Maravatío is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the Mexican

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

, representing 1.17% of its land area, or 691.55 km².

Etymology

The modern word Maravatío comes from the Purépecha word Marhabatio, meaning a precious place or thing.

History

Maravatio has a complicated history spanning hundreds of years. Though officially founded in 1540, the area had previously experienced settlement by Otomi, Mazahua, and Purepecha peoples. After Spanish contact, it functioned as a bulwark against various Chichimeca tribes of the north, primarily the Pame and

Guamare The Guamare people were an indigenous people of Mexico, who were established mostly in Guanajuato and at the border of Jalisco. They were part of the Chichimecas, a group of a nomadic hunter-gatherer culture and called themselves Children of the ...

, and eventually was classified as an "Indian Republic" governed by Don Pedro Juárez.

Geography

Neighboring locations include

Guanajuato Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...

to the north; Contepec and Tlalpujahua to the east; Senguio, Irimbo, and Ciudad Hidalgo to the south; and Zinapécuaro to the west.

Economy

The economy of Maravatío is primarily agricultural in nature, focusing on the production of

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit is appreciated f ...

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

bean A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are traditi ...

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

es,

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

, and

tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

es. The municipality also has a herd of cattle with some economic importance, industries focused on the fabrication of ornamental ironwork, as well as business sectors. Maravatio

Tourist attractions

Some of the principal places of interest to tourists in the municipality are the following: * The Parish Church of San Juan Bautista * Hacienda de Pomoca (the place where Melchor Ocampo lived) * El Teatro Morelos (the Morelos Theater) * El Mirador (the viewpoint) The city contains the parochial temple of San Juan Bautista, built in the baroque style in the 16th century, as well as the chapel of the Immaculate Conception, in the mudéjar style; the chapel of the Lord of the Column; the Chapel of Saint Michael Archangel, in San Miguel Curahuango; the temple of Saint Mary, in Ziritzícuaro; and the temple of Uripitío. Maravatio Mirador

Also of interest are the former

hacienda A ''hacienda'' ( or ; or ) is an estate (or '' finca''), similar to a Roman '' latifundium'', in Spain and the former Spanish Empire. With origins in Andalusia, ''haciendas'' were variously plantations (perhaps including animals or orchards ...

s of Apeo that were the property of Don Mateo Echaíz de Santa Elena in 1857; the house where Don

Miguel Hidalgo Don Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla Gallaga Mandarte y Villaseñor (8 May 1753 – 30 July 1811), commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo (), was a Catholic priest, leader of the Mexican Wa ...

stayed, near Independence Gate; the railway station, at which trains first arrived in 1883; and the Morelos Theater, constructed in the

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...

era, which was inaugurated with a performance by the soprano Ángela Peralta. Maravatío is a good base for visiting

monarch butterfly The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. I ...

sanctuaries between October and March, and there are many hot springs near the city suitable for bathing. Along with tourists attractions, there are many places to enjoy a delicious meal, fruit, or desserts at a very low price.

Transport

Coaches run by several different companies run to and from Maravatio, connecting nearby towns like

Atlacomulco Atlacomulco is one of 125 municipalities of Mexico, municipalities in the State of Mexico located in the northwest of the State of Mexico in central Mexico, from the state capital of Toluca. The municipal seat is the city of Atlacomulco de Fabela ...

and Ciudad Hidalgo, cities further afield such as

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

Morelia Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid; Otomi language, Otomi: ) is a city and municipal seat of the municipalities of Mexico, municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. It is both th ...

and

Querétaro Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Querétaro, 18 municipalities. Its capital city is Querétaro Cit ...

, and international destinations like

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

El Paso El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

and Immokalee. The nearest airport is Morelia International Airport.

Politics

Executive power in the municipality is vested in the ''presidente municipal'' or municipal president. The following table lists Maravatío's past executives:Maravatio
in the ''Enciclopedia de los municipios y las delegaciones de Mexico''.

References

External links

*Website of Maravatío, Michoacá
nuestromaravatio.com.mxWebsite oficial, turístico y localPágina oficial del Municipio de Maravatio de Ocampo
*arxfes
maravatio.pueblox.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maravatio Municipalities of Michoacán