Irecha was the title held by the ruler of the
Purépecha Empire,
which existed from the 14th to 16th centuries in the area of the modern states of
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 ...
,
Guerrero
Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...
,
Jalisco
Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...
,
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 ...
, and the
State of Mexico
The State of Mexico, officially just Mexico, is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Colloquially known as Edomex (from , the abbreviation of , and ), to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is the mo ...
, briefly holding areas of
Colima at its zenith.
The Wakusïcha
Pawakume,
T'ikatame, and Karapu
are recognized ''irechecha'' in a few sources, though their reigns all precede the formation of the Irechikwa by about three centuries. Whether they held the title or if this is a posthumous edition by indigenous authors remains unknown, as they are credited as ancestral forebears of the empire.
Later members of the Wakusïcha line are not called irecha until Tarhiakurhi.
References
{{Mesoamerica-stub
Purépecha
Royal titles
Former monarchies of North America
Royalty in North America
Titles and offices of Native American leaders