Michoacán

Pátzcuaro, Michoacán state, west-central Mexico. This small, Spanish colonial town is located in an extremely active volcanic region near the central Pacific coast of Mexico, just south of Lake Pátzcuaro. The region was originally inhabited by the Purepecha Indians, many of whom still live in and around Pátzcuaro. The remains of Tzintzuntzan, the capital of the Purepecha empire, are located a few miles away.

State of Mexico, on the Pacific; area 59,864 sq km/ 23,114 sq mi; population (2000 est) 3,979,200. Its capital is Morelia. The state consists of a narrow coastal plain, with part of the Sierra Madre Occidental to the east, and is a region of considerable volcanic activity. Parícutin, which emerged between 1943 and 1952, is a notable volcanic peak and reached a height of 2,808 m/9,210 ft. The main occupations are mining for silver, lead, and copper, and farming, producing cereals, rice, sugar-cane, and tobacco.