Janitzio is the most famous island of Lake Patzcuaro and is 20 minutes from the pier.

Its name means corn hairs and during the Night of the Dead the town is crammed with tourists who come to the cemetery to see the famous shrines and watch the relatives pray over the graves of their loved ones.

At the top of the Janitzio Island is a monument 40 meters high of the hero of Mexico’s Independence, José María Morelos y Pavón, a native of Morelia. You can visit the statue where there are several murals by the painter Ramón Alva de la Canal chronicling the life of this man who was one of the leaders of the Mexican War of Independence movement.