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Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia (formerly called Valladolid). The city was named after José María Morelos, a native of the city and one of the main heroes of the Mexican War of Independence.
Michoacán is located in western Mexico, and has a stretch of coastline on the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. It is bordered by the states of Colima and Jalisco to the west and northwest, Guanajuato to the north, Querétaro to the northeast, the State of México to the east, and Guerrero to the southeast.
The name Michoacán is from Nahuatl: Michhuahcān from michhuah and -cān and means "place of the fishermen", referring to those who fish on Lake Pátzcuaro. In pre-Hispanic times, the area was the home of the Purépecha Empire, which rivaled the Aztec Empire at the time of Spanish encounter. After the Spanish conquest, the empire became a separate province which became smaller over the colonial period. The state and its residents played a major role in the Mexican War of Independence.
Today, the state is still home to a sizable population of Purépecha people as well as minor populations of Otomi people and Nahua peoples. The economy is based on agriculture, ranching, fishing, mining, and the arts. The major tourism draw for the state is the Lake Pátzcuaro–Tzintzuntzan–Quiroga area, which was the center of the Tarascan state; as well as the location of the Tzintzuntzan yácata pyramids. The national and state parks which include the winter grounds of the monarch butterflies (Mariposas Monarca) are located here. Michoacán is known for its Spanish colonial towns. In 1991, Morelia was declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site for its well-preserved colonial buildings, pink stone cathedral, historic center, and aqueduct. Michoacán has ten Pueblos Mágicos; such as the towns of Pátzcuaro and Santa Clara del Cobre.
Day of the Dead celebrations in some parts of Michoacán, such as the towns of Janitzio and Pátzcuaro, are often considered to be the most elaborate and famous in all of Mexico. The famous Parícutin volcano, which is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, is located near the city of Uruapan. The state is known as "the soul of Mexico".
Most documentation for this human occupation during this period is from the basin of Lake Chapala, although similar activities also happened in the late Pleistocene lakes of the region, such as Lake Cuitzeo, Zacapu Lagoon, and maybe Pátzcuaro.
The remains of these first societies to produce ceramics suggest that the Michoacán region was occupied with various localised cultures with their own histories and dynamics of interaction with their neighbours and with each other. This diversity of cultures would remain the norm in the Michoacán region until the rise of the Purépecha Empire.
The formative culture of El Opeño dates from to , and performed a burial cult whose remains consist of tombs including ceramic vessels, figurines, and the burial shafts themselves, suggesting that this culture interacted along the Lerma River with more western cultures in Jalisco and Nayarit, as well as with other cultures to the east.
In the middle and lower basin of the Balsas river were El Infiernillo villages whose ceramics suggest ties to the Capacha Culture of Colima and the Pacific coast from Nayarit to Guerrero.
Remains of domesticated maize pollen from suggests that Michoacán was more densely inhabited during the Early and Middle Preclassic than attested by the archaeological evidence.
During the late Preclassic period, at least three regional cultures existed in Michoacán:
At the Loma Alta site, there were some sherds of Thin Orange pottery, cloisonné, and an uncommon necropolis which had been repeatedly reused and where four types of burial had been performed.
By the 1st centuries AD, social ranks existed in the larger settlements, although their location on the floor of lake basins and their absence in defensible positions suggests there was barely any aggression or population movements.
During the Classic period, three regionally distinct cultures existed in Michoacán which nonetheless were related to nearby areas in the south and west:
Concurrent with this development, the Zacapu basin experienced significant population growth, with the number of sites doubling during the Jaruacuaro phase ( to ), and again during the Lupe phase ( to ), so that by the La Joya phase at the end of the Late Classic Period ( to ), there were 58 sites. The settlements of this period were also located away from the lakeshore, especially in the area between Zacapu and the Lerma river, and they included pyramids, plazas and ball courts. A deeply buried irrigation canal in the Pátzcuaro basin from the Lupe-La Joya phase suggests an intensification of agriculture.
The major centres of this period contained architectural structures and artefacts suggesting they were in direct contact with the Teotihuacan of the Mexico basin:
Outside of the ceremonial centres, a few sites from the Lerman river to the Cuitzeo basin to the middle of the Balsas river contained Thin Orange pottery, cloisonné decoration, mosaic disks, Teotihuacán-like figurines, and sometimes talud-tablero architecture.
The number of Central Mexican-type artefacts is low in all these settlements, and they represent only a small part of material goods linked with the central Mexican Classic period culture: thus, while dental mutilation is attested at Tingambato, its variety is limited compared to those of Central Mexico, and for example dental incrustation was absent in Michoacán.
The significance of these new ceremonial centres and the presence of Teotihuacán-type artefacts there is still uncertain. Because most of the research on them was of salvage nature, none of the deposits at the large centres has been dated more precisely to between , meaning that:
As a result of these contacts, the process of social differentiation which was already happening accelerated, and the formation of polities occupying discrete territories and competing to access inter-regional and intra-regional trade to the east and west intensified. By , regions of northeastern Michoacán were interacting directly with central Mexico, which in turn intensified the increased output of the obsidian mines at Zináparo.
Along with these changes in settlement patterns, the local population adopted red-on-cream ceramics on a widespread basis, integrating them with local pottery traditions. These ceramic style shifts are known from a wide part of northern and central Michoacán, including Zinapécuaro, Cuitzeo, Tiristaran, Morelia, Teremendo, Zacapu, Lake Pátzcuaro, Carapan, Zamora, and Tangamandapio. Polychrome pottery with negative decoration resembling the pottery of Guanajuato was already present at the site of Urichu in the Pátzcuaro basin by , and after these polychrome ceramics became more common. The ceramics of the future Purépecha would be derived from the polychrome pottery which became widespread in Michoacán after .
Metallurgy was introduced in Michoacán during the early Postclassic Period by merchants from southern Ecuador who participated in the canoe trade through the Santiago-Lerma and Balsas-Tepalcatepec rivers. Metal objects from this time is known only from burial, and was made of copper and an alloy of copper and silver through cold hammering, annealing, and lost-wax casting in styles and object types known from earlier coastal Ecuador.
During the early and middle Postclassic Period, the local elites of Michoacán competed for communities and they marked their relative success with polychrome pottery, metal goods, and patron deities. Due to the lack of regional authority which possessed decision-making power while the populations were increasing, populations became extremely concentrated in some regions, such as at Zacapu, where 20,000 people and 13 sites occupied 11 kilometres square of the malpais, but the lake marsh below it was not inhabited.
During the middle and late Postclassic Period, the societies of Michoacán had little direct interaction with central Mexico, instead participating in regional cultures and sharing traits and beliefs which would later be typical of the Purépechas, and some of which might have arrived from further west along the Santiago-Lerma river system, while others were results of local cultural changes. Changes during this period included:
At this time, new metalworking techniques and styles were introduced from Ecuador via the coastal trade routes. These new forms of metallurgy included loop-eye needles, axe money made of sheet metal, and wirework bells which were worked hot. New alloys were also produced, such as regular bronze and made of copper and arsenic or copper, tin and arsenic.
During the late Postclassic Period, a migration of Chichimeca hunters (especially deer hunters) and gatherers of Nahuas ethnicity arrived into central Michoacán, among whom were the () who would become the royal dynasty of the Purépecha Empire. These migrants settled in discrete communities in and near the Pátzcuaro basin where already lived the Purépecha population. The new migrants were likely few in number or had assimilated into other local cultures before arriving into central Michoacán, due to which there is no evidence of movements of Uto-Aztecan Chichimecas from the northern boundary of Mesoamerica, and the inhabitants of the Michoacán central plateau remained predominantly Purépecha speakers.
After Tiariacuri's death, his son and his nephews continued to expand the state he founded outside of the Pátzcuaro basin, and initiated the political and economic changes which saw the foundation of the Purépecha Empire.
During the Middle Postclassic Period, the number of sites in the Purépecha Empire increased and the inhabited area increased twice, with many of the new sites being located on newly exposed islands and on fertile lake soil exposed by a phase of decrease in lake water levels. During the later Postclassic, these sites were flooded, and the settlements moved to the new lakeshore and to highly fertile agricultural areas, causing the number of sites and inhabited area to again double in size, leading to the maximum expansions of Urichu, Pareo and the whole exposed island of Xarácuaro, as well as densely occupied towns with public architecture at Tocuaro, Arocutin, Charahuen, and Ajuno (Axuni).
Thus, the population density of Michoacán peaked during the Late Postclassic, and the largest and most densely populated settlements, including both ceremonial centres and cities, date from this period.
Soon after the Spanish Conquest, evangelists from the Franciscan, Augustinians, Carmelite and other orders established monasteries all over the territory. Some of the best-known are Juan de Moya, Martín de la Coruña and Jacob the Dacian. As first governor, Nuño de Guzmán disrupted and devastated the social and economic order of the area. Vasco de Quiroga succeeded Guzman, bringing Franciscan and Augustinian friars to both evangelize and repair the area's broken economy and social institutions. Quiroga founded the Spanish city of Pátzcuaro in 1538, calling it the Ciudad de Mechuacán. For his efforts, Quiroga is still referred to in the Pátzcuaro area as "Tata (grandfather) Vasco". The diocese of Michoacán was established in 1536 by Pope Paul III, and its boundaries coincide with the old Purépecha kingdom. Its first bishop was Vasco de Quiroga.
The Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo began as the Colegio de San Nicolas Obispo, founded by Vasco de Quiroga in Pátzcuaro in 1540. It was originally a seminary for the training of evangelists. It was granted a royal seal in 1543 to become the Real Colegio de San Nicolás Obispo. The school was moved to Morelia in 1580 and was fused with the Colegio de San Miguel Guayangareo. In 1590, its name was changed to the Seminario Tridentino, afterwards to Seminario Conciliar in 1601. By the end of the 17th century, the name returned to Colegio de San Nicolás but its structure was profoundly changed, adding studies such as philosophy, civil law, and others. At the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th centuries, a number of figures associated with the Mexican War of Independence, such as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, José María Morelos and others were associated with this school. By the mid-19th century, the school had been secularized and renamed the Primitivo y Nacional Colegio de San Nicolás de Hidalgo adding studies such as chemistry, physics and other sciences. The current name and organization was adopted after the Mexican Revolution in 1917.
From the 16th to the 18th centuries, Augustinian, Franciscan and Carmelite missions were constructed in the territory as well as civil constructions, especially in the city now known as Morelia. Mining in areas such as Angangueo, Tlalpujahua and Inguaran had begun, as well as the establishment of agricultural and livestock haciendas. The first school of higher education, called the Primera Casa de Altos Estudios en América, was founded by Alonso de la Veracruz in Tiripetío. Michoacán was made a separate province from "Mexico" in 1602. By the mid-17th century, the indigenous population had declined by half. In 1776, the territory of Michoacán was reduced to the area in which the modern states of Michoacán and Colima are now. Soon after, Colima split to join with the province of Guadalajara, leaving Michoacán roughly with the territory it has today.
During the entire colonial period, the economy was concentrated in the hands of the Spanish-born, who held vast lands and haciendas. They also held the rights over minerals mined in places such as Tlalpujahua, Angangueo and Huetamo. Indigenous peoples were exploited for their work, and slavery was not uncommon. Education was restricted for only those born in Spain and their descendants and was controlled by the Church. The main educational institutions were the Colegio de San Nicolas, founded in the 16th century; and the Seminary of San Pedro and San Pablo, founded in the 18th century. These schools produced a number of distinguished men, but the best-known is Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. At the end of the 18th century, ideas from Europe began to infiltrate the upper classes of the state, especially in Valladolid (Morelia) and Zamora. These would eventually lead to the Mexican War of Independence in the early 19th century. This war was foreshadowed by the 1809 conspiracy in Valladolid.
One of the early and main protagonists of the war, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, was educated as a priest in the state and began to disseminate Enlightenment ideas here. Soon after Hidalgo performed the Grito de Dolores in Dolores (now Dolores Hidalgo), Guanajuato, a number of people influenced by his thought took up arms against the colonial government. These included Manuel de la Torre Lloreda, Gertrudis Bocanegra, José María Garcia Obeso and Ignacio López Rayón. During his campaign, Hidalgo returned to Valladolid, issuing a decree eliminating slavery.
After Hidalgo's death, much of the insurgency and Espionage against the Spanish viceroy were located in Michoacán, with documents such as the "Primera Constitución o Decreto Constitucional para la Libertad de la América Mexicana" (First Constitution or Constitutional Decree for the Liberty of the Mexican America) and "Sentimentos de la Nacion", both of which would shape constitutions and governments in the years to come. The first Mexican Supreme Court was also founded here. The Mexican War of Independence was culminated by the army of Agustín de Iturbide, also a Michoacán native, who took Morelia in May 1821.
After the war ended in 1821, the territory of Michoacán became the "Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán on January 31, 1824. This state was initially divided into 4 departments and 22 portions (partidos) under the Ley Territorial of 1825, with the first constitution ratified in the same year. The name of the capital was changed from Valladolid to Morelia at the same time.
In 1831, the state was reorganized into 61 municipals and 207 locales (tenencias). Due to the struggle between centralists and federalists in Mexico in the 19th century, Michoacán's rights as an entity would change depending on who was in control. The state was declared a department in 1836 but became a more independent state again in 1846. Colima broke off from Michoacán to form its own state in this year. In 1849, the municipality of Coyuca was separated to form the state of Guerrero. In 1853, the state became a department again, regaining state status in 1856. In 1857, Contepec was separated from the state of Guanajuato and attached to Michoacán. In 1863, the diocese of Michoacán was reduced in size, but its status was also elevated to archdiocese.
During the French Intervention in Mexico, Morelia was taken by French forces in 1863. Since resistance to the French was particularly strong here, punitive acts were undertaken by the French in places like Zitácuaro, where much of the city was burned. One of the first victories against the French during the Intervention occurred in Zamora.
In 1907, Michoacán's boundaries changed again with the addition of the communities of Pungarabato and Zirandaro added from Guerrero state to make the Balsas River a natural border. The Mexican Revolution came to Michoacán in 1911, when those loyal to Francisco I. Madero proclaimed Santa Clara del Cobre as their territory, then went on to take towns around Lake Pátzcuaro under the leadership of Salvador Borrego. The governor of the state, Aristeo Mendoza, resigned. Fighting among various factions would continue in parts of the state for the rest of the war. The state's current constitution was ratified in 1918. In 1920, the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo was founded.
Soon after the end of the Revolution, the Cristero War would affect the state, which affected agricultural production and distribution. In 1926, hostilities closed the seminaries in Morelia and Zamora. Near the end of the war, Lázaro Cárdenas was elected governor of the state and served until 1932; he became president of Mexico in 1934.
Michoacán has been badly affected by the Mexican drug war, due to its methamphetamine and marijuana production. That resulted in the start of an anti-drug trafficking campaign in 2006, an anti-narcotics operation since 2006, grenade attacks in 2008, a shootout in 2015 as well as Uruapan massacre and clashes in 2019.
The state is crossed by the Sierra Madre del Sur, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Inter-mountain Valleys region. The Sierra Madre del Sur crosses the state northwest to southeast for approximately in the southwest between the municipalities of Chinicuila and Arteaga along the Pacific Coast. It is considered to be a continuation of the Sierra Madre Occidental. Peaks in this range average about above sea level, with the largest being the Cerro de las Canoas. The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt crosses the state from west to east toward the Toluca Valley and Valley of Mexico. This mountain range is marked by appearance of many volcanoes, active, dormant, and extinct alike. This system is subdivided into regions such as the Sierra de Tancítaro, Sierra de Periban, Sierra de San Angel and others. The best-known volcano in this region is the Paricutín volcano.
The state has a large number of lakes, waterfalls, lagoons, , and a natural system of waterways, including parts of two of the country's largest rivers, the Lerma River and the Balsas. These waterways are divided into three regions, called the North, Central and South. The North region includes the Lerma Basin. On the Lerma River is the Tepuxtepec Dam which has a capacity of 371 million m3. Rivers that empty into the Lerma in Michoacán include the Tlalpuhahua, Cachivi and Duero. Another river basin here is that of Lake Cuitzeo, which extends over an area of . The two main rivers that feed this lake are the Grande de Morelia and Queréndaro. The Central region is represented by lakes Pátzcuaro and Zirahuén. Lake Pátzcuaro has a surface area of 1,525 km2. This lake is fed by a number of surface and subterranean water flows with the principal rivers leading here including the San Gregorio and Chapultepec. This lake has five islands within it called Janitzio, Yunuén, La Pacanda, Tecuén, Jarácuaro, Urandén and Carián. Lake Zirahuén has an area of and is fed by streams such as Manzanilla and Zinamba. These two lakes are considered to be the main tourist attraction of the state.
Most of the state's rivers and streams are located in the south region of the state, with the Balsas River being the most important. The most important tributaries of this river include the Cutzamala, Carácuaro and Tepalcatepec rivers. Within this region is the coastal watershed, which is the area between the Sierra Madre del Sur and the coastline. This area includes small rivers such as the Coahuayana, Aquila, Ostula, Motín del Oro, Coire, Cachán and Nexpa which flow directly into the Pacific.
Much of the climate of the state is determined by altitude and other geographical features. Average temperatures vary from to . Lower temperatures correspond with the highland areas in the north and east while the lower south and west, called La Costa (the coast) or Tierra Caliente (hot land) register higher temperatures. In the hotter lowlands, high temperatures regularly exceed and have been known to reach over in the summer. The lowest temperatures are registered in highland areas such as the Sierra de Coalcomán and the Sierra del Centro located near the border with the State of Mexico. Except for the Tierra Caliente, most of the state can experience freezing temperatures in the winter. Rainfall is also dependent on altitude with the lowlands receiving less rain than the mountain areas. There is a well-defined rainy season which extends from June to October over the entire state.
| Flora and fauna of Michoacán | |||||||
| Aquila chrysaetos | Ctenosaura pectinata | Monarch butterfly | Jaguar | Brachypelma auratum | |||
| Galeocerdo cuvier | Ghost owl | Hummingbird | White-nosed coati | Caiman | |||
| Tagetes | Taxodium mucronatum | Dahlia coccinea | Abies religiosa | Sabal pumos | |||
Notable contributors to early Michoacán’s society & agriculture were Northern Italian Immigrants that arrived in the mid to late 1800s and were drawn to Michoacán's climate & striking resemblance to Northern Italian regions, like Lombardy, Italy. Italians were encouraged to migrate to Michoacán during Porfirio Diaz’s presidency and were promised agricultural lands. A notable, industrious Northern Italian immigrant that settled in Michoacán was Dante Cusi. He was born on November 17, 1848 in Corvione di Gambara, Brescia, region of Lombardy, Italy. Dante Cusi founded the towns of Lombardia, Michoacán and Nueva Italia, Michoacán. Cusi brought modern technology, such as modern rice mills, irrigation systems, and built schools. hospitals, and churches. One of his greatest technological projects was his hydraulic network, which carried river water into barren lands.
Cusi specialized in rice harvesting. “In 1911, 2,500 tons of clean rice were produced, which rose to 6,000 in 1915. Each year 2-3,000 additional hectares were made cultivable, with two harvests per year, one seasonal and the other the result of irrigation. Productivity was increased with the introduction of more modern tillage techniques and the sowing of new varieties. Around 1920 each hectare produced 2,450 kg of raw rice: marketed after cleaning, which reduced its weight by 30%, it gave a net utility of 200 pesos.” (Destinazioni, Polo, Friz Luigi). Cusi was known for giving life to previously uncultivated areas and building impressive networks of canals. He introduced technologies to Michoacán, such as irrigation systems, modern rice mills, modern tillage techniques and sowing of new varieties. By the 1920s, each Cusi hectare produced 2,450 kg of raw rice: marketed after cleaning, which reduced its weight by 30%, and thus gave a net utility of 200 pesos. Overall, Cusi’s work & legacy exemplifies the agricultural & societal influence Northern Italians had in the Mexican state of Michoacán.
There are two Aerial tramway projects under construction as of 2025, one in Morelia and one in Uruapan. The system in Uruapan is set to be complete in September 2025.
As of 1995, the state had eight television stations, with seven out of operation. There is a system of educational television with 528 broadcast antennas.
Newspapers and news sites of Michoacán de Ocampo include: La Opinión de Apatzingán, a. m. de La Piedad, Diario ABC de Michoacán, El Diario Grande de Michoacán Provincia, El Sol de Morelia, El Sol de Zamora, Frecuencia Informativa Escrita , La Jornada Michoacán, La Opinión de Michoacán, La Voz de Michoacán.
The Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo is located in Morelia. Its historical predecessor was founded in 1540, making it one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the Americas.
The state ministry of tourism has divided the state into regions, mostly based on the major cities of Morelia, Uruapan, Pátzcuaro, Zamora, Lázaro Cárdenas, and Zitácuaro. The state contains a large number of potential attractions, most of which are classified as suitable for ecotourism. However, only 6.2% of these sites are visited by international tourists. Most visitors to sites are from within the state.
The Morelia region stresses its cultural and artistic heritage, especially its colonial architecture . The most important colonial structures are in Morelia and built in the 18th century. These include the cathedral, finished in 1744 and the main aqueduct finished at the end of the century. This architecture has made the city a World Heritage Site. In addition to the state capital, the region includes towns such as Charo, Capula, Tiripetio, Cuitzeo and Huandacareo, which contain archaeological sites, water parks and traditional cuisine. The rural areas of this zone contain more than 400 thermal springs, many of which have been turned into recreational areas and parks. These include Reino de Atzimba, Cointzio, Huandacareo and El Ejido. Morelia holds the annual Festival Internacional de Música de Morelia. The festival consists of more than forty concerts with over 500 artists from Michoacán and from around the world. Other festivals include the popular SalsaMich that features a 3-day Salsa dance competition. The Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia is celebrated annually that is dedicated to Mexican cinema. The Plaza Monumental de Morelia was established in 1951, which was destined exclusively for bullfights. Nowadays, the ring also hosts concerts, lucha libre, and weddings.
The Uruapan region stresses its cultural and natural heritage. The city is one of the oldest settlements in the state, and was initially settled by the Meseta Purépecha peoples. This city contains a number of attractions such as La Huatápera, a colonial era hospital founded by Vasco de Quiroga, the Temple of San Francisco, and the Eduardo Ruiz Municipal Museum. Another attraction is the narrowest house in the world as documented by the Guinness Book of World Records. Other important cities in the region are Apatzingán and Caracha. Uruapan is surrounded by hundreds of hectares of forests and by fertile fields growing fruits and flowers, many of which only grow here. Some of the natural attractions of the zone include the Santa Catarina Dam and the La Tzaráacua and La Tzararacuita waterfalls. Smaller towns and villages in this region are known for their religious and popular festivals, many of which occur in the summer. Examples of these are the feasts of Señor del Calvario in Quinceo, of San Mateo Ahuiran in Paracho and the National Guitar Festival in Paracho. The best-known town in the region is San Juan Nuevo Parangaricutiro, which was founded due to the destruction of its original namesake by the eruption of the Paricutín volcano. The pre-Hispanic sites of Tingambato and Taretan are in this zone as well, which were important Purépecha cities.
The town of Paracho is well known throughout both Mexico and elsewhere in the world as a hub of lutherie. This is because the town's craftsmen are reputed to making the best sounding and in all of Mexico. The town is full of music shops that sell ten-string , armadillo-backed guitars (concheras), acoustic bass guitars; as well as regular classical guitars and mandolins, , vihuelas, and many others. Many of the stores and workshops allow visitors to watch the guitar-making process directly. The Lázaro Cárdenas region is named after Michoacán's largest port and oceanside city. Here the state stresses the kilometres of beaches and other natural areas in which to practice ecotourism and extreme sports. Beaches include Maruata, Faro de Bucerías, the Pichi Estuary, La Laguna de Mezcala, La Ticla and Nexpa, with the last two popular for surfing, with their regular two-three-meter waves. A number of these beaches are protected areas, due to being a breeding ground for sea turtles.
The Pátzcuaro region is extremely important to the state due to its history of having been the center of the Purépecha Empire as well as the first capital of the colonial province of Michoacán. Its pre-Hispanic heritage is evident by the Tzintzuntzan and Ihuatizo sites as well as the large number of people who still speak the Purépecha language and maintain pre-Hispanic customs. Vasco de Quiroga established the first capital at Pátzcuaro and was instrumental to building the colonial era economy of the Lake Pátzcuaro area. The lake is surrounded by mountains and forests as well as the towns of Cuanajo, Tupátaro, Eronguícuaro and Quiroga. These towns are noted for their crafts and popular religious festivals such as the feast of the Señor del Rescate in Tzintzuntzan, Holy Week, and especially Noche de Muertos or Night of the Dead. This area is the most important to the state with the most visited town, Pátzcuaro with its basilica and museums.
One of the largest tourist events in the state is Noche de Muertos or Night of the Dead. This is celebrated on the dates around November 2. Essentially, these are Day of the Dead celebrations, which are celebrated all over Mexico, but with unique variations. The events of these days show a blending of both pre-Hispanic and Catholic beliefs and traditions. Noche de Muertos is celebrated most strongly in the towns and villages around Lake Pátzcuaro such as Tzintzuntzan, Ihuatzio, Janitzio, as well as Pátzcuaro itself, which was the center of the Purépecha Empire. As in other parts of Mexico, altars to the dead, both in homes and on graves are erected and covered with offerings such as bread, fruit and other items. One aspect which is unique to the event here is the lighting and floating of hundreds of small candles and flowers on Lake Pátzcuaro on the night between November 1 and 2. It is also believed that on this night the ghosts of Mintzita, the daughter of Purépecha king Tzintzicha, and Itzihuapa arise. Their story is similar to that of Romeo and Juliet as they were never able to marry due to the Spanish invasion of their lands. Today, it is said that the two rise up and head toward a specific cemetery to receive visitors. There are a number of other rituals performed on these days such as the Terescuan y Campaneri, a kind of treasure hunt for hidden harvest items.
The Zamora region is in the northwestern part of the state in an area known as the Purépecha Mesa. Prehispanic languages and customs are preserved here as well as a large number of crafts such as the pottery of Ptamban and the embroidery of Tarecuato. The region is part of an area of Mexico known as the Bajío and has extensive agriculture, livestock and some industry. Regional dishes such as pigs' feet, breads baked in wood fired ovens, , pozole and dishes made with avocados and corn are promoted here. Important towns outside of Zamora include Camécuaro, Orandiro, La Estancia and La Alberca. The city of Zamora is home to one of the oldest cultures in the west of Mexico which dates to about 1750 BCE, known as the Opeño. The Spanish city was founded as a military garrison.
The Zitácuaro region contains approximately a half million hectares of conifer forests, but is best known as being part of the wintering grounds of the monarch butterfly. The area is filled with old mining towns as well as an important archaeological site. The region is home to the Mazahua people and Otomi peoples, many of whom produce crafts such as blankets, and ceramics. The city of Zitácuaro is the site of an important battle during the French Intervention in Mexico, which gives it the title of "Heroic City". Other important communities include Añgangueo, San Matias and Ciudad Hidalgo. The most important places to see monarch butterflies in the winter are in municipalities of Angangeo and Ocampo. The butterfly sanctuaries are called El Rosario, Cerro Campanario, Sierra Chincua and El Llanno de las Papas. In 2008, UNESCO declared this region part of a Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve.
In total, there are 10 Pueblos Mágicos in Michoacán, Pueblos Mágicos de Michoacán - México Desconocido in chronological order these are: Pátzcuaro, Tlalpujahua, Cuitzeo, Salvador Escalante, Angangueo, Tacámbaro, Tzintzuntzan, Jiquilpan, Paracho, and most recently Cotija in 2023.
Criminal groups in Michoacán typically outgun the local security forces. With the heavy influence of criminal violence, even avocado farmers had to step in and combat this violence. Michoacán is the second largest avocado producer in the world, and with this profitable business comes organized crime that demands money from the avocado producers. Tancítaro has assembled the CUSEPT, civilian gunmen funded by local avocado growers, to protect against organized crime. Such non-governmental police groups have been formed because local police are sometimes seen as unhelpful or complicit. Gang warfare between rival cartels happens as well.
Charreada is an important sport in the state. It celebrates the mestizo culture and heritage of Michoacán; in which the Spaniards employed the indigenous people as vaqueros or ranchers to herd cattle. During the Mexican Revolution, both sides used charros as soldiers. They were also used to maintain order against bandits. The typical Michoacán charro outfit consists of tight, embroidered pants and jacket, dress shirt, chaps, a cloak-like sarape, and a sombrero.
Michoacán has a history of European immigrants including: Italians, Spaniards, and the French. There are small Italian communities found throughout the state including the cities of Nueva Italia, Michoacán and Lombardia in Michoacán, both founded by Dante Cusi from Gambar in Brescia. During the Spanish Civil War, 456 children from Spain arrived in Morelia as refugees. Most of them stayed even after the war concluded.
The indigenous population is estimated at just over seven percent of the total, with most living in 29 municipalities. Many are Purépecha, which are located in the Meseta-Cañada, Pátzcuaro Lake, Zirahuén Lake, and Zacapu regions. In the east of the state, in the municipalities of Ocampo, Anguangueo, Tuxpan, Hidalgo, Maravatío and Zitácuaro, there is a mix of Mazahua, Otomi and Purépecha. On the coast can be found the Aquila, Chinicuila and Coahuayana peoples. The Purépecha are seen as Michoacán's most devoted Catholics; as well as mixing traditional indigenous elements such as Noche de Muertos.
According to the 2020 Census, 1.55% of Michoacán's population identified as Black, Afro-Mexican, or of African descent.
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