Paracho

Nearby Cities -> | Patzcuaro | Uruapan |

Plaza Principal - Paracho
Photo Credit: Michoacan Tourism Promotion Board

Situated in the Meseta Purepecha - a mountainous plateau at about 2,200 meters above sea level, Paracho is about 40 kilometers north of Uruapan on Highway 37 - the road to Zamora. The climate is warm to moderate in the daytime - cooling after sunset with sunny mornings and rainy afternoons most of the year - clearing at night for star-filled skies.

Paracho is world-famous for the guitars hand-crafted by local artisans and luthiers - some gaining world-class recognition. Wood from local trees is used in most of the guitars produced. In special cases, on demand, exotic woods are imported from distant lands in South America, the Far East, Africa and Canada and are used to produce instruments costing thousands of dollars. Their production also includes violins, cellos, mandolins and other wooden string musical instruments.

People still seek the answer to how Paracho became such an important guitar manufacturing center. The trade has been passed through generations of craftsmen going back to the 19th Century.

Non-musical wooden crafts include toys, masks and some furniture pieces.

Each year, during the second week of August, the National Guitar Fair is celebrated in honor of St. Peter - the town's patron saint. At other times during the year, free classical string music concerts are held in "La Casa de la Cultura" which also functions as a museum and a music school.

Travel to Paracho

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