La Pacanda

La Pacanda belongs to the municipality of Tzintzuntzan, and there are only approximately 400 inhabitants. The name comes from the Purépecha “pakarakua”, which means “place to stay” or “place for one to stay”.

There is a legend on this island that says that Princess Mintzita, the last Purépecha princess and wife of the Huitzimengari lordship, sought refuge in Pacanda when she felt displaced from the heart of her beloved husband by the beauty of a European.

Here, Mintzita asked the moon and the sun to enhance her beauty so she could recover her beloved, and thus the regional costume of the Purépecha woman emerged.

Within the island of La Pacanda you can find a small lagoon, where you can see ducks, herons and carp. It also has a traditional architecture and an enormous tranquility that invites you to rest and appreciate nature.

It is believed that this lagoon may be the upper part of a volcano, due to the height of Lake Pátzcuaro itself.

Being one of the small islands in the lake area, you can take tours on foot or by bicycle to get to know the town.

Another attraction you can find is to visit the church and the cemetery that are located a short distance from each other.

The trip to the island is by boat from the San Pedrito Pier, which takes approximately 45 minutes, passing through the islands of Janitzio, Tecuén and Yunuén.

You can also get there from the Ucasanástakua pier, with a 15-minute ride directly to the Pacanda pier.