The plateau begins at the southwestern foot of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt.
It is considered a region of temperate land, irrigated by the Lerma River and its tributaries.
It was the location of the Purépecha culture during the Mesoamerican Postclassical period.
Some of its principal pre-Columbian and present day population centers were/are Pátzcuaro and Tzintzuntzan.
This article about a location in the Mexican state of Michoacán is a stub.