By David Eidell (05/08)
Mex 200 is the West Coast highway that begins where Mex 15 leaves off. Headed south along the coast, you greet Mex 15 at Nogales, and follow it some eight hundred miles south to the city of Tepic, where the highway veers eastward to Mexico City. Therefore at Tepic, to continue southbound to (Puerto Vallarta, Barra de Navidad, Manzanillo, Acapulco, Puerto Escondido) you must turn on to Mex 200, a mostly two-lane road.
Now Mexico has several very good North/South routes spread across the width of the country. But until recently there existed only a of "good" routes that transited the formidable "Sierras" mountains. The first is Mex 15 itself, which continues on east, passing through Guadalajara and on to Mexico City. The second more recently completed route connects the west coast port city of Manzanillo to Guadalajara. But south of Manzanillo barely halfway down Mexico's west coast, there has been a dearth of "acceptable" highways that would connect popular interior destinations to important coastal destinations.
For the last several years now, we Mexicophiles have been waiting for the completion of a super highway link between the popular interior destinations of Morelia and Patzcuaro Michoacan, and the coast highway Mex 200. The old highway Mex 37 required six hours by car and around nine tortuous hours by RV. You name it, no striping, a billion potholes, steep up and downs, dozens of villages with scores of unmarked speed bumps...the recollecting of this bring back a sour stomach.
But Mex 37 is completed the entire distance from Patzcuaro to the junction with Mex 200 15-miles south of the city of Lazaro Cardenas. It saves transit times by more than half. No topes, the superhighway is a godsend.
SOUTHBOUND MEX 200 FROM MANZANILLO AND WISH TO GO TO MORELIA
Proceed all the way to the "Tee" intersection where you will observe a sign with an arrow pointing to the right to go to PLAYA AZUL and a left pointing arrow to MORELIA. Make a left, proceed about a mile and a half over a low hill, slow down for two speed bumps and then observe a circular fountain in the form of a glorietta in the middle of the road ahead. IGNORE the sign that prompts you to proceed straight ahead (which is the beginning of the free road). INSTEAD TURN RIGHT at the statue of Lazaro Cardenas, and then count off TEN MILES on your odometer until you reach the very first intersection you've encountered in the last hundred miles with a traffic light. MAKE A LEFT AT THIS LIGHT. Straight ahead in 14 miles is the first of several tollbooths along the way to Patzcuaro and Morelia.
SOUTHBOUND ON MEXICO 200 TO ZIHUATANEJO (FOR INSTANCE)
Follow the instructions above exactly and precisely like you were headed to Morelia. Same tee intersection, same fountain, same turn, same ten miles, same first traffic light and same left turn there. But you, with your destination being Zihuatanejo, are going to have to face an additional temptation in the form of an inviting looking on-ramp to a bridge that passes across the highway. Remember don't turn off of Mex 200 until you encounter a traffic signal light, and then make a left turn onto the toll road approach.
NORTHBOUND ON 200 FROM ZIHUATANEJO
When you encounter the first huge green highway sign shouting MORELIA; the exit for LAZARO CARDENAS is very near. Slow down! Even if you aren't on your way to Morelia, but rather wish to continue north on 200 SLOW DOWN! You will first encounter the MORELIA CUOTA exit, and then SUDDENLY encounter the exit LAZARO CARDENAS CUOTA. Give this a little thought and it will occur to you which exit is correct for your route.
DOWNHILL FROM MORELIA AND PATZCUARO
The end of the toll road occurs about three miles from the junction with Mex 200. Wait until you encounter the very first traffic signal and then make a RIGHT to proceed northward toward Playa Azul and Manzanillo. Big RV's should never make a left at this intersection as the boulevard heads straight into congested Lazaro Cardenas traffic and for all intents and purposes makes a dead-end.