Michoacán: Map & History

History

The earliest human settlement of the Michoacán region started during the Palaeoindian or Lithic period, pre-dating c. 2500 BC, and carried out by small groups of hunter-gatherers, as evidenced by fluted projectile points and other stone tools found together with remains of mammoths and bison.

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 Cuitzeo, Zacapu, and maybe Pátzcuaro.

There are barely any known remains of the Archaic period from Michoacán, with preceramic deposits from c. 2500 to c. 2200 BC being attested from the Los Portales Cave in conjunction with waste flakes of basalt and obsidian, one projectile point, and one mano.

Economy

The economy of the state is based on agriculture, ranching, forest products, fishing and crafts. Most of the population is employed in three sectors: agriculture (34%), mining and manufacturing (23%), and commerce (37%).

Agriculture occupies over a million hectares of land in the state or 20% of the land area. Three-fifths of this agriculture occurs only during the rainy season. Irrigation farming is restricted to areas such as the Apatzingán Valley, the Bajío area of Michoacán, the Zamora Valley and some others. Principal crops include corn, sorghum, avocados, strawberries, peaches, wheat, limes, sugar cane and mangos. While corn accounts for 43% of the crops harvested, Michoacán is the largest producer of avocados in Mexico and in the world.

Geography

Michoacán is located in west-central Mexico, in the extreme southwest of the central highlands. It borders the states of Jalisco, Guerrero, Estado de México, Guanajuato, Querétaro, and Colima, with a 217 km (135 mi) coastline on the Pacific Ocean. The state has a territory of 58,836.95 km2 (22,717.07 sq mi), making it the sixteenth-largest in Mexico (exactly at the midpoint among Mexican states in area). It also has 1,490 km2 (580 sq mi) of marine territory off its Pacific coast.

The state is crossed by the Sierra Madre del Sur, the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt and the Inter-mountain Valleys region.

Tourism

Carnitas are originally from Michoacán. Other traditional foods include cotija cheese, guacamole, morisqueta, tamales, pozole, enchiladas, mole sauce, and various sweets such as pan de muerto and chocolate champurrado (during the Day of the Dead celebrations), ice cream, churros, and ate, a kind of Mexican jelly made of many typical fruits.

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.