> IF YOU GO
The charming rooms at the Hotel Mansión de Cupatitzio are a perfect jumping-off point for walks into the Barrancas de Cupatitzio National Park and start at 1,700 Mexican pesos ($97) during the high season around Holy Week.
Just a few blocks from Uruapan’s central square, the Hotel Mi Solar occupies a late-19th-century mansion that was remodelled as a hotel in 1943 (standard rooms from 1,232 pesos during Holy Week).
Cocina M offers the most interesting food in town. A dinner for two, including starters, mains and a glass of wine, should run about 1,100 pesos.
Another local favourite, famous for serving traditional cooking from the Tierra Caliente region of the state, is Rincón de Aguililla, where a filling meal for two will cost roughly 350 pesos.
The best option for visits to Paricutín is an overnight stay at the community-run Centro Turístico Angahuan, where a simple cabin with a working fireplace starts at 500 pesos. Guides often wait at the entrance to the hotel and the staff can help plan excursions, which usually start at 1,200 pesos for two people.
Most of the artisan towns have many families dedicated to craft but little infrastructure to help find their studios. A good starting point is the Casa de las Artesanías in Morelia, where the knowledgeable staff can help guide you. The owners at some of the more established galleries in Pátzcuaro are even greater fonts of knowledge about the region.
Once in the craft villages, you can ask for artisans by name. As you leave one workshop, it’s always worth asking for that artisan’s recommendations for studios. Otherwise, just stop in the central plazas of a village to ask for artesanía; this will almost always bring you to someone’s home studio.
Prices can vary dramatically. Small pineapples in San José de Gracía may cost no more than a few dollars, while more elaborately worked objects can easily run hundreds of dollars, if not more. Bartering is frowned upon, unless you’re in a large market and buying in bulk. Keep in mind that whatever you’re being asked to pay is almost certainly a modest price for the work involved.