Hot springs 33 km east of Cuitzeo
A hot-springs village at the east end of the lake, with family balnearios and the 17th-century sanctuary of the Señor de Araró.
Araró, officially San Buenaventura de las Aguas Calientes de Araró, is a village near the eastern end of Lake Cuitzeo, in the municipality of Zinapécuaro, that has been known for its hot springs since before the Spanish conquest. The ground here is part of a geothermal belt: springs, steaming vents and warm pools rise around the village, and the land also yielded salt that was prized and paid as tribute in ancient times.
The Relación de Michoacán tells that Araró was among the towns conquered in the early days of the Purépecha state, and that the steam from its springs was linked to a goddess who brought the rain. After the conquest, a crucified Christ took the place of the old image; known as the Señor de Araró, it is venerated in a sanctuary completed in the 17th century, and its festivities draw large pilgrimages during Lent, around the second Friday.
Today Araró is a simple, unpretentious hot-springs destination. Family balnearios such as Los Hervideros and the spa at nearby Huingo offer thermal pools, temazcales and cabins. Corundas, the triangular tamales of Michoacán, are the local specialty.
What to see and do
Soak in the thermal pools of a family balneario such as Los Hervideros.
Try a temazcal or stay in a cabin at the Huingo springs nearby.
Visit the 17th-century sanctuary of the Señor de Araró.
Eat corundas with salsa and cream, the local specialty.
Getting there
From Cuitzeo, drive south across the causeway and east through Álvaro Obregón toward Zinapécuaro, then north to Araró; allow about an hour. Buses from Morelia run to Zinapécuaro, with local transport on to Araró. Entrance fees and hours vary by balneario.
33 km east of Cuitzeo
Directions from Cuitzeo on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Places to stay in Araró
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Photos
Weather mild
Araró shares the climate of Cuitzeo, 33 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Mar, Apr, Nov.
Make Cuitzeo your base
Araró is an easy trip from Cuitzeo, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
Also close to
- Salvatierra · 34 km away
More around Cuitzeo
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A lakeside village with a 16th-century Augustinian church and convent of Santiago, once a stop between Cuitzeo and Morelia. -
Huandacareo
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The hot-springs town of the lake: a cluster of family balnearios with warm thermal pools, open all year. -
Huandacareo La Nopalera
· Archaeological site · 16 km away
A hillside archaeological site over the lake that later served as a seat of Purépecha government, with tombs and a sunken patio. -
Charo
· Town · 27 km away
A hilltop town east of Morelia whose Augustinian convent keeps some of the best 16th-century cloister murals in Michoacán.
Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.