Along the well-worn trail of sun-washed beaches awash in margaritas, I began my discovery of Mexico years ago, taking occasional day trips to nearby ancient ceremonial sites and visiting colonial Mexico, where fantasy cities reminiscent of old Spain had miraculously landed, often atop the old ceremonial centers. But on a visit in July ’10, my search was for obscure pueblos where daily life unfolds much as it has since the coming of the Spanish conquistadores in the 1500s. The pueblos along the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro, located in the state of Michoacán, were my dream come true.