El espritu de Angangueo A veces el viajero descubre un lugar de encanto inesperado e inexplicable. As es el pueblo de Angangueo, en el estado mexicano de Michoacn.

Muchas personas van all slo para ver las mariposas monarca que pasan el invierno en el bosque cercano al pueblo. Pero Angangueo tiene un ambiente especial. Alegres ritmos latinos resuenan en casi todos los hogares. Barandas, portales, patios y balcones lucen macetas repletas de coloridas flores y plantas hasta en las viviendas ms humildes. Hasta los perros callejeros parecen gordos. Los habitantes del pueblo nos dijeron que disfrutan de las flores y de la msica, y que no es su intencin decorar el pueblo para los turistas. Quizs se sientan inspirados por el hermoso entorno en que viven.

El espritu de Angangueo A veces el viajero osado descubre un lugar de encanto inesperado e inexplicable. As es el pueblo de Angangueo, en el estado mexicano de Michoacn. Hay varias interpretaciones del significado de la palabra "angangueo": "lugar alto", "dentro del bosque", o "entrada de la cueva". Todos los significados suenan correctos. Situado a unos 2,600 metros de altura en un valle rodeado de montaas cubiertas de bosques, el pueblo de 5,000 habitantes fue una importante fuente de plata, plomo, cobre y zinc. Hoy en da obtiene algunos ingresos como punto de partida para excursionistas que visitan el Santuario de la mariposa monarca ubicado en las montaas cercanas. Nosotros tambin venamos a ver las mariposas pero, debido al rigor del viaje en autobs, decidimos extender nuestra visita. Aunque nos impresionaron las mariposas monarca, nos dimos cuenta de que este pueblo sin pretensiones es muy especial. En el ambiente haba una sensacin de alegra de vivir. Alegres ritmos latinos resonaban en muchas casas. Al caminar por el pueblo durante horas, inventamos un juego: intentamos encontrar un lugar donde no se escuchara ninguna msica, pero no tuvimos xito. Barandas, portales, patios y balcones lucen macetas repletas de coloridas flores y plantas hasta en las viviendas ms humildes. Pensamos que haba alguna directiva cvica para hacer el pueblo lucir atractivo a los turistas, pero cuando les preguntamos a los aldeanos, contestaron que simplemente aman las plantas y las flores. Cuando admirbamos una impresionante exhibicin, un hombre sali y nos invit a ver su patio. All vimos un sorprendente arreglo, en varios niveles, de cientos de macetas llenas de flores y arbustos que l y su esposa cultivaban slo por la alegra de hacerlo. En la superficie, Angangueo parece un antiguo pueblo minero con una economa empobrecida. Hay abundante evidencia de pobreza. Los ingresos del turismo no son grandes. Sin embargo, los aldeanos parecen haberse identificado con la belleza que los rodea y con su importante papel de anfitriones del nico lugar del mundo donde la mariposa monarca pasa el invierno. O quizs los tiempos duros que ha pasado esta comunidad algo aislada han unido a la gente en una apreciacin de los placeres sencillos de la vida diaria que los extranjeros jams comprendern.

Comprensin 1. 2. 3. 4. Describa la ubicacin fsica de Angangueo. Cul es la atraccin turstica principal de Angangueo? Cmo se manifiesta el espritu de Angangueo? Qu metales se extraan cerca de Angangueo?

The Spirit of Angangueo Sometimes a traveler discovers a place of unexpected, inexplicable charm. The town of Angangueo in Michoacn, Mexico, is one such place. Most people go there only to see the Monarch Butterflies that winter in the forest above the town. But Angangueo has a special feeling. Lively latin music blares from nearly every house. Pots of colorful flowers and plants spill onto nearly every railing, porch, patio and balcony, no matter how humble the abode. Even the stray dogs look fat. People told us that they enjoyed having flowers and listening to music, and that it wasn't to make the town look nice for the tourists. Perhaps the townsfolk were inspired by the beautiful setting they lived in. The Spirit of Angangueo Once in a while, the adventurous traveler discovers a place of unexpected and inexplicable charm. The town of Angangueo in Michoacn, Mexico, is one such place. The word "angangueo" is variously interpreted as meaning "a high place," or "into the woods," or "entrance of the cave." All meanings ring true. Situated at 8,600 feet in a valley surrounded by forest clad mountains, this town of 5,000 was once an important source of silver, lead, copper and zinc. Nowadays it derives some income as the base of departure for day-tripping tourists wishing to visit the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in the mountains above the town. We too, had come to see the Monarchs, but because the bus trip was so arduous, we decided to extend our stay. Although the Monarchs were impressive, we also came to realize that there was something very special about this unassuming town. There was a feeling of joy and zest for life in the air. Various styles of lively latin music blared from many of the houses. We played a game as we walked for hours around town, trying to find a spot from which no music could be heard. We never succeeded. Pots of colorful flowers and plants spilled onto nearly every railing, porch, patio and balcony of the great majority of houses, no matter how humble the abode. We thought there might have been some civic directive to make the town look nice for the tourists, but when we asked the townsfolk, they said they just loved their plants and flowers. As we were admiring one particularly impressive display, a man came out and invited us to see his patio. There we saw an amazing multi-level arrangement of hundreds pots of flowers and bushes that he and his wife nurtured just for the joy that it brought them. On the surface Angangueo seems like a former mining town with a diminished economy. Evidence of poverty is abundant. The income derived from tourism is not substantial. But perhaps the townspeople have internalized the beauty and uniqueness of their setting and their important role as hosts of the world's only wintering ground of the Monarch Butterfly. Or perhaps the hard times this somewhat isolated community has endured has brought the people together and given them an appreciation for the simple pleasures of daily life in a way that no foreign onlooker will ever completely understand.
Angangueo means "Entrance to the Cave. " Typical mining town with its cobbled streets andwooden houses, surrounded by temperate forests of pine, oak and fir.