Which Indigenous group is native to Michoacán?

The Purépecha, called Tarascans by the Spaniards, are the Indigenous people native to Michoacán. Their pre-Hispanic empire, centered at Tzintzuntzan on Lake Pátzcuaro, was one of the few that successfully resisted Aztec conquest, and their language is an isolate, unrelated to any other language of Mexico.

Purépecha traditions remain central to Michoacán’s identity, including the pirekua songs and the famous Night of the Dead celebrations on Janitzio island in Lake Pátzcuaro.