Oaxaca Sojourn—Part 7: Restaurante Sabor Antiguo

Restaurante Sabor Antiguo was a serendipitous find, discovered while browsing Google Street View for Al Sol Studios y Departementos, a most attractive group of rental apartments. (Unfortunately, none were available that met our needs without reserving a year in advance.)

The restaurant is directly across the street (Manuel Doblado) from the main door to Al Sol's ground floor coffeehouse.

TripAdvisor had a scant handful of reviews. Sabor Antiguo is distant from the Oaxaca central tourist zone.

The restaurant's decor is simple but very attractive. Breakfasts and comida are offered. The comida menú del día is offered from 2:00 p.m. until about 5:00 p.m.

Sabor Antiguo cocina abierta

Here's a menu showing the choices that were offered the day we ate there.

The final price varies according to which main dish you select. Mine was $85 pesos, my wife's a little less.

The meal came with a pitcher of refreshing limonada, garnished with tiny cubes of watermelon. A nice touch.

We had a choice of soups: Consomé de Res (beef) or Consomé de Pollo (chicken). We chose beef. It was simple but very good, with small chunks of what may have been beefy innards. Basically, it was brown stock, but with subtle and unusual seasonings. We saw some bowls of Consomé de Pollo brought out. They all had a sizeable piece of chicken half submerged in the broth.

Consomé de res

A special touch was the plate of fresh herbs they brought us. It held berros (watercress),  chepiche and huajes. We enjoyed the first two, but the huajes were less appealing. Overall, a small but great complement to our meal.

Fresh herbs plate

Below, a quote from a TripAdvisor reviewer.

“Come sabor oaxaqueño, evita los huajes !!!”

Reviewed April 1, 2013

Pareciera solo una fonda de comida corrida,pero te sorprende el sabor de sus platillos tipicos y con buen sazon, el servisio es amable y los precios justos. Recomendacion evita los huajes que ponen como botana al inicio, el sabor posterior es tan perdurable y fuerte que te puede hechar a perder los siguientes alimentos jajaja

• Visited February 2013

I didn't think the huajes were that bad, just a bit of a  nuisance to extract from the pod, and in the end, boring.

For a main course, I had Barbacoa de Res Estilo Zaachila. This was a modest cut of very well cooked boneless beef, rather coarse in texture, but deeply infused with the taste of complex, mellow spices. (It made me think of a Chinese dish, Cold Spiced Shin of Beef.)

Barbacoa de Res Estilo Zaachila

As you see in the photo above, it was accompanied by a bit of meh! Mexican espaguetti and a little salad with a sweet dressing. We could have had rice instead of the spaghetti.

Doña Cuevas had Pierna Mechada (fresh ham), which came with a delicious sweet and sour sauce. She requested more sauce, and it was brought to her without extra charge. (In fact, we were offered seconds on salad and spaghetti, but turned it down as we were satisfied.)

Pierna Mechada

Of course, we had plentiful tortillas, hechas a mano, but rather tough, in what seems to a characteristic of tortillas in Oaxaca. Without me asking, they brought an o.k. bolillo.

Dessert was included. That day it was a little  section of baked banana, drizzled with a little condensed milk. It wasn't bad, although it's not a favorite dessert of mine.

Plátano Horneado

La Cuenta, por favor:

RATINGS
Food:***1/2
Service: ****
Price: $ Bargain!

Restrooms: O.k.
Hygiene: Very good

Location
Manuel Doblado 724, De La Noria, Oaxaca, OAX, Mexico ‎
Tel: +52 951 501 1628

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Oaxaca Sojourn Part 6—Restaurante Las Quince Letras

We have fond memories of our first visit to Las Quince Letras, back in the early or mid '90s. Thus we anticipated with pleasure a comida there with an expat friend last week. The courtyard is a nice setting, with shrubs; a oasis of cool tranquility.

Our helpful waitress recited the options on the set menú del día. It sounded good, especially for only $90 pesos each, so we all ordered the same thing. We were brought a small, pleasant salad of watermelon! We each ordered, separate from the set menu, a very good mescal of the house, followed by a tasty, smooth sopa de frijol negro.

I was a little disappointed that instead of chochoyones, small, indented dumplings of masa, the soup instead had totopos, or sections of crisp corn tortilla, a common garnish for soups all over México. It was a minor letdown. And the soup should have been hotter.

For a main dish, all three of us had Costillas de Cerdo, modest sections of pork ribs in a tangy yellow sauce. Unfortunately, the riblets were undercooked, and just a little tough. The plates came with a small salad and nicely undercooked vegetable garnish to the side.

I had a glass of L.A. Cetto vino tinto, which was my error, as it wasn't very compatible with the ribs. The QL wine selection is very limited, and surprisingly, so are the mezcals offered. One each. We all ordered agua mineral (club soda).

The agua de sabor del día was a pitcher of agua de zapote negro, which was not unpleasant, but insipid. Zapote negro fruits may look exotic, but they are very bland.

At the end of the meal, we were brought a small section of pay de limón. Not too bad, except for the gelatinous texture. I ordered a café Americano, which was very poor. It was coffee from a small urn.

I was unable to resist ordering a tantalizing second dessert, Tamal de Chocolate. I wish I hadn't. Although it looked interesting, the flavors of the tamal and the underlying citric sauce were quite incompatible.

So I have to say, that the meal fell short in a few details, but overall was pleasant. We speculate that we could have a better meal at Las QL if we ordered from the a la carte menu, but frankly, we are not likely to return.

The service was good at the beginning of the meal, but as it progressed, it became increasingly difficult to get a waiter's attention.

Ratings
Food:*** Highlights: Mezcal, Sopa de Frijol. Low point: terrible coffee.

Service: ***

Price: I didn't make a note, but I think it was $380 for three. So:
$$

Restroom: O.k. But men's room has the light switch hidden inside and a non functional switch just inside the door.

Keywords: "Pay more attention to details."

Contact and Location

Mariano Abasolo # 300, Centro, Oaxaca
Website: http://lasquinceletras.mx/
Tel: +52 951 514 3769

Oaxaca Sojourn—Part 5 El Mercado de La Merced

Biggest is not always best. In regard to mercados, I prefer the more intimate markets that serve their local neighborhoods. The Mercado de La Merced qualifies. We first went there with Sra. Lilia, wife of Sr. Arnel Cruz of Casa Arnel, to buy ingredients for a  Oaxacan-Southeast Asian meal we cooked cooperatively. Later, Pilar Cabrera, chef of La Olla Restaurant and maestra of the Los Sabores Cooking School, led me there to get ingredients for a mole verde. She treated me to a chocolateatole, a cold, foamy, two part drink that hearkens back to the Aztec style of drinking chocolatl.

Last year, I walked to the Mercado de La Merced (AKA Mercado La Democracia) to explore, but especially to buy smokey, picante dried chiles pasillas de Oaxaca, chintextle (Dark, chile based paste with other ingredients).The Merced is of manageable size and the vendors are friendly. This year, I noticed for the first time the cleanliness of the carnicerías, with brightly lit refrigerated showcases. In the fruits and vegetable stands, you will find some unusual herbs and greens, as well as the succulent tomates criollos.

Tomates Criollos, Mercado de La Merced

One of Oaxaca's mottos should be: "Tanta comida pero poquito tiempo." It's impossible to even begin to discover and taste the many gastronomic delights, unless you live here. All we can do during our less than two week stay is sample that which appeals to us. (I tend to be dubious when reading recommendations for expensive, chi-chi ("attempting stylish elegance but achieving only an overelaborate pretentiousness") restaurants that feature such delicacies as beet ice and goat cheese foam. That starts to narrow my field of exploration.)

This brings us to fondas. Fondas are small, normally unpretentious eating establishments, often presided over by an older woman whose name ends in "ita", as in "Rosita", "Teresita", Florecita", and so on. There are often no menus, but your server, or the proprietress herself will recite what's available. You will usually sit at a long table, sharing it with other customers, and the seating is usually on benches, not chairs.

Just a few of the fondas in the mercado

(There is one larger fonda within La Merced, Fonda San Diego, that has actual 4-spot tables and chairs, as well as waiters in chartreuse tunics, something like bellhops in classic hotels. Those non-traditional features immediately make me dubious. 

We were there at San Diego yesterday, in spite of my doubts, but ended up leaving without eating, as the place was jammed, in the weeds, because of the hundreds of protestors stoking up before the day's activities. In fact, every fonda in the mercado was filled to capacity. But just think: if hundreds of protestors eat there, it's like a vote of approval from el Pueblo, ¿verdad?)

Despite our best efforts, we have barely begun to try the twelve or so fondas inside the Mercado.  We went to Fonda Teresita first, where we drank from bowls very good chocolate Oaxaqueño de agua and a bowl of champurrado (something like drinking hot, liquid chocolate pudding only better.)

Champurrado from Fonda Florecita, opposite Teresita's

At Teresita's that first day, we both had enchiladas (YES! For breakfast. I love Mexican breakfasts.)
I had Enchiladas en Mole Coloradito con Tasajo (Thin, salted semi dried beef.)

Enchiladas de Coloradito con Tasajo. A stand up breakfast

Doña Cuevas enjoyed Enchilada Verdes con Tasajo. The salsa is tart with chiles and tomatillos.

Enchiladas Verdes con Tasajo

Based on that single breakfast, we recommend Fonda Teresita. The prices are low and the service is friendly. I also enjoyed looking at the attractive young woman working at Teresita's, an enhancement to a nice breakfast experience.

At our next opportunity, we breakfasted at Fonda Florecita (one of two fondas in the mercado but apparently unrelated.) Our breakfast was simpler than that at Teresita's: unusual Huevos Rancheros for Doña Cuevas

Huevos Rancheros Florecita's

I had Huevos Revueltos con Chorizo Oaxaqueño, accompanied by frijoles negros de olla. Not bad, but the frijoles were a little salty.

Add caption

Huevos revueltos con chorizo

Our third fonda experience in the mercado was at the bigger, non-related Fonda Florecita, near the panaderías, deeper into the center of the mercado. We were attended by a not too attentive teenage boy.

I went all out and had a tlayuda con cecina  ($80 pesos) (cecina is the pork counterpart of tasajo.) A tlayuda is analogous to a thin, crisp crusted Oaxacan pizza, based on a large dried tortilla, but with significant differences. See photo below (the Blogger caption function is intermittently buggy.)

Doña Cuevas ate (Sorry, I forgot what and don't have a photo.

So far, based on three single experiences, we rate Fonda Teresita #1, The smaller Florecita #2, and the bigger Florecita deeper in the mercado #3. (Demerits for iffy hygiene and service lacking attention to small details.) OMG, there are also three or four lunch counters in the hallway from the northeast entrand serving antojitos regionales, like memelas, empanadas, quesadillas, etc.  "La Güerita" appears to be the most attractive and draws the most customers. This opinion is based on a very brief look. I had a melita de huitlacoche  at the neighboring Antojitos "La Pao". Not bad.

I've run out of space and time in which to describe the wonderful juice bars, as well as other, tablecloth restaurants we ate at, so this is all for this morning. Here's a peek at juices at the "La Victoria" juice bar.

Mercado de La Merced is located on Avenida Morelos, between Calzada de La República Calle Nicolás del Puerto lies in between) and Calle Aparicio. Bounded on the north by Av. Murguia and the south by Av. Morelos.

 A map:

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Oaxaca Sojourn—Part 4 Hotel El Rincón de Doña Bety

When we were in Oaxaca last year, I spotted this hotel on Google Maps. I saw that it's very close to el Mercado de La Merced, the Anahata Spa and the Anacondas swimming pool. It is not near the Zócalo, which was fine with us. I looked at one of the simple but clean and well maintained rooms last year. This year I brought Doña Cuevas to look it over, and we decided to stay there. There are 15 units on two levels, in American old-time motel style, with a parking lot/patio inside. The rooms, though cheerful and colorful, will never win any prizes for elegance, yet they have most of what an adventurous and frugal traveler needs. The door locks are very basic, but we feel secure inside the compound, and the staff is trustworthy. The exterior is planted with potted flowers and plants. There is a cute cat, Úrsula, who roams the property.

Habitacíon doble (Two beds)

Admittedly, the beds are not the most comfortable ever. The mattress on my bed has palpable springs. The pillowcases are made of a roughly textured cloth. But we quickly accustomed ourselves to all that and slept without difficulty.
 (When we had our first Doña Bety bedding change, we were upgraded to smoothly textured pillow cases.)

It's amazing, that although Avenida Morelos outside is noisy in the daytime, our room was usually very quiet during the night; having spent two previous nights in the more centric and somewhat plusher Hotel Posada El Nito, which we liked, but were bothered by late night noise from the two flanking cantinas.) Still, bring earplugs, for you may have noisy, partying neighbors as we did one night.

There is adequate illumination in our room, though a bedside reading lamp would be desirable. We could probably get one if we asked.

There is plentiful hot water, although the pressure, at least in our bathroom, is weak. In fact, the water is so hot that it's a little tricky to temper it from the cold water knob. Sometimes there are creaking and banging water noises, but they don't last long.

The staff is very kind and helpful. They invited us to use the small shared kitchen to use as we wished. We just have to request a key each time.

There's a terraza with a table and chairs on the upper level. This is very useful for eating, reading or using a laptop. I have to mention that the free wifi is fast, strong and reliable. It's a pleasure to use.

Rates are normally $500 MXP for a room for two to four persons, with two double beds. However, we were given a promotional rate of $400 MXP.

Downside: There is no closet, just a wall bracket for hangers.

The Mercado de la Merced, almost directly across the street, is an outstanding attraction. There are numerous fondas or economic eating places inside, serving inexpensive, authentic Oaxacan meals. There are four or five attractive stands selling freshly prepared juices. Of course, meats, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, baked goods, etc. are all available.

The working class, commercial neighborhood also has small grocery stores, fruits and vegetable stores and two seafood restaurants, La Red, a few doors east of the Hotel, and El Muelle, around the corner, on Calle Nicolás del Puerto.
(Non-review of El Muelle: It's o.k., not as expensive as La Red—which isn't very expensive—, and the food is decent but nothing remarkable.)

We would stay at Hotel El Rincón de Doña Bety when we are again in Oaxaca.

Here's the contact information:
Website: http://www.hotelelrincondedonabety.com/
Email: elrincondedonabety@hotmail.com
(They are not very responsive to emails nor via the contact form on the website)
Address: Av. Morelos No. 1500
Colonia Centro,
C.P. 68000, Oaxaca, México
Telephone: 01 (951) 518 66 29. Try calling—you may get lucky, or simply just show up in person. I doubt that you would have to reserve far in advance.



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Oaxaca Sojourn Part 3: Marisquería La Red, Oaxaca

I won't discuss the sandwich breakfasts we bought at the TAPO bus station food court in Mexico City, but they sustained us for the 6 1/2 hour bus ride to Oaxaca.

As soon as possible after we checked into the Hotel Posada El Nito, we walked a couple of blocks to the popular seafood restaurant, La Red. I reviewed it last year. It was probably our most visited restaurant in Oaxaca. We like its straight ahead, no nonsense approach to seafood, with good service and fair prices.

Photo from January, 2014

This year, it was Saturday afternoon and there was a 15-20 minute wait for a table, but well worth it.

I started with a medium bowl of Caldo de Camarones Pelados, excellent as ever. The broth has just the right amount of spice and is loaded with small shrimp plus one large, unpeeled one.

Doña Cuevas had a medium coctel de camarones.  The La Red version consists of a generous portion of just shrimp in a well balanced, not-too-sweet red sauce. She helped herself to some of the garnishes that came with my caldo.

Her plato fuerte was Pulpos al Mojo de Ajo. This was very well prepared. The tender octopus was in generous slices rather than bits and pieces. The ajo was plentiful.

Yes; that's spaghetti AND rice on the same plate.

I asked our waiter the difference between Camarones a la Diabla  and  Camarones Adobados. The answer was that the Diabla was "muy picante". So, I ordered the adobados.

Camarones Adobados

They were good. The sauce was almost like a lighter, slightly sweet simplified mole. I had no trouble finishing it.

We drank Cerveza Corona, agua mineral and the very special La Red horchata, sprinkled with chopped walnuts and tiny cubes of cantaloupe.

I didn't make a note of the bill, but I think it was around $300 p.

For ratings, see last year's review.

Marisquería La Red

Bustamante No 200 Centro | Morelos, Oaxaca 68080 , México

Oaxaca Sojourn— Part 2

On Friday, we were in Colonia Roma, Mexico City , staying at the Hotel Embassy, still among the best budget hotels on offer in el D.F.

We were tired but happy to be there. Our dining choices had been narrowed to three restaurants; Macellería Roma, where we'd eaten many times, the newer Salón Progreso and Fonda La Veracruzana, another old favorite.

I was curious, perhaps against my better judgment, to try Salon Progreso. It is, after all, in the heart of the Hipster Strip of restaurants and  bars on Avenida Álvaro Obregón. It had good reviews from the naughty Victoria, of SinMantel.com.mx. The style of food at el Progreso was the New Seafood compared to the Old Seafood (but good!) of La Veracruzana.

We decided to look in at el Progreso, and we ended up eating there. We could justify the higher prices by the savings of not taking a taxi to and from La Veracruzana.

I have to admit, it's been less than a week, and I have difficulty remembering what we ate. But fortunately, I wrote a draft blogette on the Any Port In A Storm forum.

I'd written: "an upscale yet casual restaurant on Avenida Álvaro Obregón. Their specialty is seafood, and we just barely probed the menu."

Here's a view of the menu:

We were brought complimentary glasses of a very good consomé de camarones; one of the best we have had anywhere. In fact, it was a highlight of the meal. It was the essence of shrimp, with just enough spice to liven it up.

Consomé de camarones

We started with an appetizer of Croquetas de Jaiba, which were pretty good but lacking in crabbiness. The accompanying ali-oli was garlicky without being overwhelming. It was o.k., but I wouldn't order it again.

Croquetas de Jaiba

Doña Cuevas ordered a trio of Tostadas de Marlin Ahumado Toreado, a variation of one of her favorites in other marisquerías. She approved their chunky texture and smokey savor. Unlike their counterparts at Mariscos La Güera in Pátzcuaro, they were served cold.

(El Progreso seems to specialize in cold, often raw seafood dishes. I'm eager to return to try their ceviches and aguachiles.

Tostada de marlin ahumado

For my main dish, I had Mejillones al Vino Blanco. On the one hand, I liked the purity of the mussels in their thin broth, but would have liked that broth to have more punch and not be so diluted. (No Photo).

My wife culminated her dinner with a nice Filete de Salmón a las Brasas con Mantequilla de Alcaparras. It was cooked just as she liked it. The caper butter and accompanying mashed potatoes were very rich.(I had verduras a la la parrilla with my mussels. Very delicious but more sauteed than grilled.)

We drank agua mineral and an excessively pricey glass of chilled Pinot Grigio ($102 pesos). One glass!

We are trying to adhere to a "no dessert" policy, but we did indulge in a pot of Roibos Chai, served in a cute teapot. That was a good choice.

I want one of these teapots. There's a little strainer basket inside. Just pour in boiling water and let it steep, then pour.

Ratings

Food: ****

Service: *****

Ambience: Casually upscale,comfortable

Rest rooms: Spotless but compact.

Cost: Read it and weep:

Would we go again? Probably yes.

Location:

Alvaro Obregón 120-B, Col. Roma , México D.F.

(South side of Av. Obregón, between Calles Orizaba and Jalapa.

5564-1594 o 5564-1595

email: contacto@salonprogreso.com

Salon Progreso website: http://www.salonprogreso.com/

Oaxaca Sojourn part 1—Introduction

Reprise photo, Lake Pátzcuaro, winter

We wanted to escape the chill Pátzcuaro area winter and to give me a better opportunity to recuperate from my recent back surgery in a warm and appealing place. At first we thought of visiting Zihuatanejo, which we enjoy, but in spite of liking Zihua, it has its limitations. Then I thought of Oaxaca. We'd been there for part of January 2014.

Oaxaca has what I like: colorfully painted building facades, somewhat warmer temperatures than freezing centro Michoacán, easy walking, and above all, some of the most interesting and best cuisine of all México. Walking, water exercises and delicious, healthy food are my goals, with a weekly massage to enrich the visit.

We quickly formed plans to travel. We tried to rent a studio apartment here, or here, but availability is scarce in the winter. Oaxaca apartments are very popular with gringo snowbirds, and it's almost necessary to reserve a year ahead. (Who knows what we may be doing or what condition we may be in a year from now?)

So at the last minute, we booked temporarily into the Hotel Posada El Nito, at Armenta y López 416, Centro. It's a very nice hotel with a very nice staff, but there is a problem. That is the noise from not one, but two cantinas flanking the Posada El Nito. I discussed El Nito and the wonderful juice joint on the corner, La Huerta.  They gave us a "special" price of $550 pesos a night, which I consider moderate.

But in the front of my mind, I was wanting to investigate and probably stay in the Hotel Rincón de Doña Bety, at Calle Morelos 1500, almost in front of the small, appealing Mercado de La Merced (AKA Mercado La Democracía). We had been pleased with our short stay the year before at the Hotel Fiesta Paraiso near the mercado municipal in Zihua. In Oaxaca, the Hotel el Rincón de Doña Bety has the price that is right; $400 pesos a night. Two beds,very clean, hot water, family atmosphere, friendly hosts, use of a small, shared kitchen, and strong and reliable wifi.

Hotel el Rincón de Doña Bety 

Room in Hotel el Rincón de Doña Bety 

Location is almost everything. Hotel el Rincón de Doña Bety is out of the tourist zone, in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood, with perhaps a small Cuban colony a couple of blocks away. The Mercado de la Merced is a major attraction for us.
The heated swimming pool, Natacíon Anacondas is less than ten minutes walk, and the Anahata Spa, where I'd gotten excellent massages, is about 2 blocks way.

Further attractions are the 12 or so fondas within the Mercado, where so so far we have had two breakfasts, ranging from pretty good to excellent, at about $40 pesos each. A branch of the Marisquerías La Red is a few doors away. So convenient, but we haven't yet eaten at that branch. Instead, we had our comida at another seafood restaurant, El Muelle, around the corner from the mercado, The food was good and the prices low.

A few featured dishes at El Muelle, but there is much more

Enchiladas de Coloradito con tasajo Fonda Teresita

Hotel el Rincón de Doña Bety is less elegant but more familial than El Nito. There is Úrsula, the house cat who has free run of the place.  There's our hostess, Sra. Violeta's pet dachshund, Oscar. Fortunately, he's a house dog. There are a few cars parked in the patio. The street is typically noisy during the day, but quiet at night.

But let's back up a couple of days to our one night stay at the Hotel Embassy ($380 pesos for a spacious 2 bed room, overlooking the internal parking garage) in Colonia Roma, Mexico City. We like to stay over to break up long trips and to enjoy one of the many good restaurants in Colonia Roma and, to a lesser degree, nearby Colonia La Condesa.

I hope to discuss some of the aforementioned hotels and restaurants in future posts. Stay tuned.

Saludos,
Don Cuevas

Comida at El Camino Real Pátzcuaro

Today we met our friend, Ron (the Coffee Maven) friend at El Camino Real on the outskirts of Pátzcuaro. We arrived just before 1:00 p.m. The dining room was busy but not yet full. Tables had as usual been prepared in the semi-outdoors for the inevitable Sunday overflow. The strings of Christmas candies still festooned the ceiling.

Deck the halls with strings of dulces

The tables were set with crusty teleras rolls, butter and bowls of very picante pickled carrots, onions, salsa verde and chiles perón.

Most of the diners seemed to be eating breakfast. In fact, when our friend ordered, he asked for Huevos Camino Real, a version of huevos albañil, or softly scrambled eggs in a spicy tomato and chile sauce.

My wife and I requested the Menú del día. There were more than 25, even 30 main dishes from which to choose.

I started with an excellent bowl of Sopa Tarasca, followed by a small plate of not bad, not great rice with a spoonful of just passable mole on the side.

Sopa Tarasca

After much deciding, I requested Enchiladas Suizas con Pollo. The dish was creamy and delectable. I added some salsa verde from the salsera on the table, which cut the richness just a bit without adding picante heat.

Doña Cuevas had the Bistecitos en Salsa Negra, a savory but not especially picante dish.

We drank café de olla, hot tea (this was a seasonally cold day) and agua mineral. (Drinks are extra from the comida. The comida completa itself cost $70 pesos. USD $4.72!)

We were offered a choice of desserts, which came in the usual mini plastic portion cups. We chose tamarindo pudding, which wasn't bad.

When we were leaving, at about 2:30, the dining room was starting to fill. El Camino Real is a very popular restaurant with visitors to Pátzcuaro, and with good reason.

Ratings:
Food: ****
Service: *****
Price: $
Hygiene: looks good.
Would go again.
Plenty of parking
Hours: approximately 8:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m.
Location: Outskirts of Tzurumutaro on the east side of Pátzcuaro , behind the Pemex station on Carretera 120.