The Tarascan/Purépecha Empire: The Forgotten Empire of Mexico

**Forgive in the incorrect title card in the intro.**

During the 14th century, an empire was founded in Western Mexico that is nearly forgotten today. The Iréchikwa Tzintzuntzani was one of the greatest empires in the Pre-Columbian Americas. Discover what made this empire so unique in Mesoamerica.

Sources and Bibliography:

[MajoraZ]

Fantastic work, as usual, I just wish the scheduling had worked out for us to have worked together more then we did here! To to add onto and to correct a few things for viewers, it should be noted that many images used, such as at 9:02, 14:45, 26:57 to 28:23, 31:20, 32:17 to 33:20, 33:25 and 34:20 aren't depicting Purepecha versions of those things (most of the code images there are Aztec, for example). This isn't Ancient America's fault, though: It is VERY difficult to find images of Purepecha things, and sadly I wasn't able to get him better images to use on time, so it's on me! Also, as usual, it's worth keeping in mind the maps used only shows key places being disscussed, and there are thousands of villages, towns, and cities not shown: The Valley of Mexico alone had 300+ population centers!

To get more into the granular specifics, while the video did stress that the Purepecha army's use of bows was important, to clarify why this is a big deal, it is because in contrast, many other Mesoamericans generally used Atlatl instead of bows, or at least more then bows: To the Mexica of the Aztec capital and some other Nahua groups (though not all, the Tlaxcalteca made major use of bows too), the Atlatl was seen as the more refined and cultured weapon, associated with the Toltec (a maybe historical, probably mythical civilization the Nahuas saw as the originators of high culture), while the bow was seen as more primitive, tied to the nomadic Chichimeca. Atlatl pack more power, but have less range relative to bows, and the Purepecha army exploited that. Secondly, it is my understanding (I did a cursory double check via Hassig's Aztec Warfare and I THINK right, but the wording is vague and I haven't slept in 30 hours and aren't triple checking) that technically speaking, the Aztec Empire did NOT have dominion over the Toluca valley at the time, when the Purepecha Empire expanded into it, but regardless that expansion still set off the war between the two empires.

The nature of forts alongside the Purepecha-Aztec border following the conflict is something I really wish to dig into further: Firstly, many sources assert that it was not just the Purepecha who built forts and invited other ethnic groups to found cities alongside it in exchange for acting as lookouts, but the Aztec did so as well. On the flip side, I have seen a number of researchers sort of downplay the nature of these "forts": David Haskell, a Purepecha researcher, said this when I asked "They might not meet your expectations of what a "Garrison" is like, ....Mostly, the border was reinforced just by towns with a Purepecha contingent to oversee defense. Might use landforms and some walls to aid defense". On the Aztec side, there's a wider debate about the nature of so called "garrison colonies", outside Purepecha border context, too, where some researchers reject the Aztec built garrisons/forts at all (while others assert they did). Interestingly, the one source Haskell suggested to me on border forts I have been able to access explicitly mentions AZTEC forts on the border, but not really Purepecha ones... but there's more sources I haven't checked yet he suggested. Again, if scheduling happened to line up better, this is something I wish I could have dove into deep for the script.

Similarly, while I haven't dived deep into the issue yet, my understanding is while contact between West Mexico and South America is generally well supported by metallurgical evidence (that is, metallurgy seems to have spread between Ecuador and West Mexico due to near identical styles of goods as well as metalworking techniques) as well as perhaps textile and linguistic evidence, there's really not much evidence to suggest the Purepecha in particular were South American migrants, and that that theory has mostly fallen out of favor, even if trade links is still has academic support.

The media reports I have seen regarding the LIDAR scans of Anagamuco report that the evidence suggests it had a population of 100, 000 people, rather then 30, 000 (100, 000 is huge, but it is worth noting Anagamuco is also quite expansive, so that figure would be over a pretty wide area, more akin to Maya megalopoli like Tikal or Copan where they had 100, 000+ over a extended sprawl). Even for Tzintzuntzan, where 30, 000 is what I've seen most sources report, it's possible this may not be the full figure, as (i'm sure you're aware but viewers may not be) Mesoamerican cities had both an urban core and then surrounding radial suburbs, and population estimates often don't include both... but I haven't looked into the methodology of Tzintzuntzan's estimates so I'm not sure how much of the city that figure is meant to encompass.

Yes, those Mexica stereotypes are always interesting to look at! The Florentine Codex includes them for a number of groups, ranging from the Purepecha here to the Chichimeca, Otomis, Huastecs and Totonacs, Zapotecs, etc. It's usually some variation of "Their language is unrefined and they dress scandalously, but their [food/textiles/wares] are pretty good. I think it's pretty telling how much such stereotypes centralize economic resources, consistent with the Mexica's interests in acquiring economic goods in expansionism.

As a final quick blitz: I actually HAVE seen an image alleging to show some Purepecha "Day signs", but like you I've seen sources claim that the Purepecha didn't have a ritual calender of astrological day/year signs. Not sure if the image is merely erronous, or if it's a subject of active research. It's worth noting that whole the Purepecha Empire/West Mexico definitely had the largest centers of bronze production, that it was not limited to them: Indeed, bronze sewing needles have even been found at Cuexcomate (or Capilco, I forget which, Dr. Michael E. Smith excavated both, it's mentioned in "At Home in the Aztecs") a small village inside the Aztec empire, which wouldn't have been affluent; and that contrary to some pages online, the Purepecha still didn't really use bronze for weapons much (I have seen 1 source noting they may have used it on one occasion, but that's about it). As a nitpick, I have a little issue with saying that the Aztec Empire was "falling" during the Cortes expedition, since it was really Tenochtitlan, and the hundreds of other subject and vassal states only ceded to Spanish rule or were conquered later. Lastly, local rulers being left in charge wasn't actually that uncommon in the early Spanish colonial period, what caused an issue was the allegation that taxes were still be collected that the Spanish weren't getting a cut off. And yes, Guzman was so brutal that he actually was brought back to Spain in chains and tried for his abuses!

[josemorales]

I am Carpenter in Colorado and at one point did had an employee that was full blooded Purépecha from Michoacan. Spanish was his second language and when he phone his family in Mexico he spoke Purépecha language with them. The only word I ever learned from him was "Naski Ni Nashka" (is wrongfully written of course), that means : how are you?. I am from neighbor Guanajuato state born, and from a town right in the border with Michoacan state and find this interesting. Kudos man never knew about this mighty empire

[jacintoelgrande]

I'm glad you covered the P'urhépecha. I grew up in a P'urhépecha town and in my younger years I used to be able to speak the language almost fluently (Sadly, I've forgotten most of it by now). It wasn't until like 2 years ago that I wanted to learn more about my roots, but I noticed that there wasn't much about the P'urhépecha outside of the state of Michoacán that wasn't very superficial. Seeing this pop up in my recommendations was a very exciting feeling. Keep up the good work and thank you for covering this wonderful group of people.

[CoZ]

Glad someone finally covered the Purépecha. They don’t get much credit for how differently their culture differed from other Mesoamericans

[MarcosRMarin]

As a Mexican, I love how much respect you have for these cultures and their languages, that's hard to come by, even in their own land.

[rob]

Glad you cover my people I’m from a indigenous purepecha town named Cheran Just ten years ago we kicked out the government and gained our autonomy THE PUREPECHA ARE STILL STRONG.

[SkunkApe]

The number of Mexicans in this comment thread claiming something other than Aztec heritage is refreshing. Far too many American born Mexicans seem to have no idea that the Aztecs weren't the only people in Mexico. I blame the superficial romanticism Europeans fabricated around the Aztecs, and the utter apathy American schools show toward native history. It makes me unbelievably happy to see Latinos reconnecting and celebrating their pre-Columbian roots. I honestly believe that creators like you play a significant role in that, with your deep dives into seldom covered civilizations such as this. Keep it up!

[christopherosman]

The P'urhépecha culture is incredible and, unfortunately, vastly under-studied. I've been waiting for someone to highlight their beautiful culture/history in English so that I could share with my family and friends (many of whom visited Michoacán while we lived there). As a young gringo from Baltimore, I arrived in Zacapu, Michoacán without being able to speak Spanish. I married in that town, became a father in that town, and travelled to many remote villages all over Michoacán working with my father-in-law. I learned so much from my years in Zacapu (La Cuna del Imperio P'urhépecha) and all the surrounding area. Some of my favorite memories were exploring the ciénega and the foothills and mountains with my future uncles and cousins. We would find amazing structures, artifacts, rock drawings. There is so much yet to be uncovered. Thank you for this video.

[leonelmartinez]

I was born in michoacan and haven't been there in about 20 years until this summer. I took my kids to see my grandma and grandpa and they loved it.
We drove all over michoacan and I went to purepecha towns and got hand made indigenous sweaters and other stuff.
I'm glad I took my kids to see where I came from.

[izaacpaez]

My mothers last name is Tzintzun, I was taught that it meant hummingbird as a child and made the connection to this amazing people group and culture as I got older. I love learning about all things but its a different sort of joy when it so closely relates to your life!!!

[vladimirgomez]

The Quangariecha (means "brave men") was the most deadly military order in all mesoamerica, these warriors painted his body with ashes and yellow paint, they wore a doublet with feathers and fought with a curved weapon with a cooper knife ( that weapon look like a Sioux war club). You can get information of this military order in a tesis called "La Guerra en el Michoacán Posclásico Tardío" written by Ricardo Carvajal.

[ferrjuan]

My parents are from Michoacán I have been to Pátzcuaro and the surrounding lake area many times. Today most Mexicans know of those areas as having the best-known Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico. Day of the Dead is celebrated very intensely in the towns and villages around Lake Pátzcuaro. Preparations include major cleaning and repair of the local cemeteries and the creation of flowered arches for gates of the atriums of local churches. These are made with a flower called cempasúchil, also known as the Mexican marigold. The island of Janitzio which is within Lake Pátzcuaro is well known for these celebrations. As part of this festivity, candle-lit boat processions make their way to the island and then to Janitzio's Church and graveyard, remaining there for the night for a large festive vigil with much imbibing involved.

[rosariocardona]

My mom was from Michoacan. Iam a Texas born American but I learned many recipes and day of the dead customs that I still do. I have never been to Michoacan but just by listening to her I have been to her pueblitos. She would call herself Purepecha and said Tarascan meant like peasant and she didn't like that.

[Solomon.R]

After Getting into the Fall of Civilizations podcasts I just needed more American pre-Columbian history. This channel has been awesome, and I love the longer formats. Great work!

[mcv]

You have no idea how mich joy I was struck with once I saw this video in my recommended. My family being from Michoacán I got passed down that Purépecha blood and it makes me happy seeing the Purépecha people getting the recognition they deserve as they were a very interesting civilization.

[Andrews_VT]

My granpa is Purepecha, he grew up barely speaking Spanish, he is from Apatzingán, Michoacán. I know a lot of stories about his ancestors thanks to him telling me those stories when I was a child. He hated people that said Tarasco in stead of purépecha. So, thank you for noticing that difference at the beginning of the video. Michoacán is a state rich in history from prehispanic times to Nueva España, Independencia war and the revolution.

[omars]

I have a uncle in Uruapan, who has a museum dedicated just to the purepecha culutre, many of my mexican relatives are purepechas

[culturapurepechapirekuas]

Wow, amazing I was born in Ocumicho, Michoacan a Purepecha town. A lot of my familly members still apeak Purepecha our native language. I speak purepecha, spanish and english. Mexican Histoy dont talk much about the Purepechas and they should because our ancestors empire was one of the biggest in America.

[thecaveofthedead]

If I try to sum up why I love your channel so much: you create a wonderful balance between an academic historical perspective - complete with explicit statements of uncertainty - with a conversational style that preserves the drama and beauty of the subject matter (how gorgeous is that Purépecha shield?). And you're doing it in the context of an entire area of history that those of us raised in the Western orbit have learned about only in terms of its interaction with European ascendancy (with implied notions of cultural superiority). You also give us a sweep of different aspects of a culture from the typical exciting story of power through dramatic military actions to the economy, the arts, the backstory, and... the bureaucracy (loved the Amy Santiago quote).

For a proper history nerd who doesn't have an allegiance to a particular culture (see again Western superiority) this is probably the best historical video content I've ever seen.

[tselone]

My people, my culture, my life! Thanks for presenting this 👏✨