Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia. The city was named after José María Morelos, a native of the city and one of the main heroes of the Mexican War of Independence.
Morelia is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. It is both the most populous and most densely populated municipality in Michoacán. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and largest city of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the Purépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the valley during this time. The Spanish took control of the area in the 1520s. The Spanish under Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza founded a settlement here in 1541 with the name of Valladolid, which became rival to the nearby city of Pátzcuaro for dominance in Michoacán. In 1580, this rivalry ended in Valladolid's favor, and it became the capital of the viceregal province. After the Mexican War of Independence, the city was renamed Morelia in honor of José María Morelos, who hailed from the city. In 1991, the city was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved historical buildings and layout of the historic center. It is tradition to name people born on September 30 after the city.
The State of Mexico, officially just Mexico, is one of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Commonly known as Edomex, to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is the most populous state and the second most densely populated.
Colima, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, is among the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima.
Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato.
Uruapan is the second largest city in the Mexican state of Michoacán. It is located at the western edge of the Purépecha highlands, just to the east of the Tierra Caliente region. Since the colonial period, it has been an important city economically due its location. The city was conquered by the Spanish in 1522, when the last Purépecha ruler fled the Pátzcuaro area to here. The modern city was laid out in 1534 by Friar Juan de San Miguel. It played an important role in the War of Independence, and was the capital of Michoacán during the French Intervention. Today it is the center of Mexico's avocado growing region, with most of the crop distributed from here nationally and internationally.
Ciudad Hidalgo, or simply Hidalgo, is a city and municipal seat of the Municipality of Hidalgo in the far northeast of the state of Michoacán, Mexico. It is a city located in a rural, mountainous area. While most of the city consists of modern buildings, its principal monument is the 16th-century church and former monastery of San José. Formerly, its name was Taximaroa, and it was the part of the Purépecha Empire closest to the Aztec Empire. This prompted two unsuccessful Aztec invasions as well as the first Spanish incursion into Purépecha lands in 1522. For both the city and rural communities around it, forestry and furniture making are important parts of the economy, but deforestation is forcing the area to look into alternatives such as tourism to take advantage of its natural resources and cultural sites.
The Bajío is a cultural and geographical region within the central Mexican plateau which roughly spans from northwest of Mexico City to the main silver mines in the northern-central part of the country. This includes the states of Querétaro, Guanajuato, parts of Jalisco, Aguascalientes and parts of Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí and Michoacán.
Nuevo Urecho is a municipality located in the center of the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipality has an area of 330.66 square kilometres and is bordered to the north by the municipality of Taretan, to the east by Ario, to the south by La Huacana, and to the west by Gabriel Zamora. The municipality had a population of 7,722 inhabitants according to the 2005 census. Its municipal seat is the city of the same name.
Irapuato is a Mexican city and municipality located at the foot of the Arandas Hill, in the central region of the state of Guanajuato. It lies between the Silao River and the Guanajuato River, a tributary of the Lerma River, at 1,724 m (5,656 ft) above sea level. It is located at 20°40′N101°21′W. The city is the second-largest in the state, with a population of 342,561 according to the 2005 census, while its municipality has a population of 529,440. The municipality has an area of 851 km2 (329 sq mi) and includes numerous smaller outlying communities. Although it is now an important center for regional trade and transportation center as well the site of several automotive and chemical manufacturing plants, the city's main industry has historically been agriculture and it has long been known for its strawberries and industry of refried beans, also the raising of pigs and cattle. The fruits and flowers of Irapuato's luxurious gardens are well known throughout Mexico.
Santa Clara del Cobre is a Magical town and municipality located in the center of the state of Michoacán, Mexico, 18 km from Pátzcuaro and 79 km from the state capital of Morelia. While the official name of the municipality is Salvador Escalante, and the town is often marked as "Villa Escalante" or "Salvador Escalante" on maps, both entities are interchangeably called Santa Clara del Cobre. The town is part of the Pátzcuaro region of Michoacán, and ethnically dominated by the Purépecha people. These people have been working with copper since the pre-Hispanic era, and led to this town's dominance in copper crafts over the colonial period (1519–1821) until well into the 19th century. Economic reverses led to the industry's near-demise here until efforts in the 1940s and 1970s managed to bring the town's work back into prominence.
Tlalpujahua is a town and municipality located in the far northeast of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. It is a former mining town, home of the Dos Estrellas Mine, which was the leading producer of gold in the early 20th century. A major landslide of mud and mining debris damaged this mine and buried about one-third of the town in 1937. Mining continued until 1959, but nationalization of the mine by President Cardenas in the 1930s led to the demise of the mine and impoverishment of the town. In the 1960s, a local by the name of Joaquín Muñoz Orta began making Christmas tree ornaments here. This eventually grew into what is now one of the largest producers of ornaments called Adornos Navideños SA de CV. In addition to this and another factory, there are about 150 small workshops dedicated to making Christmas items, with about 70% of the town's economy based on it.
Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by six states, Nayarit, Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Michoacán, and Colima. Jalisco is divided into 125 municipalities, and its capital and largest city is Guadalajara.
Ihuatzio is an archaeological site in Michoacán state, Mexico. It is at the southern slopes of Cerro Tariaqueri, just north of the Ihuatzio town, in the Tzintzuntzan municipality.
Lago de Camécuaro National Park is located east of the city of Zamora de Hidalgo in the municipality of Tangancícuaro in the state of Michoacán. The park consists of 9.65 hectares of protected area including Camécuaro Lake which is supplied by a series of natural springs. The lake is popular due to its clear water and the vegetation that surrounds the lake. Even though the lake is relatively small, many photographers from all over Mexico come to take photographs of the park's views.
Michoacán handcrafts and folk art is a Mexican regional tradition centered in the state of Michoacán, in central/western Mexico. Its origins traced back to the Purépecha Empire, and later to the efforts to organize and promote trades and crafts by Vasco de Quiroga in what is now the north and northeast of the state. The state has a wide variety of over thirty crafts, with the most important being the working of wood, ceramics, and textiles. A number are more particular to the state, such as the creation of religious images from corn stalk paste, and a type of mosaic made from dyed wheat straw on a waxed board. Though there is support for artisans in the way of contests, fairs, and collective trademarks for certain wares, Michoacán handcrafts lack access to markets, especially those catering to tourists.
José Corona Núñez was a Mexican author, anthropologist, and history professor who discovered several important archeological sites throughout México. His main body of work revolved around his native state of Michoacán, and in particular the Tarascan or Purépecha culture.
Queréndaro is a municipality in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The word Queréndaro is of Chichimeca origin and means "place of rocks", from the great rock in the municipality known as "La Peña Rajada". It contains a cave with paintings that date from the pre-Hispanic era.
Zinapécuaro is a municipality in the Mexican state of Michoacán, located 50 kilometres (31 mi) northeast of the state capital Morelia.
Senguio is a municipality in the Mexican state of Michoacán. It is located approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi) east of the state capital of Morelia.
Francisco Orozoc, MSW. University of Southern California & Ph.D Candidate from UCI.
