The Tarascan/Purépecha Empire: The Forgotten Empire of Mexico 

Fantastic work, as usual, I just wish the scheduling had worked out for us to have worked together more then we did here! To to add onto and to correct a few things for viewers, it should be noted that many images used, such as at 9:02, 14:45, 26:57 to 28:23, 31:20, 32:17 to 33:20, 33:25 and 34:20 aren't depicting Purepecha versions of those things (most of the code images there are Aztec, for example). This isn't Ancient America's fault, though: It is VERY difficult to find images of Purepecha things, and sadly I wasn't able to get him better images to use on time, so it's on me! Also, as usual, it's worth keeping in mind the maps used only shows key places being disscussed, and there are thousands of villages, towns, and cities not shown: The Valley of Mexico alone had 300+ population centers! To get more into the granular specifics, while the video did stress that the Purepecha army's use of bows was important, to clarify why this is a big deal, it is because in contrast, many other Mesoamericans generally used Atlatl instead of bows, or at least more then bows: To the Mexica of the Aztec capital and some other Nahua groups (though not all, the Tlaxcalteca made major use of bows too), the Atlatl was seen as the more refined and cultured weapon, associated with the Toltec (a maybe historical, probably mythical civilization the Nahuas saw as the originators of high culture), while the bow was seen as more primitive, tied to the nomadic Chichimeca. Atlatl pack more power, but have less range relative to bows, and the Purepecha army exploited that. Secondly, it is my understanding (I did a cursory double check via Hassig's Aztec Warfare and I THINK right, but the wording is vague and I haven't slept in 30 hours and aren't triple checking) that technically speaking, the Aztec Empire did NOT have dominion over the Toluca valley at the time, when the Purepecha Empire expanded into it, but regardless that expansion still set off the war between the two empires. The nature of forts alongside the Purepecha-Aztec border following the conflict is something I really wish to dig into further: Firstly, many sources assert that it was not just the Purepecha who built forts and invited other ethnic groups to found cities alongside it in exchange for acting as lookouts, but the Aztec did so as well. On the flip side, I have seen a number of researchers sort of downplay the nature of these "forts": David Haskell, a Purepecha researcher, said this when I asked "They might not meet your expectations of what a "Garrison" is like,....Mostly, the border was reinforced just by towns with a Purepecha contingent to oversee defense. Might use landforms and some walls to aid defense". On the Aztec side, there's a wider debate about the nature of so called "garrison colonies", outside Purepecha border context, too, where some researchers reject the Aztec built garrisons/forts at all (while others assert they did). Interestingly, the one source Haskell suggested to me on border forts I have been able to access explicitly mentions AZTEC forts on the border, but not really Purepecha ones... but there's more sources I haven't checked yet he suggested. Again, if scheduling happened to line up better, this is something I wish I could have dove into deep for the script. Similarly, while I haven't dived deep into the issue yet, my understanding is while contact between West Mexico and South America is generally well supported by metallurgical evidence (that is, metallurgy seems to have spread between Ecuador and West Mexico due to near identical styles of goods as well as metalworking techniques) as well as perhaps textile and linguistic evidence, there's really not much evidence to suggest the Purepecha in particular were South American migrants, and that that theory has mostly fallen out of favor, even if trade links is still has academic support. The media reports I have seen regarding the LIDAR scans of Anagamuco report that the evidence suggests it had a population of 100,000 people, rather then 30,000 (100,000 is huge, but it is worth noting Anagamuco is also quite expansive, so that figure would be over a pretty wide area, more akin to Maya megalopoli like Tikal or Copan where they had 100,000+ over a extended sprawl). Even for Tzintzuntzan, where 30,000 is what I've seen most sources report, it's possible this may not be the full figure, as (i'm sure you're aware but viewers may not be) Mesoamerican cities had both an urban core and then surrounding radial suburbs, and population estimates often don't include both... but I haven't looked into the methodology of Tzintzuntzan's estimates so I'm not sure how much of the city that figure is meant to encompass. Yes, those Mexica stereotypes are always interesting to look at! The Florentine Codex includes them for a number of groups, ranging from the Purepecha here to the Chichimeca, Otomis, Huastecs and Totonacs, Zapotecs, etc. It's usually some variation of "Their language is unrefined and they dress scandalously, but their [food/textiles/wares] are pretty good. I think it's pretty telling how much such stereotypes centralize economic resources, consistent with the Mexica's interests in acquiring economic goods in expansionism. As a final quick blitz: I actually HAVE seen an image alleging to show some Purepecha "Day signs", but like you I've seen sources claim that the Purepecha didn't have a ritual calender of astrological day/year signs. Not sure if the image is merely erronous, or if it's a subject of active research. It's worth noting that whole the Purepecha Empire/West Mexico definitely had the largest centers of bronze production, that it was not limited to them: Indeed, bronze sewing needles have even been found at Cuexcomate (or Capilco, I forget which, Dr. Michael E. Smith excavated both, it's mentioned in "At Home in the Aztecs") a small village inside the Aztec empire, which wouldn't have been affluent; and that contrary to some pages online, the Purepecha still didn't really use bronze for weapons much (I have seen 1 source noting they may have used it on one occasion, but that's about it). As a nitpick, I have a little issue with saying that the Aztec Empire was "falling" during the Cortes expedition, since it was really Tenochtitlan, and the hundreds of other subject and vassal states only ceded to Spanish rule or were conquered later. Lastly, local rulers being left in charge wasn't actually that uncommon in the early Spanish colonial period, what caused an issue was the allegation that taxes were still be collected that the Spanish weren't getting a cut off. And yes, Guzman was so brutal that he actually was brought back to Spain in chains and tried for his abuses!

I am Carpenter in Colorado and at one point did had an employee that was full blooded Purépecha from Michoacan. Spanish was his second language and when he phone his family in Mexico he spoke Purépecha language with them. The only word I ever learned from him was "Naski Ni Nashka" (is wrongfully written of course), that means : how are you?. I am from neighbor Guanajuato state born, and from a town right in the border with Michoacan state and find this interesting. Kudos man never knew about this mighty empire

I'm glad you covered the P'urhépecha. I grew up in a P'urhépecha town and in my younger years I used to be able to speak the language almost fluently (Sadly, I've forgotten most of it by now). It wasn't until like 2 years ago that I wanted to learn more about my roots, but I noticed that there wasn't much about the P'urhépecha outside of the state of Michoacán that wasn't very superficial. Seeing this pop up in my recommendations was a very exciting feeling. Keep up the good work and thank you for covering this wonderful group of people.

Glad someone finally covered the Purépecha. They don’t get much credit for how differently their culture differed from other Mesoamericans

As a Mexican, I love how much respect you have for these cultures and their languages, that's hard to come by, even in their own land.

The number of Mexicans in this comment thread claiming something other than Aztec heritage is refreshing. Far too many American born Mexicans seem to have no idea that the Aztecs weren't the only people in Mexico. I blame the superficial romanticism Europeans fabricated around the Aztecs, and the utter apathy American schools show toward native history. It makes me unbelievably happy to see Latinos reconnecting and celebrating their pre-Columbian roots. I honestly believe that creators like you play a significant role in that, with your deep dives into seldom covered civilizations such as this. Keep it up!

I was born in michoacan and haven't been there in about 20 years until this summer. I took my kids to see my grandma and grandpa and they loved it. We drove all over michoacan and I went to purepecha towns and got hand made indigenous sweaters and other stuff. I'm glad I took my kids to see where I came from.

The P'urhépecha culture is incredible and, unfortunately, vastly under-studied. I've been waiting for someone to highlight their beautiful culture/history in English so that I could share with my family and friends (many of whom visited Michoacán while we lived there). As a young gringo from Baltimore, I arrived in Zacapu, Michoacán without being able to speak Spanish. I married in that town, became a father in that town, and travelled to many remote villages all over Michoacán working with my father-in-law. I learned so much from my years in Zacapu (La Cuna del Imperio P'urhépecha) and all the surrounding area. Some of my favorite memories were exploring the ciénega and the foothills and mountains with my future uncles and cousins. We would find amazing structures, artifacts, rock drawings. There is so much yet to be uncovered. Thank you for this video.

My mothers last name is Tzintzun, I was taught that it meant hummingbird as a child and made the connection to this amazing people group and culture as I got older. I love learning about all things but its a different sort of joy when it so closely relates to your life!!!

Glad you cover my people I’m from a indigenous purepecha town named Cheran Just ten years ago we kicked out the government and gained our autonomy THE PUREPECHA ARE STILL STRONG.

The Quangariecha (means "brave men") was the most deadly military order in all mesoamerica, these warriors painted his body with ashes and yellow paint, they wore a doublet with feathers and fought with a curved weapon with a cooper knife ( that weapon look like a Sioux war club). You can get information of this military order in a tesis called "La Guerra en el Michoacán Posclásico Tardío" written by Ricardo Carvajal.

Realizing if Europeans never came to the Americas there would of been a continent full of different countries and cultures and languages what a shame

My mom was from Michoacan. Iam a Texas born American but I learned many recipes and day of the dead customs that I still do. I have never been to Michoacan but just by listening to her I have been to her pueblitos. She would call herself Purepecha and said Tarascan meant like peasant and she didn't like that.

My parents are from Michoacán I have been to Pátzcuaro and the surrounding lake area many times. Today most Mexicans know of those areas as having the best-known Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico. Day of the Dead is celebrated very intensely in the towns and villages around Lake Pátzcuaro. Preparations include major cleaning and repair of the local cemeteries and the creation of flowered arches for gates of the atriums of local churches. These are made with a flower called cempasúchil, also known as the Mexican marigold. The island of Janitzio which is within Lake Pátzcuaro is well known for these celebrations. As part of this festivity, candle-lit boat processions make their way to the island and then to Janitzio's Church and graveyard, remaining there for the night for a large festive vigil with much imbibing involved.

I have a uncle in Uruapan, who has a museum dedicated just to the purepecha culutre, many of my mexican relatives are purepechas

Wow, amazing I was born in Ocumicho, Michoacan a Purepecha town. A lot of my familly members still apeak Purepecha our native language. I speak purepecha, spanish and english. Mexican Histoy dont talk much about the Purepechas and they should because our ancestors empire was one of the biggest in America.

You have no idea how mich joy I was struck with once I saw this video in my recommended. My family being from Michoacán I got passed down that Purépecha blood and it makes me happy seeing the Purépecha people getting the recognition they deserve as they were a very interesting civilization.

My people, my culture, my life! Thanks for presenting this 👏✨

After Getting into the Fall of Civilizations podcasts I just needed more American pre-Columbian history. This channel has been awesome, and I love the longer formats. Great work!

Can you do the Chichimecan? More specifically the Zacatecos? From Zacatecas. They had incredible archers, hid from the Aztecs because they didn’t like the sacrifice, and fought off the Spanish so hard that the Spanish eventually just made a treaty to use the land. Zacactecos is my heritage, it would be so incredibly cool to watch your deep dive on it.

I just want to say, don't be surprised that the Purépecha interest your viewers (myself included!) so much. You've said so yourself - there's very little accessible material on them. For such a developed and distinctive culture, they're criminally underrepresented... Anyways, great material as always! I hope my comment pleases the Gods of the Algorithm!

If I try to sum up why I love your channel so much: you create a wonderful balance between an academic historical perspective - complete with explicit statements of uncertainty - with a conversational style that preserves the drama and beauty of the subject matter (how gorgeous is that Purépecha shield?). And you're doing it in the context of an entire area of history that those of us raised in the Western orbit have learned about only in terms of its interaction with European ascendancy (with implied notions of cultural superiority). You also give us a sweep of different aspects of a culture from the typical exciting story of power through dramatic military actions to the economy, the arts, the backstory, and... the bureaucracy (loved the Amy Santiago quote). For a proper history nerd who doesn't have an allegiance to a particular culture (see again Western superiority) this is probably the best historical video content I've ever seen.

My favorite Mexican state. I wrote a historical fictional book set in this area, about my tiny long haired chihuahua. He was an archaeologist named Zorro the fastest digger in all of old Mexico and two large bad cats named Ringo and Rowdy. My friends big maine coon cats. Lol And of course a Purepeche princess!❤

Well, you've outdone yourself! Great job Pete! I will be replaying it several times to take it all in. You've got me really intrigued when it comes to the Purapecha's origins. If I am remembering correctly also the Mixes seem to be linked to civilizations in Los Andes. I wonder if that's a coincidence. Also, I remember they were finding the remains of some hydraulic water management systems under downtown Patzcuaro's roads. They seemed to be very efficient when it comes to water management. Though not surprised, hehe

Thank you so so much. My family is descended from the Purepecha, and I’ve been searching fervently for information about our culture for about 8 years on and off now, since I was in high school (I did a history paper on our culture). Back then, information in English available in the US seemed very old or split between a multitude of sources, with only tiny bits per source. This makes me feel so excited and finally relieved. I’m only about 15 minutes in as of commenting, but I’ve learned so much from this. Thank you. I’ll show this to my family members.

The algorithm sent me here and I never heard of your channel before today. Where do you get such wonderful people in the comments section? I am impressed.

I always amazed at how deep you go into these, and how respectful you are of these cultures. As a South American myself I really appreciate it.

I stumbled across this video and your channel by accident. I'm very happy that the algorithm picked it. This is exactly the type of thing I wish I could still find on television.

Awesome video, I wrote a pretty surface level paper about the purepecha a few years back. Really cool to see someone take a much more in depth look. I would be very interested in a Tariacuri video at some point!

Thrilled to see more historians & journalists learning & sharing information about the Purepecha people. It’s wonderful having the opportunity to learn more about the history & culture of this community!

The Purepecha was a group of people that were very welcoming growing up. A good film about the Purepecha based on Relación de Michoacan and oral tradition is Erendira Ikikunari. It has native speakers play the parts and much of what they were is modern stuff.

Its channels like this that make it crazy that this website is free. What a well made video, joined your patreon to show my appreciation!

Excellent video, once again my fellow traveler. Having a language isolate in the Mesoamerican sprachbrund is a fascinating concept, especially during the later 1400s and early 1500s when Nahuatl was the lingua franca of such a large portion of Mesoamerica. Nahuatl was so ingrained as the lingua franca that after the Spanish-Aztec war the Spanish king allowed Nahuatl to become essentially the official language of "New Spain" wherein courts were conducted in Nahuatl, as were many plays, books, church services, trade agreements, et cetera. This is a rare example where the Spanish empire allowed an indigenous language to be used officially in place of Spanish. Alas this policy only lasted until the late 1600s when Spanish was declared the official language of New Spain. So in this context, a language isolate is vastly interesting.

Dropped off a livestream to watch this immediately. It’s always a good day when ancient americas posts

Another excellent video on MesoAmerica, thank you! I'm enjoying your stuff, AA!

I was born in Zamora and consider myself of P'urhépecha descent. Before stumbling into this video the only thing I knew about the P'urhépechas was that they were one of the few "tribes" to fend off the Aztecs. Thank you for the history lesson. The narrative is quite entertaining (Tariacuri = Amalia Mendoza 😀)

Dude, youre my new favourite channel Im an animator and character designer, but ive always been extremely into archaeology. Living and having grown up in Europe means that most of my knowledge on history and pre history is confined to this area. So most of the subjects within your videos are completely new to me, which is wonderful! And besides having looked for anything on ancient meso america, out of pure interest, these videos are also extremely inspiring. The narration is is well put together, as is the editing style of the video. This is some top quality entertainment! Thank you for your work

I've been excited for this video to come out, you definitely have the best educational videos on the new world civilizations. I'm so glad to be included in a video even if it was brief 😅

Thank you as always from your friends at Indigenous Podcast, for taking the time to spotlight yet another People and Community respectfully. Your strike a great balance between information and entertainment that helps the material remain accessible. Glad to your channel grow and your content expand. Metrics arent everything but its nice to have validation of one's effort.

Perfect timing, I have an exam that covers them this weekend. Thanks for always putting together such well made and interesting videos!

This channel is among one of the best I have come across on the ancient cultures of the America's. Keep up the good work!!

Been waiting for this! Actually deep in remapping the Mesoamerican linguistic landscape on my map at the moment, so this is a nice complimentary rabbit hole. First thought: It's interesting you went on that little tangent on the Purepecha origins. Language isolates are actually often more likely to be remnants of a regional area's population, no? I'm thinking about the Basque, Burushaki, Kusunda, and the isolates in the Bismarck and Solomon archipelagos. Anyway, I wonder what myths the Purepecha might have about their own origins. I mean, the Nahua and Totonacs have migration myths to explain how they arrived in this neck of the woods...

PurÉpechas ... my people!!! My ancestors are purépechas!!! I love your channel! It help so much with my son’s homework!!! THANKYOU!!!!

Duuuuudeeee you’re killing it as usual. So great seeing a video about my neighbors the Tarascan people! Greetings from Colima MX.

This channel is amazing. I always considered myself a history nerd but this has opened up whole new avenues. Answering questions I didn't even know to ask about peoples I never knew existed.

ive always wanted to learn more about the purepecha but never knew a good source! lovely to see!

As someone who has been trying to rediscover herself and her roots I'm so happy to find more information on my ancestors. I remember going as a little girl to michoacan to meet my Dad's side of the family and I still remember my grandmother teaching me their native language.

I have been waiting for this for so long thank you!!!!! Great video.

This is the kind of content i subscribed for. Thanks to bringing this (previously unknown to me) culture to light

Dang, assumed you were going to talk about the Mixtec, but you're right about this being a seldom mentioned civilization since this is the first time I've heard of it.

YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS I've been needing a good video on them, the rivals of the Aztecs

I've been binging your videos this morning, and I'm very impressed with how much your pronunciation improved over time 😍

ugh, another knock out of the park. I cannot thank you enough for your channel, I love it.

Yeeeeessssss! It's so hard for me to find information about these people! You're wonderful

As always, a great and in-depth video on the Purepecha Empire, especially on explaining their bureaucracy! Interesting story on their name 'Tarasco', according to one linguist the name stuck due to many of the Spaniards associating the name to the legendary 'Tarasque' beast of southern France. Thank you for including the Matlatzinca and Otomi as well. I have family from the Toluca Valley and when I have visited them, they usually show me lithics made of obsidian, a dull grey color, according to a blog site run by an ASU archeological team, would have been sourced from Ucareo, located in about the northern fringes of the Purepecha Empire. Interesting to see how the peoples who made the lithics would have traded with the Purepecha. In regards to trade routes, there is a red shell found in the coasts of Ecuador/Peru that was found in west Mexican sites, although there whether it was directly trade or if there were middle men involved is not known. Maybe you could delve deeper into these supposed connections for a future video.

Amazing work! I just found your channel this month and I'm already caught up with your videos. The production value continues to increase with each video, and I especially enjoy the longer videos you've been doing lately, keep up the great work!!

Another fantastic video! I'm glad you covered this, it's a very interesting topic. And thank you Kyle!

Blown away. I had no idea this incredible culture even existed. Bravo. Keep up the great work!

I lived in Patzcuaro Michoacan and could see Janitzio from my techo. I ate sopa tarasca every day, and my grocery bill for two adults per week, including fresh chicken, fresh pork, fresh veggies and homemade cheese, handmade bread, everything local was about $40 US in 2021. The rent was $100 a month US, and the markets there are insane, with everyone being Indigenous and dressed in Traditional clothing. You can buy handmade wool serapes for less than $40 US. Plus the weather is like England and the landscape like the California coast, with pines and fog and houses made of wood. I love Michoacan and think it's one of the prettiest States in all of Mexico.

Great work! Just stumbled on your channel and I'm mexica living in the U.S. Thank you for elaborating and showing great respect to our people of Mexico and our culture with all your sources and your open honest transparency when you don't know something !

Thanks, Kyle! And thank you for this wonderful episode!

I've gone to the purepecha museum of Tzintzuntzan, it's pretty cool and those round pyramids are also quite cool.

This is so awesome!!! I've been craving knowledge about these people for a long time.

This is my first time watching one of your videos and I appreciate and respect your care and delivery of education about indigenous cultures. Thank you!

This is AWESOME... I have always been interested in Mexico's history, along with having many friends from Michoacan. Never heard of the Tarascan/Purépecha Empire, so I very much appreciate all of this.

The area around lake Pátzcuaro is currently a major tourist destination - Pátzcuaro (the town, not the lake) and Janitzio in particular are considered the best places to visit during Day of The Dead in all of Mexico.

Very good job. Thank you for your input . It's a great honor to know that finally the Purepechas are gaining the respect that they deserve.. Im proud to be from Michoacán and it's a pleasure to hear your publication

Thanks for reveal to us Mexicans a past we didn't know or knew little about. Mexico is much more than the Aztec Empire, there were many others, more encient cultures that deserved the same greatness or even more!!

Been wanting this one. Thanks.

It was so wonderful coming across your video. I’m P’urepecha from a small town called cheran in Michoacán. Unfortunately my family had to move to the states when i was young, so there isn’t much I got to learn about my culture. I’ve been slowly trying to find information and lean as much as possible.

Thank you Ancient Americas, great video and channel, I really loved the narrative tone. I've seen it twice to fully grasp on the information. PS. Thank you Kyle!

Stellar as always. Especially "I've locked all the doors. There is no escape."

I know the bureaucracy is kind of a boring topic for a lot of people, but as a civil servant myself I'm always fascinated by how government and administration operated in historical societies. Great video!

YES!! I've been wanting to learn more about the fascinating and honorable Tarascan!!

In a world where so many people just want to know where they come from and who they are its so refreshing to see someone shed light on lots of underexplored or overlooked topics in the way you do. Reading the comments is proof positive of your impact on so many on their own individual quests. Thank you. Thank you

Just the other day I was lamenting about how hard it is to find good stuff on Tzintzuntzan, lmao. Great video as always!

Awesome to see this topic getting the attention it deserves! Also, for anyone who wants to hear more about Tariacuri, reddit's r/AskHistorians Podcast did a great two-part series on him and the Purepecha a few years back which I highly recommend.

Absolutely love your content and whenever I see a new post I just melt ❤️

I’m new to this channel and I am very impressed. Pronunciation and information are both terrific. Really looking forward to seeing many more of your videos.

Great video, great job teaching us about other pre- European empires. Well explained Thank you.

My grandfather was purepechan. It has been too many decades for me to recall the details, but when I was young (late 60's, early 70's) he used to talk about what might be considered the mythological folk-tales he was taught. I found more interest in the mythological stories than his absolutely terrifying stories from when he was a child, and Mexico was in a revolution. Anyway, I want to say that I appreciate the effort you put into this, and I can finally point my friends at a video that might help them understand that it wasn't just the Aztecs who were toppled by the conquest that came from Europe. I look forward to anything and everything you create that involves the Purepecha. Now, can you explain those big heads and huge spheres? Saw those when I was a kid, and I grok a little about when they were made, but I've never seen their true meaning satisfactorily explained. Tallyho!

I feel like a kid at christmas everytime yall put up a new video. This channel is so cool!

Thank you as someone who is trying to find my history, this means alot.

Really excited for this one. It's a shame how little these fascinating people are talked about

Finally I can learn about my heritage. This means a lot to me as even my pre columbian history class glosses over us.

The respect you use when covering other cultures has earned you a sub, a like and comment from me. Thank you. ❤️

Wheeeeww was wondering when we were getting our next dose but well well well, here we are. Thank you for your hard work and contents.

Thank you so much for covering the Purépecha! I was born here in the US, but my family are originally from the Mexican state of Michoacán. It’s so cool to learn about their distinctive civilization with so much badass history to prove it.

Great video as always! I was very excited to see a video on the Purépecha, as you said they are often forgotten. We discussed the similarities in art and style between the West Coast of Mexico and Peru in my Mesoamerican art class, so it was very interesting to see the culture delved more into detail. Tlaskamati miak (thank you very much in Huasteca Nahuatl) for sharing the stories of our indigenous peoples!

Amazing work my family is from purenchecuaro / San Jeronimo . My grandparents spoke Tarasco as well as my father . Awesome video and thanks for sharing this with the world.

I’ve been waiting for this video!!!! My family is from Michoacán, love the representation and detailed video, wish there was more informative content about these people!

Fantastic video, I didn't know anything about these guys until now.

Outstanding presentation! Thank you for researching, making, and sharing this very important information. I have been a huge fan of history as a hobby for over 55 years... and, sadly, I had never known anything about these fascinating people.

This is an excellent video. Very interesting history and very well delivered! Good job!

Thank you for making this incredible video! I’m a gringo from Tennessee and my wife is from Michoacán. l cannot wait until we can go to Michoacán together!!!

My grandfather on my dad’s side was “Tarascan”. Unfortunately he passed away when I was very young so I never got to ask him about his history and culture.

thanks Kyle! and keep this stuff coming please...this is great stuff and no one else is doing the work to get it out there

Yes! I was looking forward to see this!

Thanks for the great video. I remember reading about how the purepecha didnt have a "transition fase" from copper to bronze use, implying that it was introduced by an external culture that already have metalworking well developed. Worth also noting that by the time that metallurgy popped up in West Mexico in 9th century the Andes have already maritime trade capabilities.

I have actually visited the purepecha platform in Michoacan. I never realized or thought about its sheer size since my family was kind of on a rush to visit Janitzio. it’s an impressive monument and I was able to get a good picture of Lake Patzcuaro. Michoacán is a beautiful gem.