Tzintzuntzan

Tzintzuntzan was the ceremonial center of the pre-Columbian Purépecha capital of the same name [1]. The name comes from the Purépecha word Ts’intsuntsani, which means "place of hummingbirds." The site includes at least 1,000 archaeological features in an area that is at least 1,075 hectares [1]. After being in Pátzcuaro for the first years of the Purépecha Empire, power was consolidated in Tzintzuntzan in the mid 15th century [1]. Tzintzuntzan was the capital of the Purépecha Empire when the Spanish arrived in 1522 [1]. The Tzintzuntzan archeological site is mostly what was the ceremonial center [1]. It is situated on a large artificial platform excavated into Yahuarato hill overlooking Lake Pátzcuaro from the northeast shore [1]. The ceremonial center contains a large plaza and several buildings known to house priests and nobility but the main attraction is the five yácatas or semi-circular pyramids that face out over the lake area [1].