Michoacán

Michoacán, state (1990 pop. 3,548,199), 23,202 sq mi (60,093 sq km), S Mexico. Morelia is the capital. Dominated by the mountains of the Sierra Madre Occidental and the volcanic chain of central Mexico, Michoacán extends from the Pacific Ocean northeastward into the central plateau. The Lerma River and Lake Chapala form part of its northern boundary with Jalisco; the Río de las Balsas marks the southern border with Guerrero. The climate and soil variations caused by topography and varying elevation make Michoacán a diverse agricultural state, producing temperate and tropical cereals, fruits, and vegetables. The forests yield fine cabinet woods and dyewoods. Mining is a leading industry; gold and silver are most important, but iron, coal, and zinc are also major minerals. Industrial development is modest, centering around iron and steel production. Michoacán, having no important Pacific port, ships its products from the cities of Morelia and Uruapan. Federally sponsored irrigation and hydroelectric power projects have aimed at developing the coastal region, and a reforestation program was instituted in the mountains in the 1990s, where (along the Mexico state border) monarch butterflies overwinter. Lake Pátzcuaro (where UNESCO and the Organization of American States have a training center for Latin American rural teachers) and the Paricutín volcano attract many tourists. Most of the state's inhabitants are native Tarascans; in recent years the state has seen a large outmigration to the United States. Michoacán played a leading role in Mexico's revolution against Spain and in subsequent struggles.

Michoacán formally Michoacán de Ocampo (from Nahuatl Michhuacān "place of the fishermen"), is one of the 31 constituent states of Mexico. It borders the states of Colima and Jalisco to the west, Guanajuato and Querétaro to the north, México to the east, Guerrero to the south-east, and the Pacific Ocean to the south.

Michoacán has an area of 59,864 km² (23,113.6 sq mi). It is the sixteenth largest state in Mexico, taking up 3% of the national territory. In a 2005 census the population was at 3,966,073 people. Its state capital is the city of Morelia (previously known as Valladolid), located between 2 main cities in Mexico, Mexico City and Guadalajara.

History

For more than a thousand years, Michoacán has been the home of the P'urhépecha Amerindians (more popularly known as the Tarascans). The modern state of Michoacán preserves, to some extent, the territorial integrity of the pre-Columbian Kingdom of the Purhépecha. This kingdom was one of the most prosperous and extensive empires in the pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican world. The name Michoacán derives from the Náhuatl terms, michin (fish), hua (own) and can (place), which roughly translates into "place of the people who have fish."

The Tarascans of Michoacán have always called themselves P'urhépecha. However, early in the 16th century, when the Spaniards arrived to what is known now as Mexico, they gave the Purhépecha a name from their own language. The name of these Indians, Tarascos, was derived from the native word tarascué, meaning 'brother-in-law'. According to Fray (Friar) Martín Coruña, it was a term the natives used derogatively for the Spaniards. The Spaniards mistakenly took it up to name them and now the Spanish word Tarasco (and its English equivalent, Tarascan) is commonly used today to describe the Indians who are really named P'urhépecha.

The P'urhépecha or Phorhé language is a language isolate which means that it has not been successfully related to any known language families. It has been compared to many other languages but no relation has been sufficiently well proven to attract a wide following among linguists. Even though it is spoken within the boundaries of Mesoamerica, P'urhépecha does not share many of the traits defining the Mesoamerican Linguistic Area, probably due to a long adherence to an isolationist policy.

By 1324 A.D., they had become the dominant force in western Mexico, with the founding of their first capital city Pátzcuaro, located 7,200 feet (2,200 m) above sea level along the shore of Lake Pátzcuaro (Mexico's highest lake). The name, Pátzcuaro, meaning "Place of Stones," was named for the foundations called "Petatzecua" by Indians who found them at the sites of ruined temples of an earlier civilization. Eventually, however, the Purhépecha transferred their capital to Tzintzuntzan ("Place of the Hummingbirds"), which is about 15 kilometers north of Pátzcuaro, on the northeastern shore of the lake. Tzintzuntzan would remain the Purhépecha capital until the Spaniards arrived in 1522.

Geography

Dominated by the mountains of the Sierra Madre del Sur and "Eje Neovolcanico", Michoacán extends from the Pacific Ocean northeastward into the central plateau. The climate and soil variations caused by this topography make Michoacán a diverse agricultural state that produces both temperate and tropical cereals, fruits, and vegetables.

Some of the cities and towns of Michoacán are Ixtlan de Los Hervores, Tendeparacua, Erongarícuaro, Cherán, Churintzio, Apatzingán, Huetamo, Santa Ana Maya, San Lucas, Ciudad Hidalgo, Ichán, Tangancicuaro, Jacona, Jiquilpan, La Piedad, Lázaro Cárdenas, Los Reyes, Paracho, Pátzcuaro, Aquila, El Triunfo, Coalcoman, Agulilla, Puruándiro, Sahuayo, Cotija, Uruapan, Zacapú, Zamora, Aguaverde, Copandaro, and Zitácuaro. A few of the state's pre-Columbian sites include the ruins of Tzintzuntzan, Ihautzio, Villa Venustiano Carranza a.k.a. San Pedro Caro, Tepalcatepec and Tingambato.

The area around Angangueo and Ocampo in northeast Michoacán is famous for the monarch butterflies that spend 6 months in the surrounding forests of Oyamel.

Culture

Like the majority of southern states in Mexico, Michoacán is known for its rich and varied culture, most notably for its unique pre-columbian and colonial architecture as well as its art and delicious cuisine.

The P'urhépecha were skilled weavers and became known for their feathered mosaics made from hummingbird plumage and precious stones. With time, these gifted people also became skilled craftsmen in metalworking, pottery, and lapidary work. In the Michoacán of this pre-Hispanic period gold, copper, salt, obsidian, cacao, cotton, cinnabar, seashells, fine feathers, wax and honey were abundant and quickly became highly prized products to the Spaniards.

Modern day, there are many cultural activities in Michoacán, especially in the major cities like Morelia, Patzcuaro, and Uruapan. Morelia, as the capital, has the highest number of museums, art galleries, film theaters and restaurants.

Economy

A state with abundant natural resources, Michoacan is one of Mexico's main producers of agricultural products. Mining is also a leading industry in the state, with significant production of gold, silver, zinc, and iron. Steel industry production is the largest in the country. Lazaro Cardenas port is a large and important one for containers.

Other important economical activities in Michoacán include the energy industries, as well as tourism and art gatherings like expositions, ancient and contemporary theatrical shows and film festivals. Every year in the month of October Morelia hosts an international film festival, which is rapidly growing to become of the top festivals in the whole country and which features international film stars such as Gael Garcia, Diego Luna and Martha Higareda.

Tourism

In early spring and summer, people from all over the world go to Michoacán to enjoy its sierras (mountains and countrysides) full of green which host unique animal and floral species, lakes, and waterfalls like Salto de Enandio which is 200 feet high and Chorros del Varal (300 ft high). The southern part of the state borders the Pacific Ocean for more than . As in most of the beaches in Mexico, surfing is a common activity by tourists and townspeople.

Yearly between about October and April tourism increases as more than a hundred million monarch butterflies migrate from Canada and north of the United States to the mountains in Michoacán, to spend the winter in Oyamel Forests. For decades, the communities of Angangueo, El Rosario, Zitácuaro, Ocampo, with help from the State government, have created complete sanctuaries to protect this species.

Another major attraction is the volcano Parícutin, one of the newest volcanoes in the world (although no longer the newest owing to the 1963 birth of Surtsey in Iceland, among others). 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.

There are also several archeology temples and sites where tourists get to see ancient petroglyphs of all different indigenous cultures, some of them still present in many towns in Michoacán.

The capital city is Morelia, often cited as 'the most beautiful city in Mexico', with its fabulous colonial architecture, the stunning 400-year old cathedral and its museums. The Museum of Masks, 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.

Municipalities

There are 113 Municipalities.

Major communities

• Apatzingán
• Ciudad Hidalgo
• Coalcoman
• Jacona de Plancarte
• Jiquilpan
• La Piedad de Cavadas
• Lázaro Cárdenas
• Morelia
• Pátzcuaro
• Sahuayo de Morelos
• Tangancícuaro
• Tepalcatepec
• Uruapan
• Venustiano Carranza
• Villamar
• Yurecuaro
• Zacapu
• Zamora de Hidalgo
• Zitácuaro

Fauna of Michoacán

There are many endangered unique species in Michoacán, including the jaguar, jaguarundi, cougar, onza, ocelot, margay, coyote, and boa constrictor. Other inhabitants of the state are the white-nosed coati, racoon, squirrel, skunk, armadillo, ringtail , white tailed deer, and a kind of wild pig called jabalí.

Reptiles include the spiney tailed iguana, Mexican beaded lizard, a species known as nolpiche is believed to be venomous by the local people but it is not, cnemidophorus, horrible spiny lizard, spiny lizard, Cope's largescale spiny lizard, bunchgrass lizard, rattlesnake, coral snake, ornate box turtle, new world sunbeam snake, trimorphodon and many others.

Some of the birds of the state are chachalaca, roadrunner, dove, caracara, golden eagle, vulture, quail, groove-billed ani locally known as "chicuaro", great horned owl, barn owl, and crow.

References

External links

• Michoacán state government (Adobe Flash)
• Surf Michoacán
• Michoacán, The Soul of Mexico
• Towns, cities, and postal codes in Michoacán
• Municipalities of Michoacán site (Adobe Flash)