QUIROGA: a MEXICAN MUNICIPIO BKAND 



195 



part of the Pdtzcuaro Lake Basin until some time 

 in the nineteenth century. As late as 18S4 Le6n 

 (1887-88) stated that the only vehicular road con- 

 necting Quiroga with the outside world was the 

 road south to Pdtzcuaro, which bypassed Tzin- 

 tzuntzan by using the Zirandangacho-Puerto del 

 Colorin route to the east of the Cerro Yahuarato. 

 However, in 1873-75 the ayuntamiento of Quiroga 

 improved the road eastward via Atzimbo to El 

 Correo so that it was considered to be good enough 

 for a diligencia (stagecoach), but apparently no 

 stage route was established. Even earlier, in 1861, 

 there is mention in the municipal records of an 

 Estacion and of an Estacion Vieja. Possibly these 

 stations were the depots of a stage line between 

 Quiroga and Pdtzcuaro. During the regime of 

 Governor Jimenez 1885-91 many roads were paved 

 with cobblestones, and stone bridges were con- 

 structed over the larger streams in various parts of 

 Michoacdn. From this period, and specifically 

 from 1886, dates the connection of Quiroga with 

 the outside world over "improved" highways. 

 However, only the roads to Pdtzcuaro and Morelia 

 were opened to wheeled traffic. These various 

 highways or caminos reales were periodically 

 repaired, the last time being after the revolution, 

 in the 1920's. In that same decade a "graded" 

 highway entered Quiroga. The exact date is 

 uncertain but apparently a dry weather road 

 westward from Morelia toward Guadalajara 

 reached Quiroga about 1925, and in that year the 

 first automobile passed through Quiroga. How- 

 ever, the present main highway from Mexico City 

 to Guadalajara (National Highway No. 4) was 

 not completely widened and graded as far as 

 Quiroga until 1937, and the oiled pavement was not 

 completed into Quiroga until 1938. ^ 



The present status of the paved (oiled) roads 

 in the region is as follows: Camino Nacional 

 Numero Cuatro, Mexico City to Guadalajara, all 

 paved, 427 miles. Quiroga is a trifle west of the 

 midway mark, being 222 miles from Mexico 

 City and 205 miles from Guadalajara. At 

 Quiroga a paved branch road goes south through 

 Tzintzuntzan and Pdtzcuaro to Tacdmbaro, 49 

 miles distant, and a lateral from this road con- 

 tinues via Ario de Rosales into the tierra caliente 

 and across the Balsas River (this is not an all- 

 weather road). Forty-five miles west of Quiroga, 

 at the Carapan Y, a paved branch road goes by 

 way of Cheran and Paracho to Uruapan, a dis- 



835847 — 50 14 



tance of 43 miles. A dry-weather road continues 

 from Uruapan into the tierra caliente, and ram- 

 ifications connect with Lombardia, Apatzingan, 

 Tepalcatepec, etc. Some distances from Quiroga 

 are: 



Quiroga — east: 



Atzimbo, 2.5 mile.s. 



Puerto del Tigre, 7 miles. 



El Correo, 9.5 miles (off the road). 



Iratzio, 10 miles. 



Capula, 13 miles (off the road). 



Tacfcuaro, 16 miles (off the road). 



Morelia, 26 miles. 



Ciudad Hidalgo, 89 miles. 

 Quiroga — west : 



Santa Fe, 2.5 miles. 



Chuplcuaro, 4.5 miles. 



San Jer6nimo, 7.5 miles (off the road). 



Puerto Aratzipo, 9 miles. 



Comanja, 16.6 miles. 



Zacapu, 26 miles. 



Carapan, 45 miles. 



Zamora, 69 miles. 

 Quiroga — south : 



Patambicho, 2.2 miles. 



Tzintzuntzan, 5 miles. 



Pdtzcuaro, 15 miles. 



Ario, 47 miles. 



All public roads used by thi-ough traffic are 

 referred to as caminos reales. Such roads that can 

 be negotiated by wagons and automobiles are 

 called carreteras, as distinguished from caminos de 

 herradura which are narrow roads and trails that 

 cannot be used by wheeled vehicles. There are 

 a number of caminos de herradura, most of which 

 are quite ancient and in very poor condition, which 

 fan out toward the northwest, north, northeast, 

 east, and southeast. The more important of 

 these trails go to Coeneo; Teremendo and Huani- 

 queo; La Tirimicua, Icuacato, Sajo, and Chu- 

 candiro; Caringaro or Atzimbo, Sanambo, and 

 Capula; and Zirandangacho, Corrales, El Crucero, 

 and the Estacion Chapultepec. All of these roads 

 are in such poor repair that many sections are 

 difficult to traverse either on horseback or on foot. 

 Theoretically the municipality should repair and 

 maintain the roads within its doman, but nothing 

 has been done for a number of years. 



Although the paved roads are used somewhat 

 by locally owned motor vehicles, most of the 

 traffic consists of passenger busses, freight trucks, 

 and Mexican and foreign tourists. The pedes- 

 trians and animal drivers are learning to keep to 

 the sides of the roads or to stick to the old trails. 



