Acambaro

Acámbaro stands beside the Lerma River at the edge of the Bajío, where the lands of the Purépecha met the northern frontier of central Mexico. Its name is commonly understood as “place of magueys”. The town became an early Franciscan centre, with churches and a convent serving Indigenous communities along the river.

In 1526 Acámbaro was established as a colonial settlement for Indigenous inhabitants in a region still subject to Chichimeca incursions. Franciscan friars undertook its evangelization and erected religious buildings. Almost three centuries later, in October 1810, Miguel Hidalgo and the growing insurgent army arrived during their advance across central Mexico. At Acámbaro Hidalgo was named generalissimo, a sign of the movement’s growing military ambitions as it turned toward the capital.