Ciudad Hidalgo

Ciudad Hidalgo, the old Taximaroa, sits in a fairly flat valley in the far east of Michoacán, 104 km from Morelia, surrounded by mountains of pine, oyamel fir and oak, including the Sierra de Mil Cumbres. With about 71,500 people (2020 census) it is the eighth-largest city in the state and the second of the eastern region after Zitácuaro. Otomí people were the first to settle here; in 1401 the Purépecha conquered the area and made it their province closest to the Aztec empire. The Aztec ruler Axayácatl attacked and burned Taximaroa in 1479, and Moctezuma II tried again in 1495 and was defeated. In 1522 the Spaniard Cristóbal de Olid entered Purépecha lands here, and the first Mass in Purépecha territory was said in the town.

Miguel Hidalgo owned a hacienda here in the late 18th century, which is why the town became Villa Hidalgo Taximaroa in 1908 and Ciudad Hidalgo in 1922. Most of the city is modern, but its main monument is the 16th-century Franciscan church and former monastery of San José, at the end of Calle 5 de Mayo. Its atrium keeps the original monolithic cross carved by indigenous hands, standing on a pyramid-shaped base with a skull and bones; set into it is an obsidian mirror, the symbol of Tezcatlipoca, a god worshipped by both Aztecs and Purépecha. Inside are two notable baptismal fonts: the larger may once have been the basin of a 16th-century public fountain, decorated with small angels and stylised lions.

The town is known for fruit and vegetable preserves, made here since colonial times with fruit, sugar and piloncillo; the fig, brought by the Franciscans, became its symbol, and the torta de higo is the treat to try. The Feria de la Conserva, held during Holy Week and again at the Todos los Santos fair around the Day of the Dead, celebrated its 40th year in 2026. Forestry and furniture-making remain important. About ten minutes southeast of the city are the Grutas de Tziranda, caves of some 300 m with calcite formations, part of them closed to protect 19 species of bats, and the municipality also takes in the Sabaneta, Pucuato and Mata de Pinos reservoirs and the hot springs of Los Azufres.