Pátzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s, at first becoming the capital of the Tarascan state and later its ceremonial center. After the Spanish took over, Vasco de Quiroga worked to make Pátzcuaro the capital of the New Spain province of Michoacán, but after his death, the capital would be moved to nearby Valladolid (today Morelia). Pátzcuaro has retained its colonial and indigenous character since then and the lake region to which it belongs, is well known as a site for Day of the Dead celebrations.
The only history available about the founding of Pátzcuaro comes from the Relación de Michoacán written in 1539-1541, during the era of Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza. It states that two chiefs by the names of Páracume and Vápeani arrived in the area, then called Tarimichundiro, with their tribe, the Chichimecas. Here they began to build their temples, called “cues” by placing four large rocks close together. No date is given for this event, but since the deaths of the two original chiefs occurred in 1360, it is widely supposed that the founding occurred around 1324.
Around this time, three indigenous groups lived around Lake Pátzcuaro, who continuously fought each other. One group was called the “Coringuaro,” another group the “Isleños” and the third the Chichimecas in Pátzcuaro. The Tarascan kingdom began with Tariácuri, the first chief of the area assumed the title of “Caltzontzin,” or emperor, by conquering his neighbors. Pátzcuaro was the first capital of the Tarascos. The new kingdom was divided into three principalities called Ihuatzio, Tzintzuntzan and Pátzcuaro. Later, power shifted to the Tzintzuntzan principality, becoming the new capital, leaving Pátzcuaro as the ceremonial center, and a retreat for the nobility.
