Ihuatzio

A major Purepecha archaeological site in Michoacan, Mexico, meaning "place of the coyote" in the Purepecha language. First settled by Nahua-speaking groups around 900 AD, then dominated by the Purepecha from c. 1200 AD, it served as the first capital of the Purepecha state. The site features the Plaza de Armas, one of Mesoamerica's largest plazas at 300 m by 180 m, twin pyramids (yacatas) dedicated to Curicaueri and Xaratanga, and unique huatziri stepped walls measuring 80 m long and 5 m high. Although the site covers about 150 hectares with 84 identified structures, only seven have been excavated.