Discover the natural wonders of the world that can only be found in Mexico.

What is Monarch Butterfly

Also known as monarch butterfly in Japan, it is a large butterfly with distinctive orange and black patterns.Many of you must have seen videos and photos of the spectacle of people staying with a vengeance.This butterfly is famous for its mass migration, which is rarely seen in the natural world of the world, and its ecology is still an insect with many mysteries.

Monarch butterflies are born in the northern United States and southern Canada, and some of them (Mattusalem) migrate south to the North American continent, spending about four months in the forests of Mexico and Michoacán in central Mexico "every year," and returning to North America in the spring. Known for large migrations.The distance is 4km one way.With a body that weighs less than 4000g, it travels tremendous distances, spends the winter in Mexico, travels thousands of kilometers north again, and ends its spectacular life by spawning.

However, the population has now decreased to 1990% of the 10s, and it is designated as an endangered species.The factor is of course human.The main cause is the drastic decrease in milkweed (Asclepias), which is their food.The cause is herbicides used in large-scale agricultural areas, including corn.Corn is genetically engineered to tolerate this herbicide, and only the surrounding milkweed is weeded in large numbers.Monarch butterflies, which have a habit of laying eggs only in milkweed, cannot leave offspring without a "birthplace".

Forests in Mexico, a wintering ground, are also responsible for the rapid decline.Illegal logging and human-generated noise deprive them of their habitat, and they die prematurely, unable to store the energy (fat) they need to return home.

In the future, we would like to be involved in monarch butterfly conservation activities in some way.We are preparing materials and explanations so that you can not only "appreciate" but also understand the background that these creatures face.

 

Taste The Mexico in Michoacan

Michoacán is a bit of a waste if you just want to see the monarch butterflies.If you go all the way to the forest, we recommend that you also visit other attractions in Michoacán.

Michoacan has three World Heritage Sites.

In a good way, Michoacán is not well known to foreign tourists, so compared to other areas, it retains a lot of "local feeling".It is not well known to foreign tourists, partly because it is geographically off the Golden Route such as Guanajuato and Oaxaca.

In addition, Michoacan has few beautiful townscapes that are known worldwide like San Miguel de Allende and Guanajuato, and there are no ruins with huge pyramids like Teotihuacan.Therefore, it is necessary to know a little background to feel "goodness of Michoacán".

Three major elements of Michoacan tourism

• prepecha culture
• History
• Food in Michoacan

These occupy an important position among the many elements that make up the country of "Mexico".It is no exaggeration to say that the country of "Mexico" cannot be fully described without these three major elements of Michoacan tourism.

 

prepecha culture

👆Tsintsun Tsang Ruins

A culture in Midwestern Mexico that flourished at the same time as the Mexica Empire, known as the Aztecs.Like a bubble, it is a great empire that did not allow the invasion of the Messican Empire and escaped its rule.As a result, Michoacán has many place names derived from the Prepecha language.

Pátzcuaro is the former capital of the great cultural Prepecha.It is a town located about 50 kilometers west of the city of Morelia, the current state capital.Patzcuaro is also derived from Prepecha and means "door to the sky".The roots of the modern Day of the Dead form can be traced here, and Day of the Dead in this region has a unique atmosphere.

Tzintzuntzan, the capital of Prepecha, which was moved from Patzcuaro, means "place of hummingbirds".Even today, there are buildings called "Yakata" that remain as ruins and cannot be seen in other areas.

 

History of Morelia

There are several unforgettable events in the formation of "Today's Mexico".It is like the Meiji Restoration in Japanese history.Some things are lost and some things are gained by those historical events.For better or worse, that event is a part of history that cannot be ignored in becoming 'Mexico today', 'Japan today' and 'World today'.

There are two big events in Mexico.One is invasion by European culture, and the second is liberation (independence) from Spain.The event of "independence", which is unfamiliar to Japan, is an important event that cannot be forgotten for countries and regions that have been invaded by Europe.

Mexico's independence is usually associated with the city of Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, and Dolores Hidalgo in the state of Guanajuato, but Morelia was also an important place.It was the place where the early conspirators met secretly during the growing independence movement, and also the José Palace, whose strong centripetal force fueled the independence movement after the death of Miguel Hidalgo, the father of Mexican independence. Birthplace of Jose Maria Morelos y Pavon.The name Morelia is derived from his name Morelos.

The layout and buildings of the city, which were built in the middle of the Edo period, are still in use today, and it has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 

Food of Michoacán, a World Intangible Cultural Heritage

👆 Michoacán woman cooking

The history of Mexican cuisine is very old, and the oldest food that has been confirmed is a food called "tamal".Tamar is depicted in a wall painting that is said to have been painted around 100 BC.This tamal is still an essential part of the daily life of Mexicans today.

👆Tamaru and coffee

The area where Mexico is today contains many crops that were first "cultivated" or "native" in human history.Corn, pumpkin, kidney beans, chili, cacao, vanilla, etc., are still used today as the basic ingredients of Mexican cuisine.

It is not a specific Mexican dish or Mexican cuisine that has been inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, but rather the customs associated with Mexican cuisine, or more precisely, the "Food Customs of the State of Michoacán".

We also offer cooking classes with locals.

 

Photo gallery

Monarch butterfly miracle

Traces of Prepecha culture

Without Morelia, there would be no Mexico today

The food of Michoacán is a world intangible cultural heritage

 

Recommended for these people!

Of course, people other than the above people are also very welcome!