Ubicación: Lake Zirahuen

Its name means “place of smoke”, although it is also attributed the meaning of “mirror of the gods”. It is a beautiful lake surrounded by pine and oak forests located approximately 20 minutes from Pátzcuaro, following the road to Uruapan and taking the detour that leads us to the place.

Legend has it that when the Spanish arrived in Michoacán, after the fall of Tenochtitlan, one of the conquistadors fell in love with Eréndira, the beautiful daughter of Tangaxoan, king of the Purépechas; he kidnapped her and hid her in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains; there, sitting on a huge rock, the princess cried inconsolably, and her tears formed a great lake. Desperate and to escape from her captor, she threw herself into the lake, where, by a strange spell, she became a mermaid. Since then, because of its beauty, the lake was called Zirahuén.

The locals say that the mermaid still roams the lake, and there are many who claim to have seen her. They say that in the early hours of the morning she emerges from the bottom to enchant men and drown them; and they blame her for the death of many fishermen, whose bodies can only be found after several days of drowning. Until recently there was a large rock on the edge of the lake shaped like a seat on which, it is said, Eréndira cried.

However, swimming is not recommended here, as the water is cold and deep in some parts. If you dare, make sure to ask first if it is possible and in which areas.