[4] The Purépecha had a god named Tzintzuuquixu, meaning "hummingbird of the south", which, like the Mexica to Tenochtitlán, was involved in guiding the tribe to the Lake Pátzcuaro area.

However, Tanganxoán managed to reunify the three, reabsorbing Ihuatzio and Pátzcuaro, returning Tzintzuntzan as the most powerful city in the lake region.

[1] It was made the first capital city of Michoacán, until Vasco de Quiroga moved it to Pátzcuaro in 1539,(patz) which at the time was considered to be nothing more than a neighborhood of the powerful Tzintzuntzan.

[1] The pre-Hispanic city of Tzintzuntzan extended from Lake Pátzcuaro to the hills just to the east and had a population of between 25,000 and 30,000 when the Spanish arrived in the 1520s.

The ceremonial center contains a large plaza and several buildings known to house priests and nobility, but the main attraction is the five yácatas or semi-circular pyramids that face out over the lake area.

On each of the yacatas was a temple made of wood, in which the most important rites of the Purépecha people and government took place, including burials, of which about sixty have been found.

[7] The first modern references to the yacatas of Tzintzuntzan date from 1855, when it was first identified as the capital of the ancient Tarascan state,[7] but the ruins were not excavated until the 1930s.

[9] The complex was designed and initiated in 1530 by Spanish architect (and Franciscan friar) Fray Pedro de Pila.

[11] The Church of San Francisco is the first built and still conserves the arch that separates the presbytery from the nave, which was the original portal of the 16th century.

[9] Inside the Church of La Soledad is the "Santo Entierro", which is a wax figure of Christ displayed in a glass coffin.

[12][13] The cloister area was built mostly in the 17th century, with the walls painted in murals from different eras, as well as a wood relief carving that represents piety.

[14] This is due to the large gnarly trees that were planted here by Vasco de Quiroga,[2] and supposedly have never borne fruit.

The project also is in the process of founding a cultural center for the community to be located in the monastery complex once restoration work is completed.

Courses to train tour guides for the municipality have also been offered, as well as classes in English and Purépecha and a photography exposition.

Traditionally, girls wear beige, yellow or white dresses with a cape and crown, imitating the Christ painting.

[16] Cultural festivities for this event include a parade with floats related to the Night of the Dead commemorations that take place along the edges of Lake Pátzcuaro, as well as handcrafts and cooking competitions, which features atole.