Ancient Ruins of Ihuatzio and Tzintzuntzan

Those staying in Morelia or at the Hacienda Ucazanaztacua on Lake Pátzcuaro have easy access to the fascinating remains of the ancient Purépecha civilization, also known as the Tarascans. The belligerent Aztecs never managed to conquer the Purépecha, though not for lack of trying, and descendants of the defenders of this lakeside kingdom live along its shores to this day, preserving rich handiwork traditions.

During our stay at the Hacienda Ucazanaztacua, we visited two of the most important ancient Purépecha sites. Ihuatzio stands in a lonely field, its temples and walls rising abruptly from the landscape – the surrounding area remains unexcavated. We stood alone in the expansive grassy plaza, surrounded by stepped walls and the misty blue humps of distant volcanoes. At that moment, the original inhabitants felt eerily close. As we walked toward the twin step pyramids at the far end, our guide described an ancient game played in the plaza to this day – a sort of field hockey in which the ball is on fire – and we vowed to return sometime to watch a match.

Just to the north, Tzintzuntzan offers an even more impressive set of ruins, perched on a plateau overlooking the lake. We toured the brand-new museum, which houses some beautifully crafted ceramics, and strolled along five interconnecting T-shaped pyramids built imposingly on the edge of the plateau. The lake once extended to the base of the ruins, covering the land where contemporary Tzintzuntzan now stands. An incongruous swath of bright green on a nearby slope belies the location of the unexcavated ancient town. A road leads from the ruins straight to the cathedral, set in a courtyard filled with gnarled, knobby olive trees half a millennium old – reputedly the oldest on the continent. Enigmatic glyph-covered stones which once decorated the temples now adorn the cathedral’s façade, a silent reminder that the Purépecha did not remain unconquered forever.