Zamora the City of Chongos

If asked what is the one thing that they most associate with Zamora, the majority of people from the state of Michoacan and elsewhere in Western Central Mexico would reply that it is “la ciudad de los chongos”/the city of chongos. Now, chongos a sweet confection made from curdled milk and enhanced with cinnamon are indeed delicious, yet I would not travel the 25 miles from my home to that Northwestern Michoacan city just to purchase Chongos Zamoranos; especially since they can be purchased in my little town for less pesos. However, there are many other reasons one would want to visit that city of more than 140,000 people.

Zamora, the third largest city and municipality in the state, by car is less than two hours away from both Morelia and Guadalajara. Located in the center of a rich agricultural area, Zamora is also regionally known for its strawberries, blackberries, and potatoes. Its sprawling open air, bazaar-like tianguis marketplace, my favorite by far of all that I have experienced in Mexico, is not only daily teeming with fresh local produce, it has all other kinds of food and dry goods available for purchase including specialty areas selling leather boots, huaraches/woven leather sandals, sombreros, rebozos, and regional arts and crafts; it is also extremely popular for its numerous restaurants and stalls that specialize in mariscos/seafood featuring such dishes as ceviche, shrimp cocktails and other shrimp dishes, and caldo de carpa/a fish soup. There are also numerous street vendors selling another food item that the city is known for, tacos al vapor estilo de Zamora/steamed mini tacos served with a variety of fresh and pickled vegetables and sauces/condiments.

While Zamora is not frequented by too many foreign tourists, as is the case for Michoacan in general, it does attract many visitors particularly from other parts of the state and the nearby states of Jalisco and Guanajuato. A mid-sized city with an inordinate number of churches, with five within a few blocks of its large, well-maintained, traditional, and highly utilized zocalo/plaza, many visitors make a stop at the city’s most famous landmark, the large Santuario de Guadalupe. Also known as the Catedral Inconclusa/the unfinished cathedral, this large neo-Gothic edifice at 105 meters high is the second tallest church in Mexico. What I particular admire about it is its gorgeous stained glass windows, its huge pipe organ imported from Germany, its massive columns adorned with carvings, and the gate that surrounds the expansive open area leading to the church as it is constructed with mini-spires that are in total harmony with the sanctuary itself.

Directly next to the santuario are three cultural centers: The Michoacan School (primarily providing classes in crafts/visual arts and performing arts for youths and adults); the Theater of the City of Zamora/el Teatro Obrero; and the architecturally controversial, as its modern style glass and steel architecture is highly incongruent to those other more stately buildings that surround it, the Michoacan Arts Regional Center which was built to serve primarily middle class patrons. These culturally-oriented sites house such events and activities as plays, concerts, film festivals, piano recitals, folkloric dance presentations, and art exhibits. Moreover, every Sunday night and during certain holidays and festivals, there are free music and/or dance performances conducted at the nearby zocalo.

Also receiving many tourists is the indoor Mercado Morelos which is located less than a minutes walk from the plaza. Most people go there not only for its Chongos Zamoranos, sold in bulk and pre-canned, but also for its wide variety of quality regional sweets, particularly dulces de leche/milk candies, dulces de coco/coconut candies including the cone-like cocadas, candies made from tamarind, and cajeta/caramel. Selling their wares from mats or blankets placed on the markets floors are indigenous women from local villages with such seasonal items as pomegranates, blackberries, avocados, and nopales/cactus, and a variety of homemade breads made in traditional wood-burning ovens. There are also restaurants featuring tortas and upstairs there are local crafts for sale.

Every two weeks I go to Zamora not only to do grocery shopping in its upscale area with its delightful park-like pedestrian walkway but to also enjoy the sights and sounds of the marketplace and to bask in the transcendent radiance of the midday sunlight beaming through the sanctuary’s stained glass windows- as I much prefer that environment as opposed to waiting at the dreary bus stop for my return trip home. Even my environmentally sensitive wife has been able to look, hear, and breathe past the considerable traffic, noise, and pollution in the city to appreciate Zamora for what it really has to offer. Although Zamora does not have the grand colonial ambiance of the state capitol of Morelia it is definitely worth a day trip excursion for the savvy foreign tourist. While there you could also take an enjoyable journey to the closeby and enchanting Lago de Camecuaro, one of Mexico’s small national parks.