Some suggest that its people are descended from a Nahua tribe that emigrated from the mythical Chicomoztoc (“in the seven caves”), the point of departure of the Nahuatlaca groups of Indians that populated the Anáhuac, the current valley of Mexico. Others believe that the Purepecha or Tarascan Indians originate in the territories known today as South America; most researchers agree that their origins and language remain a mystery.
Their arrival in the marshy river basin of the state dates back to between 800 and 1500 BC...
Morelia, Pátzcuaro, Uruapan and Zitácuaro are cities that make the visitors want to travel in all directions to visit and get to know the 137 towns and villages and 17 beach destinations of Michoacán.
Walking though the intricate cobblestone streets of the neighboring towns and villages, you will be both delighted and amazed, thanks to the wide variety of appetizing dishes and to the profusion of vice regal monuments; to the charm of a diverse vernacular architecture, to the surprises lying in store for you in its museums and to the jubilant merriment coming from the 367 popular fiestas celebrated each year in Michoacán territory, including saints’ days, Holy Week celebrations in particular, and the Day of the Dead, one of the most relevant and important, spiritual, popular celebrations in the country.
In Michoacán looking entails seeing in a different way, especially in Morelia, a World Heritage site and one of the most pleasant and important cities in New Spain.
Uruapan, founded in 1533 on a meseta surrounded by hills and known as the orchard of Michoacan and the world capital of the avocado; it is also the “true birthplace of shellac”. In the Eduardo Ruiz National Park, a unique natural park inside the city, visitors can see the source of the River Cupatitzio. Ten kilometers further down, the waters of the river fall from a height of fifty meters to produce the natural spectacle known as the Tzararacua Waterfall.
In the middle of the eastern region is Zitacuaro, the heroic city that was burnt to the ground three times and a strategic point from which to visit beautiful natural landscapes and events, most significant among which is the Monarch butterfly sanctuary, a natural migratory phenomenon of worldwide importance.
Thus the traveler will find out that Michoacán is a reliquary whose multiple treasures will dazzle when it is slowly opened.
This includes the regional cuisine that even here is considered astonishing, given that dishes from pre-Hispanic times are still served. The diversity of the Michoacán cuisine is partly due to the combination of indigenous, European and Asian ingredients. The most famous dish in the State is Pátzcuaro white fish made to taste. This is followed by nicely browned charalitos, Tarascan soup, michi broth, (made from fish and sour prickly pears), Morelia enchiladas (with a piece of fried chicken, carrots and potatoes in vinegar) and the aporreadillo (shredded beef served in a mildly spicy broth). The most distinctive snacks are corundas, small triangular tamales eaten with beans, pork in red chili and tomato sauce and cream; uchepos, little corn tamales served with gruel; or the wide variety of atoles, (gruel) of which the pinole and the "chaqueta" are outstanding, as they are made from the shell of the cacao bean.
