Alternative & Organic Fair in Arócutin - First Sunday Monthly

Last Sunday Reed and I visited the pueblo of Arócutin, which is about half an hour out on the west side of Lake Pátzcuaro. Our destination was an "organic fair" held on the first Sunday of each month.  What an incredible cultural fusion it turned out to be!  

My interest was piqued when my Spanish teacher  told me that he visited the fair last month with his wife and two young children, who had a terrific time. 

We walked down the driveway of a property dotted with several quirky Mexican buildings—including a dry fish pond!  The first thing that caught our attention were the plantings, which were quite remarkable—herbs of all kinds, unusual trees and bushes.  

We walked around a bend in what was by now a single-file footpath and—voilá—we had arrived! But where on earth were we?  

Flute music wafted gently on the breeze. In front of us were tables shaded by grasses woven to form shade roofs.  Dappled sunlight fell through the lightly-scented grasses on goods of all kinds—cheeses, blouses, tablecloths and napkins, herbs and plants, and fresh, organically grown garden vegetables—spinach, Swiss Chard, carrots, radishes, and more.

I have to add that the taste of vegetables grown here is quite remarkable. The Swiss Chard, spinach and carrots are truly sweet, not at all bitter, and even the largest radishes are full-flavored, hot.  A recent vegetarian guest commented, "Michoacán is a vegetarian's delight!" 

Set out on still more tables were still more offerings—herbal medicines and natural creams, goat cheese....  One woman was selling tiny succulents planted in blown-out egg shells that rested on tiny egg dishes. I was struck yet again by the originality of the Mexican aesthetic. 

Suddenly Reed exclaimed, "This is an orchard—look at this peach tree."  In his hand, he was tenderly holding a very young peach growing on its branch. As I continued to gaze around, I became aware of a pink rope-cloth secured to a tree limb about 20 feet up.  A little girl was learning to climb the rope under the competent supervision of a lithe Mexican señorita.

There were craft workshops of all kinds—weaving with wool, etc.  Oh -- and have I mentioned the fragrance of burning incense?

And the food!  An elderly indigenous woman knelt on a mat in front of a metate rolling masa for the delicious blue corn tortillas. There was ceviche, tostadas, empanadas...the variety was impressive.  By now I wasn't even surprised to meet my extremely professional physical therapist from Morelia helping out her husband, who, as it turns out, brews superb microbeers! 

Clearly baffled, Pablo, our driver and friend, whispered to Reed, "What is this?"  The truth is, we were asking the same question. It felt like a happening that might have been organized by a hippy community from the 1960s in Northern California or New Hampshire. But there the similarity ends, because if this was a hippy happening, it carried a distinctly Mexican flavor. 

Gradually I became aware of not just the variety of offerings, but of who was offering them.  Most striking was how many Mexican campesinos and artesanos were offering their wares, but there were also American hippy-types selling their hand-crafted jewelry and US-style baked goods. To my ear, their Spanish was fluent, even colloquial. Clearly, they've been here a long time, as evidenced by several blue-eyed, blond children happily running around barefoot. 

But it became equally clear that some of the 'hippies' were indeed Mexicans, which suggests to us that the counterculture has reached down into Mexico. We also encountered Mexican hippies on our recent visit to San Cristóbol (Chiapas). When we left, Reed spotted the ever-faithful VW bus in the parking lot. Diagnosis confirmed!

What was equally amazing was that as gringos we were a distinct minority among the customers.  I asked a vendor about the history of the property, and she told me that it had once been a 'community'—my hunch is that it may have been a commune—but now it is owned by one couple, and each month they host this fair. 

What an unexpected fusion of cultures we encountered on a warm, spring day in Arócutin! Needless to say, we will return!

Directions:  Follow the road to Erongarícuaro about 10 km.  Turn Right toward Jarácuaro.  The driveway to the property is on the Right, about 100' from the corner. You'll see cars parked along the road.