Tzintzuntzan

Capital of the P'urhépecha empire, with its round yácatas above the lake

Tzintzuntzan ("place of the hummingbirds" in P'urhépecha) was the capital of the P'urhépecha empire — one of the great pre-Columbian civilisations of Mexico and the only major power that successfully held off Aztec expansion in the century before the Spanish arrived. The site is on the northern shore of Lake Pátzcuaro, about 18 km from Pátzcuaro town.

The yácatas — the distinctive stepped platform pyramids unique to P'urhépecha architecture — survive on a terrace overlooking the lake and are the main archaeological sight. Five of these truncated pyramid-platforms remain, their stonework partially restored, with views across the lake that help explain why this location was chosen for the empire's capital. Below the archaeological zone, the 16th-century Franciscan convento built partly with stones from the destroyed pyramids adds a layer of colonial history. The craftwork market in the village sells the lacquerware and woven goods for which this area of Michoacán is famous.

Guide

Activities

Tzintzuntzan is easy to see alone — the Yácatas, the old Franciscan convent and its olive trees, the craft market on the main road. Most guided trips fold it into a Pátzcuaro day, and on the night of 1 November its cemetery is one of the great sights of the Day of the Dead.

A story
When the Spanish conquistadors reached Tzintzuntzan in 1522, it was one of the largest cities in all of Mexico — estimates suggest a population of 25,000 to 40,000. The P'urhépecha empire had successfully resisted Aztec conquest for decades; it fell to the Spanish in a matter of months. Within a generation, the population had collapsed under disease and forced labour, and the city that had dominated western Mexico was reduced to a village.
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