Great Campground

Rancho la Mesa RV Park in Patzcuaro MX has full hook-ups, 30 amp electrical, potable water, and wonderful views of Lake Patzcuaro. 19.502058  -101.594529  Do not blindly punch these coordinates into your GPS. Use these iOverlander directions.
There is also a very nice restaurant on the grounds.

This is a working ranch where sheep, burros, turkeys, chickens roam freely. 

Great view of town and lake from my rig

Some of the very friendly dogs that call the rancho home

End of another great day on the road. Got to love Mexico

Santa Clara del Cobre

The people n this area have been have been working with copper since pre-Hispanic time and the town became a center for copper crafts during the colonial period. Today 82% of the town's population are employed in crafting copper items. 

All of the shops exquisite copper creations are original and we were asked not to photograph them for fear that they would be copied and mass produced.

Local mines no longer supply copper. Today the foundry buys chunks of recycled copper like this.

Raphael (right) and his nephew demonstrate how a piece is worked. You would develop strong arms swinging that heavy hammer all day. Raphael is a third generation master coppersmith who began learning the trade 58 years ago at age 8 pumping the bellows for his father. His two sons and three grandsons are learning the craft.

As in the past, today all work is done by hand with the one concession, an electric blower replaces the manual bellows.

Ruth taking a turn.

A pot heating in the fire.

Raphael hammering a pattern into a bowl that will sell for $3000 pesos.

Kevin takes a turn

Bath tub at a shop across the street. 

Copper adorns many building around town.

Note the beautiful hanging copper planters.