Sometimes interactions with nature are so profound they need to be shared with others. We hope this post will inspire others to learn about the incredible life and two-way migration of the Monarch butterfly; to visit a preserve and plant milkweed, the only food that the newly hatched caterpillars eat.
Mexico has fourteen Monarch colonies in the central states of Michoacan and Mexico, where the butterflies overwinter from locations far to the north. Eight of the colonies are protected and five are open to the public. These colonies, rather than being individual are part of a 52,000+ hectare biosphere reserve world heritage property. For information about this UNESCO site and some amazing photos check out this link:
Closer to home, see: Where Monarchs can be seen in Canada & the USA at certain times of the year.
Indigenous peoples in this part of Mexico believed that monarch butterflies carried the souls of the dead. The Monarchs arrive from their long journey at the time of Dia de los Muertos. We've seen photos of many Day of the Dead celebrations with participants wearing elaborate butterfly costumes, face-painting, and other representations of the beloved creature.
We chose an overnight tour with Eric Miranda Travel as Eric grew up in the Pueblo Magico of Tlalpujahua (pronounced: Tlal-pooh-how-a) only seventeen km from the Sierra Chincua Butterfly Prreserve.
We will be travelling high into the Sierra Madre mountains of Michoacan.
It's the first week of March. The butterflies are mating now and in the next ten to twenty days will keep their date with destiny and leave en masse for their long northern migration. laying eggs in America, then many moving ever onward to Canada.
We'll start this post on day two, the highlight: Piling out of the van at the sanctuary, we gaze at gently rolling hills, little businesses waiting for tourists, vaqueros, and horses. Not a butterfly in sight. Hmm.
It's surprising the blooming flowers in this heavily treed area. Hummingbirds and bees are buzzing about, but only a monarch here or there.
Arriving at a gathering place for the horses who will patiently await our return, we do indeed need to hike.
After a while, Eric starts to point at humongous clumps of black debris hanging from branches of the tallest firs.
At first, we don't realize what they are.
Down we go into a more accessible area and wait. We are waiting for the sun.
Slowly as warmth penetrates this cool, dark place, monarchs start to break away from those they had clung to for warmth and protection.
The wait is hard; it's drawn out; we're impatient for the magic, and then it comes. Some of us stand, some perch on logs and others lie on their backs, ready to see this regal king of butterflies.
Some monarchs seem to freefall away from their mass, then take control as the ground comes near; others catch the gentle breezes and drift lazily through the trees; others fly with purpose directly to the nearest flowers, and still, others flutter towards us with seeming curiosity.
Soon the sky is a golden, orange glow with so many butterflies.
Someone in the group says, "It's like being in a dream.", and it is.
Butterflies and their wings lay on the ground, the males, spent after mating end their journey here. This fragility of the monarch seems such a contrast to the strength of these tiny creatures to make a journey across the North American continent. This link describes their journey
Finally, it's time to leave and reluctantly our gaze comes down, our necks straighten, and we point ourselves down the mountain, choosing to hike so that we have more time with the butterflies.
Viewing these beautiful creatures in such abundance (which has been greatly reduced from years past) has been worth the journey to get here.
Now to begin at the beginning. Where we met Eric, his travel philosophy, and the journey he took us on to get to the butterflies
We first met Eric (owner and chef) of Tapas Mexicanas as customers who appreciate the tastiest tequila and mezcal margaritas and tapas and admired the products from his wife Christina's galleries. Sunday afternoons pass easily here with little Angela and her big, powerful voice.
At Miranda travel, the philosophy is to support Mexican people with small tiendas and eateries that provide excellent products and services. Lunch stop was a small place where the owners obligingly moved tables and chairs to an outside patio so we could soak up the sun while eating delicious carnitas. Complimentary quesadillas were given out as we had to wait about 15 minutes for the carnitas to be ready.
Arrival at the Dos Estrellas (2 stars) ex-gold mine, now a museum was a wonderful place to stretch our legs after the three-hour journey. This was a major producer of gold from 1908 to 1913. Still operating until 1937, it suddenly ceased to be when the mudslide of 1937 forced its closure.
Inside, the museum tells the history of the mine and Eric bolsters what we see with stories that he grew up with such as the contribution that every family had to make to the mine and that children as young as 7 years were put to work underground.
The museum director has dotted the beautiful grounds with pieces of mining equipment turned into art. We are free to explore the many buildings that have been left so that we can see the machinery and sequence of the mining process.
Artists have told the story of the mine in murals and Eric enhances it with more history and stories.
I can't leave before buying myself a 'share' in the mine, something to support the good work they do at this museum.
A little further down the road from the mine, on the old mining grounds, lives a friend of Eric and Christina's ... a potter. The ruins on these historic grounds are lovely and lovingly displayed by an artist. We are given a demonstration of how he prepares the clay for throwing on a marble work surface; a tour of the workshop (including an enormous kiln) where Paul is invited to do some painting; then off to the gallery with an opportunity to buy. Christina picks up some pieces for her galleries back in San Miguel.
We are told that this man gives generously of himself and mentors others who wish to spend some time with him and learn about his techniques.
It's time to head into town, settle in to our little hotel and do some exploring on our own.
The El Carmen church (AKA the Church of St Peter and St Paul), sitting on a hill and entered via arches is the centrepiece here and is visible from all parts of town. The richly decorative three-dimensional artwork on the walls, funded by wealth from the mines is colourful, extravagant and lovely. See & read more about the church here
Tlalpujahua is also known all over Mexico for its hand-blown glass Christmas decorations. After the mine closed a couple who had lived in America, working at making Christmas ornaments, returned to their hometown to establish a factory and teach others to work in 600-degree Celsius heat to form the handblown treasures, then hand paint them.
Today this work represents 60%+ of the town's economy and produces more than 15 million baubles every season, shipping them worldwide. Their craft has decorated the White House in Washington, DC, and the Sistine Chapel in Italy.
Their work constantly changes to represent the times incorporating modern designs and materials and including decorations for the whole home.
After a couple of hours, there was a meet-up with Eric at a local mezcaleria. The host was convivial and generous, handing out botanas (appys) to tide us over until dinner.
In 1937 after days of heavy rainfall, tailings of the mine were breached and a torrent of heavy silt tore through town, killing 300 people, and destroying a third of the town. Whole neighbourhoods disappeared, plus the original church of El Carmen. Before dinner, Eric walked us to the place where the old church once stood and through his stories let our imagination take us to that catastrophic time.
Dinner that night was a four-course traditional meal, served by a friend of Eric and Christina's, on the outside deck of her home. Food, conversation and wine flowed freely. Back at the hotel, some hardy folk lit a fire in the fireplace and enjoyed some mezcal.
On the morning of day two, before heading out to experience the Monarchs, Eric leads us on a street food tasting venture for breakfast that ended in the local market. While waiting for food, Eric spied a vendor coming in with his product for the day: cow's head (Cabeza de la Vaca).
The head is slow-roasted until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender, then served in burritos or quesadillas. We go over to have a look and later Eric brings a plate of meat over for us to try. It is indeed tender, and tasty, and the high-fat content gives it a juicy, rich mouthfeel. Delicious.
Lunch at the butterfly sanctuary later in the day is also delicious and includes a traditional soup that is cooked for many hours as well as some tortillas and quesadillas.
Arriving back in San Miguel around 8 pm, we are too tired for the walk home and hail a taxi. If we were staying in San Miguel longer, we would consider another of Eric's tours.
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