Cuitzeo

History

The name comes from Purépecha and refers to a place of water jars. Before the Spanish arrived, the lake basin received influences from Chupícuaro, Teotihuacan and Tula, and by the end of that period it was under Purépecha rule.

In 1528 the area was granted as an encomienda to Gonzalo López, and by 1547 it was a semi-autonomous Indian republic. The Augustinians Francisco de Villafuerte and Miguel de Alvarado began the Santa María Magdalena monastery in 1550, using stone from a Purépecha temple on the same site. That date is taken as the founding of the town. The carved facade is attributed to a Purépecha craftsman, Juan Metl, whose name is inscribed beside the door.

The town took the name Cuitzeo del Porvenir in 1861, and the monastery served as a fort in 1865. Running water arrived in 1955 and electricity in 1964. The national heritage institute took charge of the monastery in 1965 and opened a print museum inside it in 1974. The town's facades were renovated in 1975, and streets and buildings were restored again for the 2010 bicentennial. Farming, fishing and crafts woven from lake reeds remain part of daily life.