Angahuan is the small P'urhépecha village from which visitors access the Paricutín volcano and the buried church ruins. It sits at about 2,600 metres altitude in the highlands above Uruapan, a 25-km drive up winding roads through pine and oak forest. The village is the starting point for all tours to the volcano — local guides and horses are available at the entrance of the village, and hiring one is both customary and practically necessary for navigating the rough lava field.
Beyond its role as a gateway to Paricutín, Angahuan is a genuine P'urhépecha community worth some time in itself. The 16th-century open chapel at the entrance of the village is one of the finest examples of colonial indigenous architecture in Michoacán — a massive outdoor chapel where the Spanish friars preached to large indigenous congregations that couldn't fit inside a church building. The woodcarving tradition here produces distinctive furniture and objects sold in the village.