Purépero de Echaíz is a town in the northwest of the state of Michoacán in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and head of the municipality of Purépero. Purépero is located in the middle of the Tarascan Plateau. Purépero is 113 km from the state capital of

Morelia Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid) is a city and municipal seat of the municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital and lar ...

and is bordered to the north by Tlazazalca, to the east by

Zacapu Zacapu (''Place of Stones''), is a city and surrounding municipality in the Nahuatzen mountains of Michoacán, Mexico. It is located at . The municipality has an area of . Geographic features in Zacapu include the Cerro del Tecolote mountain ran ...

, to the south by Chilchota, and to the west by Tangancícuaro.

Toponym

The name Purépero is of

Tarascan Tarascan or Tarasca is an exonym and the popular name for the Purépecha culture. It may refer to: * the Tarascan State, a Mesoamerican empire until the Spanish conquest in the 1500s, located in (present-day) west-central Mexico * the Purépecha p ...

origin and has several proposed meanings. The first proposed meaning is "place of commoners". Another possible meaning is derived from the phrase "those who are visiting". Finally, "place of the indigenous people" has also been suggested as a possibility.

Geography

Climate

Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

, Purépero de Echaíz has a

Subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

classified as Cwb.

Demographics

In 2010, the total population of Purépero de Echáiz was 15,306. The total population consisted of 7,423 men and 7,883 women. Educational attainment varied by level, with 7,352 of the population older than five having a primary education. Of the population older than eighteen, 692 individuals had a professional level education and 49 individuals had a postgraduate level education. Graduation statistics from 2009 showed 285 graduates from preschool, 272 graduates from primary school, and 159 graduates from high school. In 2010, the overall literacy rate of the population aged 15 to 24 was 98.7% with the literacy rate of men within this age group being 98.1% and the literacy rate of women within this age group being 99.3%.

Culture

Festivals

The most important festival in Purépero is in honor of

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

, the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of the town, and is held from June 20 to June 25. The celebrations of this festival on June 24 include dances performed by various occupational groups including bakers, horse trainers, blacksmiths, and reboceros. ''Pureperenses'' living within Mexico and settled abroad often return to celebrate this occasion. Other

feast days The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does ...

are celebrated in Purépero de Echáiz as well. The festival of Saint Isidore is celebrated in Purépero on May 15 with a parade of wagons. On November 22, the festival of Saint Cecilia is celebrated with a parade and performances by the local mariachi group Ordaz and the Cendejas. The feast of the

Virgin of Guadalupe Our Lady of Guadalupe ( es, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe), also known as the Virgin of Guadalupe ( es, Virgen de Guadalupe), is a Catholic title of Mary, mother of Jesus associated with a series of five Marian apparitions, which are believed t ...

is celebrated on December 12. The people of Purépero also celebrate civic holidays and observances such as the Fiestas Patrias.http://purepero.com/mx/?page_id=213

References

{{Authority control Municipalities of Michoacán 1530s establishments in Mexico