The streets are mostly traveled by people and pack animals and most of the ambient noise comes from birds in overhead trees, especially in the main plaza.

[1] Its main attraction is its Plateresque facade, with carvings of Spanish royal arms, Christian symbolism, Augustinian insignia and indigenous imagery, reflecting that the monastery was one of the most sumptuous of its time.

The design and carving of the façade is attributed to a Purépecha craftsman named Juan Metl, whose signature is found inscribed on an ornamental plaque beside the main entrance.

[4] The monastery was founded by the Augustinians, with construction started in 1550 over the ruins of a former Purépecha temple to the sun god Curicaueri, using stone from the old building.

The upper floor of the cloister contains the Sala Capitular, which houses the monastery library with over 1,100 volumes, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The municipality borders those of Santa Ana Maya, Alvaro Obregon, Tarímbaro, Huandacareo and Copándaro with the state of Guanajuato to the north and east.

[3] Important landmarks include the Tres Cerritos archeological sites where burial chambers for adults and children have been excavated.

[3] Its hydrography is centered on Lake Cuitzeo with some seasonal streams and thermal springs such as the San Agustín del Maíz.

[3] The 20th century began with the town sacked during the Mexican Revolution by a band of highway robbers under Inés Chávez García.

[3] The most common handcraft is baskets and other items made with various types of vegetable fiber, including floor mats, and hats, using reeds and other plants from the lake.

[1][2] Major festivals include the feasts of the Virgin of the Conception in February and that of the patron saint of Mary Magdalene in July.

[1] Other celebrations include the Fiesta del Buen Temporal in September and an annual festival as the Cerrito Temple in November.

[3] Traditional dishes include corundas, tamales, uchepos, esquites, along with silversides fish charales, from the lake prepared in various ways.