Coinciding with the 20th anniversary celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Denver Botanic Gardens broke ground for the new Sensory Garden today, a garden created specifically for people with disabilities. Accessible to all populations, the development of the design for this garden was truly a collaborative community effort, with involvement from organizations such as the City of Denver’s Office of Disability Rights, the Mayor appointed Commission for people with Disabilities, and University of Colorado Denver’s Landscape Architecture Department.
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Following a hiatus, Denver Botanic Gardens is once again offering its travel program, which includes a great variety of options from local and regional trips to national and international destinations. Compared to other group travel programs, the benefit of travel through Denver Botanic Gardens is the personal expertise offered by one of the Gardens’ horticulture staff members who leads the trip.
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As we wind down this trip, our last visit before we leave Uruapan is the Eduardo Ruiz National Park. This natural park is built around the river Cupatitzio which leads to a couple of waterfalls. The entire park is surrounded by many manmade water features along with the naturally flowing water as well as rich plant life characteristic of this mountain region. The damage caused by the recent heavy rainfall is evident in the form of fallen trees, broken branches and tattered leaves. Coffea arabica (coffee) plants line the sides of pathways and are in fruit ripening stage. We also encounter a large specimen of strangler fig (Ficus sp.). A fruit stand within the park offers a couple of varieties of mangoes and the smaller variety I purchased is very tasty.
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About 20 minutes from Patzcuaro is the Tzintzuntzan Archeological Site, which was built by the native peoples of the region, the Purépechas around 1200 AD. The name Tzintzuntzan means ‘place of the hummingbirds’. The ruins consist of five ceremonial temples with circular, terraced platforms. The Purépechas were a community of Native Americans who were the only ones who stood up to the Aztecs and were not defeated. Until the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500’s the Purépechas had not known military defeat. From here we visit the town of Tzintzuntzan, where we visit the local church and the Franciscan monastery. Ancient olive trees line the avenue to the church. Being carnival day, the church is decorated in fresh flowers.
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After viewing the Monarch butterflies at Sierra Chincua, our next stop is the town of Patzcuaro. Located 53 km southwest of Morelia, Patzcuaro was an important ceremonial center of the native Purepechas people before the pre-Hispanic period. The town center consists of streets paved in cobblestones and is anchored by a magnificent church, bounded by buildings constructed with adobe and tile.
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All of us had been waiting for this day…the highlight of the trip. The Sierra Chincua Monarch Sanctuary is one of four publicly accessible sanctuaries, two of which are in the state of Mexico (El Rosario & Sierra Chincua) and two in the state of Michoacán (Cerro Pelón & La Mesa). A 45-minute drive from Tlalpujahua takes us to the Reserve entrance. The butterfly site is another 45-60 minute hike from the entrance and some opt to go on horseback while others hike through the forests. The predominant tree species is the Oyamel fir (Abies religiosa), named so because of the branching structure that looks like a cross.
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No matter how organized a trip you plan, no trip is complete without some form of reorganization or change in itinerary. The incessant rains, flooding and mudslide in Central Mexico had impacted access to the Monarch sanctuaries. Until Sunday night before we were to set out to the Sierra Chincua Monarch Sanctuary on Monday morning, we were unsure if we would even get an opportunity to see the Monarch butterflies. Our local guide, Eduardo, worked round the clock connecting with his people in these areas assessing the accessibility and safety of visiting these sites. Late on Sunday evening we got the green light that we could visit one of the two sites originally planned. The hotel where we were to stay was inaccessible and hence changes to accommodation and meals had to be made. The local operator working with Reefs to Rockies were amazing in making changes at such short notice.
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Leading the ‘Monarchs of Michoacán’ tour for Denver Botanic Gardens, arranged by Reefs to Rockies, I am joined by a group of ten Gardens’ supporters, whose enthusiasm and love for nature and gardening is self-evident. Our first stop of this 6-day tour is the historic city of Morelia in the state of Michoacán in Central Mexico. Under the Spanish influence in the early 1500’s, the city was built in baroque-style, colonial architecture. Dominating the city’s architecture are the Cathedral and the Aqueduct.
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