Erongaricuaro

Erongarícuaro stands on the western shore of Lake Pátzcuaro, where the lake country meets the wooded mountains of Michoacán. Its Purépecha name has been interpreted as a place of watching or waiting. Before the Spanish conquest it served as a fortified lakeside centre, guarding the western approaches to the Purépecha heartland.

After the conquest the district was granted in encomienda to Juan Infante, who disputed control of lakeside communities with Bishop Vasco de Quiroga. By 1575 Erongarícuaro had been placed under the jurisdiction of Pátzcuaro. A Franciscan church and convent were built in the later sixteenth century. The inhabitants supplied labour for lakeside estates and other enterprises, while the town remained linked to the neighbouring communities of the lake and mountains.