string instruments. The guitar shops cluster along Av. Independencia.
- 1 Mercado Municipal, 20 de Noviembre, Centro. Daily 07:00 - 20:00. The town's traditional marketplace is always bustling with local vendors selling produce, prepared regional foods, household items, and regional artesanal crafts.
Guitars
[edit]There are more than 200 stores and workshops in Paracho selling guitars. Workshops making instruments are found throughout the town. Some will sell instruments directly to customers but some of the master luthiers build custom instruments and will want to work with a customer to craft a unique instrument for their needs and playing style. The densest concentration of guitar shops offering instruments for direct sales can be found along Avenida 20 de Noviembre where some blocks may have as many as four or five guitar shops.
- 1 , Independencia 262, Centro, ☏ +52 423 525 0086. Daily 09:00 - 20:00. Francisco Navarro is a luthier specializing in handmade classical and flamenco guitars for the professional musician.
- 2 La Casa de las Guitarras, 20 de Noviembre 315, Centro, ☏ +52 423 525 0533. Daily 09:30 - 21:00. Large selection of guitars in all grades and price ranges, from basic guitars for young musicians just learning their playing skills, to beautifully crafted instruments for the demanding professional.
- 3 Jose Velasquez Vargas, 20 de Noviembre 260, Centro, ☏ +52 423 525 0048. M-Sa 09:00 - 18:30, closed Su. Modern shop with a large selection of guitars in all qualities and price ranges.
- 4 Guitarras Mestiza, 20 de Noviembre 362-B, Centro, ☏ +52 423 525 0211. M-F 07:30 - 14:00, closed Sa-Su. Workshop offering their own brand of professional-grade guitars.
- 5 Guipar Guitarras, 20 de Noviembre 41, Centro, ☏ +52 423 525 1958. M-Sa 09:00 - 19:00, Su 11:00 - 13:00. Wide selection of guitars and friendly service toward visitors.
- 6 Guitarras Cerro Grande, Nogal 65, Angeles, ☏ +52 4235250838. M-Sa 07:00 - 16:00, closed Su. Excellent selection of guitars and friendly service. Staff are happy to explain the features and musical qualities of different instruments.
- 7 Guitarreria Jorge Alfaro Carrillo (Guitarras San Miguel), Mercado municipal, 20 de noviembre local # 3, Centro, ☏ +52 452 134 8094. Daily 10:00 - 20:00. Shop selling Guitarras San Miguel (their workshop, which welcomes visitors, is in Paracho at 680 Prolongación Emilio Carranza).
Eat
[edit]Some restaurants and the internal mercado serves lots of good food across from the plaza.
- 1 Los Arcos, 20 de Noviembre 764. Tu-Su 09:00 - 18:00, closed M. Comfortable modern restaurant serving traditional Mexican cuisine. Offers a daily special that includes soup, entree, and desert for M$120. M$100.
- 2 Cafe de Mi Pueblo, Calle Nicolás Bravo 90-B, Centro, ☏ +52 443 118 2447. Tu-Su 10:00 - 17:00, closed M. Cozy cafe serving traditional Mexican antojitos and coffee beverages. M$100.
- 3 Mentos, Aquiles Serdán 500, Morelos, ☏ +52 423 525 1335. Daily 12:00 - 19:00. Traditional Mexican food, known for their mole and their gorditas. M$150.
- 4 Mashkuta Pozoleria, Emiliano Zapata 250, Centro, ☏ +52 452 130 3843. M-Sa 07:00 - 22:00, closed Su. Casual restaurant specializing in pozole, a hearty hominy stew that can be ordered red, white, or green. Topped with various crunchy additions like shredded cabbage, onion, bits of tostada, radishes and more.
Drink
[edit]- 1 Mezcaleria "Los Güeros", La Paz 137, Centro, ☏ +52 443 408 2159. M-Th 17:00 - 00:00, F-Su 10:00 - 02:00. Local bar with a mind-bending selection of mezcals including a large selection of the creamy fruit flavored liqueuer-style mezcals that are a popular choice for drinkers who "don't like mezcal". Sampler rounds can be ordered to try several varietals made with different agaves or showing different flavors, such as more intense smoky character, or softer, vanilla-like character from aging.
- 2 La Amargura, Calle Nicolás Bravo 602, Calvario. Sa-Su 18:00 - 22:30, closed M-F. Small artesanal brewery serving a house golden ale and an IPA with additional beers available seasonally.
- 3 Guitarrisimo, C. Nicolás Bravo 32, Centro. Th-Su 19:00 - 05:00, closed M-W. Popular nightclub with a full menu of Mexican anotjitos and an impressive bar serving innovative cocktails and draft and artesanal beers. Live music nightly.
Sleep
[edit]There is a nice clean hotel on main street 2 blocks from plaza.
- 1 Hotel Santa Fe, 20 de Noviembre 791, Centro, ☏ +52 423 525 0185. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Moderate hotel with spacious, clean rooms with good views from the balconies. Parking available and free coffee in the morning.
- 2 Hotel San Francisco, 20 de Noviembre 361, La Villita, ☏ +52 423 525 3067. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Basic budget hotel with off-street parking and spacious rooms. Guests have experienced maintenance problems (no water, etc.)
- 3 El Meson Paracho, Morelos 5, Centro, ☏ +52 423 525 1914. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Small budget hotel at the entrance to a market. Pleasant courtyard. Rooms often have maintenance issues. Parking is off-site and short walk from the hotel.
- 4 Hotel Melinda, 20 de Noviembre 239, ☏ +52 423 525 0080. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Basic budget hotel on the city's main avenue, 1 block from the town plaza. Rooms are spacious but cry out for a serious makeover and update.