The Purepecha Indians, called the Tarascans by the Spanish, were noted for their artistic skills, and Uruapan is a celebrated center for folk art, notably lacquer ware. Carved wooden trays, bowls and furniture are painted and coated with layers of lacquer, creating colorful, intricate designs. Some experts believe the pre-Colombian Purepecha had contact with Chinese explorers who brought the Asian art of lacquer ware to Mexico, but others say the Purepecha developed their own lacquerware techniques.
The Franciscan monk Fray Juan de San Miguel arrived in the area in 1532, and over the next two years built a mission where the city now stands. The Franciscans also built what is claimed to be the first hospital serving indigenous peoples in Mexico, dubbed La Huapatera. The building now is dedicated to showcasing the area's rich folk art. Every year in the spring, the Museo de los Cuatros Pueblos, as the hospital is now known, hosts a large "tianguis" (Indian market) in the adjacent plaza.
The fertile soil of the region attracted Spanish settlers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries who cultivated large areas to grow sugar cane. Politics, revolution and the collapse of sugar cane prices in the late nineteenth century led to the breakup of many of Mexico's vast haciendas with their peonage system that held workers in virtual slavery. But Uruapan revived its agricultural industry and is now a leading producer of avocados, plus tropical fruits like bananas, papaya, citrus fruits and macadamia nuts.
Uruapan also became a textile center in the nineteenth century, but the industry suffered as cheaper materials and labor in other parts of the world posed competition. American expatriates and lovers of the area's folk art revived the water-powered nineteenth century textile mill, the Fabrica San Pedro. The looms once were fueled by the waters of the Rio Cupatitzio, and the building has been lovingly restored. The mill produces top-quality textiles and showcases the best of Uruapan's folk art.
Hidden in a canyon--a "barranca"--within the city is Uruapan's famous botanical garden, the Parque Nacional Eduardo Ruiz, also known as the Nacional Barranca de Cupatitizio. The park is named in honor of a noted nineteenth century historian and resident of the city. The Rio Cupatitzio--the "river that sings"--rises from several springs inside the park, and the grounds are filled with the abundant flowers and plants that give Uruapan its reputation as a botanical Eden.
In 1943, just 20 miles northwest of the city, a farmer was plowing his fields when there was a lava eruption nearby from beneath the surface. For nine years, lava erupted from the soil, burying the village of San Juan Pargaricutiro except for the church steeple which now stands on the lava plain. What villagers witnessed was the birth and death of a volcano, named Paricutin, and the creation of the world's youngest mountain.
Throughout the year, the city celebrates its origins with various religious festivals, notably the Feast of San Francisco in October; lively fiestas with folk dances and fireworks to commemorate Mexican Independence Day, September 15; and the area's natural abundance with an environment festival in the Ruiz gardens and an avocado festival in November. The cuisine of the region is showcased daily in the Mercado Antojitos, the "snack market" behind La Huapatera.
