Parácuaro is a municipality of Michoacán, Mexico. It is a Purépecha word for "place that has sticks for a roof".

History

In the Pre-Hispanic era, Parácuaro is thought to have been inhabited by

Nahuas The Nahuas () are a group of the indigenous people of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. They comprise the largest indigenous group in Mexico and second largest in El Salvador. The Mexica (Aztecs) were of Nahua ethnicity, a ...

and later conquered by chief Tarasco Utucuma. During the colonial period, the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

included Parácuaro in Republic of the Indias and developed the haciendas La Guadalupe, El Valle y La Perla. From 10 December 1831, Parácuaro appears as Apatzingán's possession and approximately 30 years later on 20 November 1861 it was constituted in municipality by the Congress of the State. It as called Villa de Parácuaro de Morelos.

Population

25,582 inhabitants.

Geography

Location

It is located in the southwest region of the state at 19° 8'45.83" N and 102°13'9.68" W at a height of 600 meters above sea level. It is bordered on the north by Tancítaro and New Parangaricutiro, on the east by Gabriel Zamora and Múgica, and on the south and the west by Apatzingán. It is 200 km from the capital of Michoacán.

Topography

Its relief is constituted by the

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

chain of the

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

transverse system and Tepalcatepec's - Balsa's depression, the hills of Aguacate, Jabalí,

Cofradía A confraternity ( es, cofradía; pt, confraria) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most c ...

, Güera, Vueltas, Batea and White.

Hydrography

Its

hydrography Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primar ...

is constituted by rivers: Aguacate, Orejón, Lancita, Paracuarito and Manga and the springs of cold water, of the Chicos, the Pozos and Cortijo.

Climate

It is tropical, with rains in summer. It has an annual rainfall of 800 millimeters and temperatures that range from 14 to 36 °C.

Principal ecosystems

In the municipality,

tropical forest Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds. Some tropical fore ...

vegetation predominates, with tepeguaje, guaje,

ceiba ''Ceiba'' is a genus of trees in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas (from Mexico and the Caribbean to N Argentina) and tropical West Africa. Some species can grow to tall or more, with a straight, la ...

parota ''Enterolobium cyclocarpum'', commonly known as guanacaste, caro caro, monkey-ear tree, or elephant-ear tree, is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae, that is native to tropical regions of the Americas, from central Mex ...

, zapote and mango. The tropical thorny forest, with teteche, viejito, huisache and amole.

Economy

Agriculture

The principal

crop A crop is a plant that can be grown and harvested extensively for profit or subsistence. When the plants of the same kind are cultivated at one place on a large scale, it is called a crop. Most crops are cultivated in agriculture or hydropon ...

s are

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

, corn,

melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a " pepo". Th ...

, sorghum, sesame,

tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...

, cucumber and

watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varie ...

Ranching

Cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

s and

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

s are raised.

Tourism

There are two resorts.

Trade

Parácuaro is self-sufficient in basic products, and emphasizes the marketing of

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

s, groceries and

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems, ...

Services

In the Paracuaro's municipal office you can find service of accommodations, bungalows and food service.

Notable people

The best-known person from the town is Alberto Aguilera Valadez, who is better known by his stage name,

Juan Gabriel Alberto Aguilera Valadez (; January 7, 1950 – August 28, 2016), known professionally as Juan Gabriel (), was a Mexican singer, songwriter and actor. Colloquially nicknamed as Juanga () and El Divo de Juárez, Juan Gabriel was known for his f ...

. Romualdo Bucío Bucío, whose stage name is Agustín Bernal, was a prolific actor and director, whose influence on Mexican film has been compared to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stalone to Hollywood. Actress

Elpidia Carrillo Elpidia Carrillo (born August 16, 1961) is a Mexican actress and director. Her career includes roles in both Latin American and US film and television. She is best known in the United States for her supporting role in the iconic action film ''Pre ...

was born in this town as well, coincidentally Elpidia is best known for her role as lead actress in

Predator Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill th ...

(1987) where she acted alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Cultural and tourist attractions

Architectural monuments

Parácuaro's parish and monument to Cenobio Moreno.

Holidays, dances and traditions

*November 20: Celebrates the beginning of the Mexican Revolution. *1st to 15 August: Celebrates the holiday of the

Virgin of the Assumption Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

. *September 15 and 16: The native holidays are celebrated. *Other holidays: Also the carnival holidays are celebrated at the beginning of every year and the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

holidays.

Crafts

Wood furniture and harness-maker's shop.

Gastronomy

Typical foods of the municipality are: morisqueta,

iguana ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described in 1768 by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in his ...

soup, fish soup (bagre, carpa), corn

tamale A tamale, in Spanish tamal, is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tam ...

s with cream (uchepos), corundas de maíz with cheese and cream,

taco A taco (, , ) is a traditional Mexican food consisting of a small hand-sized corn- or wheat-based tortilla topped with a filling. The tortilla is then folded around the filling and eaten by hand. A taco can be made with a variety of fillin ...

s de res y chivo tipo barbacoa,

enchilada An enchilada (, ) is a Mexican dish consisting of a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a savory sauce. Enchiladas can be filled with various ingredients, including meats, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables, or combinations. ...

s con pollo y cecina.

References

External links

Página web de Parácuaro Michoacan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paracuaro Municipalities of Michoacán