Janitzio Island

Michoacán · Mexico · Natural site

Every Night of the Dead, Prince Itzihuapa and the lake's twenty spectral oarsmen are said to rise from Lake Pátzcuaro to meet his beloved.

Janitzio island in Lake Pátzcuaro is the Purépecha people's sacred site for the Night of the Dead, and one of Mexico's most beautiful ghost legends surrounds it. Princess Mintzita offered a treasure on the lake bed as ransom for her imprisoned father, and her beloved Itzihuapa dived for it - but the treasure's twenty spectral guardians pulled him into the depths and made him the twenty-first. Legend holds that when the church bells toll on the night of 1 November, Itzihuapa and the guardians rise from the water, and the two lovers climb the island hand in hand to the cemetery to receive the offerings of the living. The lake then fills with fires, marigolds and thousands of candles.

FAQ

Where is Janitzio Island located?

Janitzio Island is in Michoacán, Mexico.

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Accounts are drawn from local folklore and visitor reports.

Image: Isaacvp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons