Uruapan
| Uruapan | ||
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| City | ||
| Uruapan del Progreso | ||
Uruapan Plaza
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| Nickname(s): Capital mundial del aguacate. | ||
| Motto: Salvaguarda del espíritu, la tradición y la mexicanidad. | ||
 Uruapan
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| Coordinates: 19°25′15″N 102°03′46″W / 19.42083°N 102.06278°WCoordinates: 19°25′15″N 102°03′46″W / 19.42083°N 102.06278°W | ||
| Country | Mexico | |
| State | Michoacán | |
| Municipality | Uruapan | |
| Founded | 1533 | |
| Founded by | Fray Juan de San Miguel | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Aldo Macias Alejandres | |
| Elevation | 1,620 m (5,310 ft) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 315,350 | |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) | |
| Area code(s) | 452 | |
| Website | Official Website | |
Uruapan is the second largest city in the Mexican state of Michoacán. It is located at the western edge of the Purépecha highlands, just to the east of the Tierra Caliente Region. Since the colonial period, it has been an important city economically due its location. The city was conquered by the Spanish in 1522, when the last Purépecha ruler fled the Pátzcuaro area to here. The modern city was laid out in 1534 by Friar Juan de San Miguel, which played an important role in the War of Independence, and was the capital of Michoacán during the French Intervention. Today it is the center of Mexico’s avocado growing region, with most of the crop distributed from here nationally and internationally.
With a population of over 264,000. The city is the second most populous and the second in economic importance in the state of Michoacán. The city is located at the western edge of the Purépecha highlands of the state at 1,620 meters above sea level.
The city’s center has colonial architecture which contain Plateresque and Moorish elements. There are six historic neighborhoods of the city: San Miguel, San Pedro, San Francisco, Santa Maria Magdalena, San Juan Bautista and Santo Santiago, all of which have colonial-era chapels in their centers. Each of these neighborhoods have their own festival: San José on March 19, El Vergel on the third Friday in June, San Juan Quemado on June 24, San Pedro on June 29, La Magdalena on July 22, Santo Santiago on July 25, San Miguel on September 29, San Francisco de Asis on October 4. The patron saints’ days of these neighborhoods are celebrated with colorful dances such as Los Negritos.
The center of the city is marked by the very large and very long Plaza de Martires de Uruapan. Facing this plaza are two commercial portals as well as some of the city’s most important landmarks. On the north side, there is the La Huatápera Museum, officially called the Museo de los Cuatro Pueblos Indios. Huatápera is a Purépecha word, meaning “meeting place,” and according to tradition, it was built over a pre Hispanic platform, obtaining its social importance from this. Originally the site was a hospital called Hospital Real de la Purísima Concepción established by Juan de San Miguel in 1533, the first of its kind in Michoacán. It functioned not only to heal the sick but also as a center for evangelism and to organize workers by trade.It has a chapel called Santo Entierro, with fine stonework in cantera in Plateresque style. Above the chapel’s arch, there is a niche which contains a sculpture of either Francis of Assisi or Juan de San Miguel flanked by the coats of arms of the Franciscans and the Spanish crown. The interior is restored and contains images of angels playing musical instruments and important people from the history of the Catholic Church. The rest of the complex shows Moorish influence and houses a collection of handcrafts from the various indigenous communities of the state. Just to the east of Huatápera is the Immaculate Concepción church, which was built in the late 20th century. It has a cantera portal finished in the 1970s but no cupola nor bell tower.
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Wikipedia