Tlazazalca

Tlazazalca lies in the valleys of northern Michoacán, west of Zacapu and south of the Lerma basin. After the Spanish conquest it became an encomienda, whose holder paid for religious instruction in the district. In 1534 the town passed from private encomienda to tribute under the Spanish crown. By the later sixteenth century it was the centre of a parish serving neighbouring communities, and hospitals became important institutions in local religious life.