Paracho

The World-Famous Guitar Building Town in Michoacan, Mexico

Custom Guide Services:

We offer custom guide services to Paracho.

Why might you need a guide? Paracho is a little tiny town with an international reputation, but without the kinds of tourist conveniences that American and Canadian travelers have come to expect. There are somewhat more than 300 guitar builders in Paracho, and if you have limited time and limited Spanish it can be overwhelming to know where to start and how to make the most of your time there in looking for the highest quality guitar that fits your budget. For this reason, we are now offering custom guide services to Paracho.

Yes, it adds to the total cost of your guitar, but consider that your Paracho trip is a vacation and an adventure, not just a trip to the Guitar Center. We pay our own travel expenses out of the quoted fees. The cost of the first day allows us to travel from where we live in San Miguel de Allende, about six hours north-east of both Paracho and Guadalajara. You are responsible for all of your own transportation, lodging and meal expenses.

Option 1: One Day Package

If you can get to Paracho on your own, we will meet you in Paracho and spend a day with you there, guiding you to our favorite luthiers (and seeking out any others you may wish to visit, if possible). The cost for this service is $500 USD and the amount of time you have with us is a full business day (one full afternoon and evening the first day plus the next half day, during one 24-hour period).

Option 2: Two or More Days of Guide Services in Paracho

If you would like more guided days in Paracho, each additional day (or part of a day) is $150 USD after the $500 minimum for the first day, as described in Option 1.

Option 3: Meeting at the Guadalajara Airport

We will meet you at the Guadalajara airport in the afternoon, escort you to Paracho (on a first-class bus), get you settled in Paracho that evening (day one) or the next morning (day two - it depends on our travel schedule), and spend that first full day (day two) and the next morning (day three) with you in Paracho, introducing you to our favorite luthiers, and translating as necessary. You get one full business day and a half with us in Paracho, plus a half day of travel time with us, within one 48-hour period. You can spend more time alone in Paracho from that point on if you wish; we'll give you the information you need to get back to Guadalajara on your own. Cost: $600 USD.

Option 4: Guide Services Round-trip to Guadalajara, with two full guided days in Paracho

We meet you at the Guadalajara airport in the afternoon (day one), escort you to Paracho (on a first-class bus), get you settled in Paracho that evening, and spend the next two full days with you in Paracho (days two and three), introducing you to our favorite luthiers, and translating as necessary. On the morning of day four, we'll catch a bus with you back to Guadalajara and take you to the Guadalajara airport, or to an economical hotel near the airport (depending on your flight schedule and other travel plans). This will be within one 72-hour period. Cost: $775 USD.

The quoted fees cover our time and expenses. You must pay your own transportation, food, and lodging expenses. We'll be happy to estimate what those will be for you. For all guide services we require a 50% deposit in advance via PayPal, with the balance payable at our first meeting. Email us at this address for more information:

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More About Paracho:

The tiny Mexican town of Paracho is nestled among volcanic peaks in the mountains of Michoacan. (In the picture at the left, the flat-topped hill is one of many such volcanic cones that are common in the valley north of Paracho that we call "Volcano Alley".) Paracho is Mexico's center of stringed musical instrument making, especially guitars and guitar-like instruments such as the Mexican vihuela, the requinto, the guittaron and bajo sexto, and has been for centuries. A 16th century monk is supposed to have established the musical instrument manufacturing industry here among the pine forests of Michoacan. Now Paracho supplies most of the guitars available in Mexico. Paracho is reputed to have more guitar builders than there are in the entire USA, which you can believe when you take a stroll through town. The main street is lined with the shops of luthiers, and many more are to be found in the side streets. Many of the luthiers don't even have signs on the doors. Their shops are tucked away behind their houses, or in an upstairs bedroom.

There is an international guitar festival in Paracho every year in August. Hotel options in Paracho are limited, and August is the peak of the rainy season there, with daily torrential rains. If you're planning to be in Paracho during the Festival, you will likely stay in nearby Uruapan.

Since moving to Mexico in 2004, we've gotten to know Paracho pretty well, and have a handful of top luthiers that we visit regularly. In Paracho it's very possible to buy a world-class classical or flamenco guitar, or a fine student model guitar. In the shops of the better luthiers you will find fabulous instruments that may be completely unique or that may be faithful copies of famous European builders such as Hauser or Ramirez.

On the other hand, there is also a certain amount of pure junk produced; some of the very poor-quality guitars are completely unplayable, and guaranteed to kill the aspiring spirit of any unwary beginner who buys one. More commonly, there are guitars of modest price and careless workmanship which, while perfectly playable, tend to have annoying flaws in the sound or the finish. These "commercial grade" Parachan guitars are common all over Mexico, and seem to suit the casual approach to guitar technique and tone that characterizes Mexican street musicians. In a roomful of guitars that cost the equivalent of $30 USD each, you may find one or two that don't buzz, rattle or have a warped neck.

An important caveat is that less expensive guitars in Paracho are sometimes built of wood that is not completely dry, which we may blame on a combination of the very damp climate in summer, and the builders whose personal economy is such that they cannot afford to stockpile wood. Hence, Paracho guitars (and more particularly the inexpensive ones, under $500 or so) have some reputation for problems when moved to other climate zones. The most important precaution you can take is to keep the guitar well humidified. We use a damp sponge placed in a ziplock baggie with a few holes punched in it, place inside the soundhole of the guitar (and the guitar should be kept in a case or at least a carry bag.)

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For those of you who are used to international travel and have some basic Spanish language skills, we offer the following tips, based on our experience:

Getting to Paracho:

Fly into the Guadalajara airport, take a taxi to the Guadalajara bus terminal (the "new" bus station, not the "old" one) and take an ETN bus for Uruapan (4 hours plus). From Uruapan take a local bus or a taxi to Paracho, about a half-hour away.

We recommend spending at least one full day and two nights in Paracho, so as to have time to walk around to a number of different shops. You may find that you would prefer another full day as well; shopping for a guitar can be emotionally exhausting. Knowing that out of all these thousands of guitars that you must pick one is quite a challenge, and what if you fall in love with two?

This is definitely a cultural adventure as well as a shopping trip. The town square is similar to those in many other Mexican towns, with street vendors of all sorts, and food vendors selling pozole, chicken mole, and local specialties such as atole de grano. (Atole is a hot drink thickened with corn starch; every region in Mexico has different variations. In Paracho it is made with whole corn and young avocado leaves which give a licorish flavor.)

Many of the local people speak Purépecha (Tarascan) as their first language, and signs written in Purépecha are common in Paracho and surrounding towns in northern Michoacan, as far as Patzcuaro, two hours to the east. This is one of several areas in Mexico where Spanish is a second language, which complicates the language issue. All of the luthiers we have met in Paracho have spoken Spanish, but we have overheard many people speaking Purépecha both in Paracho and in surrounding towns.

While you are in the area, it's easy to make day trips both to the National Park in Uruapan, and to the Volcano at Paricutin, both unforgettable sightseeing experiences. The National Park is not large, and you can see most of it in a half-day visit. It is in a river canyon in the middle of Uruapan, and there are many spectacular and beautiful artificial waterfalls created by diversions of the river water. The canyon creates its own tropical micro-climate, quite unlike the surrounding area. The park's entrance fee for the day is 24 pesos ($2.25 USD). No, there's no camping there.

The Volcano at Paricutin erupted out of a cornfield in 1943 and buried two villages. At the site of one village, the tower of an early 17th century church sticks out of the lava field - a very strange sight, for sure. For a hundred pesos (ten dollars USD) you can ride a horse from the bus stop to the church tower and back. (You can also walk if you wish; walking is easier if you drive in, because the bus drops you a half mile away from the parking lot.) The actual volcano is now a rather high mountain, with several fumaroles still active; you can ride all the way up the volcano by horseback, a longer trip by several miles. There are food stands near the site of the church tower, where you can buy beer, sodas, quesadillas and snacks. The road to Paricutin goes west off of Route 37 about halfway between Uruapan and Paracho, and it's about 20 kilometers out that road (the road is clearly marked at the intersection with 37.) You can also catch a bus there from Uruapan.

Hotels:

If you're used to traveling in Mexico you'll be perfectly comfortable at our hotel of choice, the Hotel La Mision ($20/night USD), which is near the monument at the south entrance to town (hidden behind the traffic light in the picture at left). The Hotel Hermelinda is 2 blocks from the square, and looks very nice but we have never stayed there because it has always been either closed or full on our visits. Rooms at the Hermelinda are about $25/night USD. There are also two hotels a little south of town on route 37 which have enclosed parking. The one closer to the monument we found to be funky but serviceable for one night, after which we moved to the Mision; the other was "not recommended" by our friends.

If you require upscale comforts, you may be more comfortable in nearby Uruapan, about 40 kilometres away to the south. In Uruapan you can stay in the fancy Mansión del Cupatitzio overlooking the National Park, for about $125 USD per night. There is a trout farm in the National Park, and you can eat the trout in the restaurant (recommended) at the Mansión del Cupatitzio (the restaurant that's all the way in the back of the hotel, not the one on the left as you enter the hotel parking lot.)

For less expensive accomodations in Uruapan, we recommend the Hotel Del Parque (about $35/night USD) on Calle Independencia in Uruapan, only a half-block away from the entrance to the National Park.

In Paracho we have met very few fluent English speakers and have seen few foreigners; passable Spanish is a basic requirement if you are going to visit. Even the scouts who work the plaza for various luthiers speak very little English, surprisingly.

Prices for guitars run anywhere from $30 to $2,500 and up USD. You may find a decent student model for as little as $100, but we suggest you count on spending a minimum of about $250 USD. Very nice guitars may be had for about $500, and for about $1800 or $2,000 USD you can buy something very special. (Commonly, guitars made in Paracho go for twice as much in the USA when they are imported by dealers there.) You can certainly bargain. Paracho is a competitive market. You may be the only buyer in town that day - probably the only foreign buyer, anyway.

Paracho Luthiers:

Here are some of our personal recommendations for luthiers:

Carlos Piña: Carlos Piña, is one of the professional grade builders of classical guitars in Paracho. His shop is just off the main plaza in the center of Paracho at Cuauhtemoc 54. In addition to very fine classical models suitable for professionals and university students, he has some excellent examples of our favorite type of student guitar - Cedar top and Palo Escrito (aka "Mexican Rosewood") back and sides.

Francisco Navarro: Francisco Navarro Garcia has a shop on the main street in Paracho at Independencia 262. He has a production shop with about 6 assistants and a reputation for excellent quality control. He builds professional quality classical and flamenco guitars which are available from various dealers in the USA. He does not keep a large inventory in Paracho since most of his output is exported, but there will always be some guitars available for purchase. A reliable name if you are shopping for a guitar in the US, and definitely recommended for a visit if you are in Paracho.


Salvador Castillo: Salvador builds tremendous classical and flamenco guitars, all one of a kind as far as we have seen, and with a much smaller production volume than Navarro. His shop is at Independencia 200, a few doors down from Navarro's shop. Our friend Guillermo Blanco, a Flamenco player in San Miguel de Allende, has two guitars of Salvador's. The picture at right shows Salvador playing one of his own guitars. Here's a link to a review: Castillo Review

Ramiro Castillo, Salvador's father, has a shop across the street at Independencia 259. Ramiro is one of our favorite suppliers of student model guitars. He has our favorite style, with Cedar top and Palo Escrito back and sides. We had several of his guitars to use as loaners for our classes, but our students kept buying them. Ramiro is one of the traditional style builders who does most of the work by hand with a knife. He makes guitars in batches of four, and you can see the latest batch in progress when you visit his shop.

Hermanos Escobido Hernandez have one of our favorite shops in Paracho. The several Escobido brothers, Jesus, Hector, Gerardo, Roberto, and Jaime, all luthiers, occupy a shop several blocks off the main street (go north from the north-west corner of the plaza), with a small and barely visible sign on the upper balcony, at Calle Dr. Verdusco #106. The brothers between them make a wide variety of styles and qualities of guitars, and also a line of inexpensive double basses. Whenever we have visited they have had at least two or three very fine guitars available, and a variety of less expensive ones.

Guitar Cases in Paracho: Cases are sometimes included with a guitar purchase, but generally not with lower priced guitars. They are readily available for $20 - $60 USD. There are two stores just west of the plaza on Calle Independencia that sell a variety of cases. Nice hard-shell wood-bodied cases are made in Paracho in at least 3 different grades; you can also get light-weight foam cases and fabric gig bags. We have had bad luck with gig bags, because it's too easy to damage a guitar by whacking the headstock on a doorway -- so we recommend only using gig bags for low-cost guitars. We like the foam cases a lot, and they are our first choice for everyday use around town because of their light weight and insulation value, but we are not confident of them for airline travel since we don't know how they might withstand really rough handling. Beware of the fiberglass cases with aluminum trim, because the aluminum trim often has a protruding sharp edge that may scratch the guitar as you put it into or take it out of the case.

Payment: There may be some Paracho builders who take credit cards, but don't count on it. You will need cash, in pesos. There is one ATM machine in town, which has a $5000 peso (= $500 USD ) daily withdrawal limit. If you come with dollars, change them to pesos in Guadalajara. A money belt is a good idea when traveling.