Zinapecuaro

Zinapécuaro lies east of Lake Cuitzeo in the highlands of Michoacán. The surrounding volcanic country contains important deposits of obsidian, a glassy stone used to make sharp tools and weapons. Obsidian from the nearby Ucareo–Zinapécuaro source travelled widely through Mesoamerican exchange networks before the Spanish conquest. Finds far from the quarries show how material from these hills reached communities across considerable distances.