Sahuayo

Sahuayo de Morelos is Jiquilpan's busy twin, a commercial city a few kilometers to the north, on the edge of the Ciénega de Chapala. It is larger and livelier than its neighbor, known across the region for its markets, its leather huaraches and its food, and its name comes from a Nahuatl phrase usually translated as "vessel shaped like a turtle."

The city's identity is deeply religious. Sahuayo was the hometown of José Sánchez del Río, a boy who joined the Cristero rebels and was killed in 1928 at the age of fourteen; he was canonized in 2016, and pilgrims now come to the city to honor him. Its main churches include the parish of Santiago Apóstol, the sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the church of the Sagrado Corazón.

The best time to visit is the feast of Santiago, the patron saint, in late July and early August. That is when the Tlahualiles take to the streets: dancers in masks topped with enormous plumes who reenact the saint's battles against evil in long, noisy processions, a tradition found nowhere else in Michoacán. A special pomegranate punch is made only for these days.