Michoacán, one of the 31 constituent states of Mexico, has limits with Colima and Jalisco to the west, Guanajuato and Querétaro to the north, México to the east, Guerrero the south-east and the Pacific Ocean to the south.

The climate and soil variations due to its topography make Michoacán a diverse agricultural state that produces both temperate and tropical cereals, fruits and vegetables. So it is dominated by the mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sur and “Eje Neovolcanico”.

Michoacán has a rich and varied culture, a unique pre-columbian and colonial architecture as well as its art and delicious cuisine. They were skilled weavers, known for their feathered mosaics made from hummingbird plumage and precious stones. With time they became in skilled craftsmen in metalworking, pottery, and lapidary work. Very soon the products such as salt, gold, seachells, cacao among others of Michoacán of this pre-Hispanic period were abundant and quickly became highly prized by Spaniards.

Monarch butterflies - Morelia Cathedral
Michoacán

During the spring and summer enjoy of the mountain and countrysides full of green with unique animal and floral species, lakes and waterfalls like Salto de Enandio in Michoacán. Also surfing is a common activity by tourist and townspeople. The northeast areas of Michoacán are famous by the monarch butterflies that spend 6 months in the surrounding forest of Oyamel, and with help from the State government, have created complete sanctuaries to protect this species which migrate from Canada and north of the United States to the mountains in Michoacán.

The volcano Parícutin, one of the newest volcanoes in the world, is another major attraction. Born on February 20th 1943, in a large territory between the towns of San Juan Parangaricutiro and Angahuan, it is considered by many as one of the natural wonders of the world of modern times.

Morelia is often cited as “the most beautiful in Mexico” with its fabulous colonial architecture, the Museum of Geology and Mineralogy, the Museum of Contemporary Art Alfredo Zalce and the Museum of Colonial Art are the most visited by tourists. Several archaeology temples and sites have ancient petroglyphs of all different indigenous cultures, which the tourists get to see in many towns of Michoacán.

The main producers of agricultural products, Michoacán is a state with abundant natural resources, with a significant production of gold, silver, zinc and iron. Steel industry production is the largest in the country. In October Morelia hosts an international film Festival, one of the most important in the whole country.

Michoacán has a variety of fauna; the endangered unique species includes the jaguar, jaguarondi, cougar, onza, ocelot, marhay, coyote and boa constrictor. Other inhabitants are the white-nosed coati, raccoon, squirrel, skunk, armadillo, ringtail and white tailed deer among others. Some of the birds are chachalaca, roadrunner, dove, caracara, vulture, golden eagle, quail, barn owl and crow.

History

Michoacán has been home of the P’urhépecha Amerindians or more populary known as the Tarascans, for more than a thousand years. The pre-Columbian Kingdom was one of the most prosperous and extensive empires in the pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican world.

The name derives from Náhuatl terms; michin (fish), hua (own) and can (place), translating it into “place of the people who have fish”. In the early 16th century when the Spaniards arrived, they gave the Purhepecha a name from their own language. Tarascos was derived from the native word tarascué, which means “brother-in-law”. According to Fray Martín Coruña the natives used this term derogatively for the Spaniards, but they mistakenly took it up to name natives and now the Spanish word Tarasco is commonly used to describe the Indians.

Although P’urhépecha or Phorhé language does not have relation with any other language families, still it is spoken within boundaries of Mesoamerica, even it not share many of the traits defining the Mesoamerican Linguistic Area. They become in the dominant force in western Mexico by 1324 A.D, with the founding of Pátzcuaro, their first capital city which means “Places of Stones”, however the Purhépecha transferred their capital to Tzintzuntzan “Place of the Hummingbirds” until the Spaniards arrived in 1522.