Uruapan

Uruapan is located 427 kms (265 mi) from Mexico City on the short way to Morelia City in the
State of Michoacan.

Uruapan owes its special features to the Cupatitzio River. Several beautiful places are located on this river's banks.

Among Uruapan main attractions are:

• The Handicrafts Museum, known as 'La Huatapera'

• Church of the immaculate Conception, It is located on the side of the Huatapera, and was built around the end of the XIX century, the frontispiece is made out of hewn stone, and it doesn't have a dome or a tower. Its plant is of Latin cross. The facade was ended in the 70's, and it is decorated with sculptures of the Virgin Mary and of Angels, all of them in hewn stone.

• A couple of traditional plazas and interesting chapels

• Capilla de Magdalena (chapel), built in the XVI century

• El Parque Nacional Eduardo Ruiz (national park), where the Cupatitzio River begins with several waterfalls such as are 'El Golgota', 'Flor de Lluvia' and 'Tzararacua

• La Huatapera, It was the first Latin America Hospital of Indians of Michoacan, established by Monk Juan of San Miguel in 1533, in the same year of the foundation of Uruapan.

• Santa Catarina Dam, Called also Caltzontzin Dam, it is located 5 minutes from the city of Uruapan. Surrounded of leafy trees and flowers, lets you enjoy a nice pick nick, as well as to row or to walk by on the sidewalk that surrounds this crystalline waters.

• Crafts Market on Palms Sunday, Uruapan celebrates on Palms Sunday the holiday of the artisans, who show to the visitors the virtues of our towns and people, whose roots are so deep, and they show them to the world. Thus we can admire it in the activities accomplished during the tianguis artesanal (Handcrafts market) which are: parade, craft contest, contest and regional suit parade, gastronomic sample, and "aguadoras" (women who carry water) parade. It is considered the most important handcraft market of Latin America, and is considered between the most important of the world. Currently, 1200 craftsmen of all the state of Michoacan exhibit more than a million of handcraft pieces, like pottery, rot, lacquer, textiles, vegetable fibers, musical instruments, wood, copper...

• Antojitos Market, Refined flavors site, here you can find the traditional food from the region, in the morning, afternoon and night, as well as a variety in flavors, so you can enjoy the Purhepecha cuisine.

• San Francisco Church, Built in 1533, has an ancient frontispiece, from the XVI century, and is built out of hewn stone, plateresque style. It is located in the downtown area of Uruapan. In the interior, the church has a Christ from the XVIII century; the images that appear in the curvilinear triangles that form the dome are painted in vinilic painting, and represent "a very short history of our salvation and at the same time a representation of the holy mass" these works were painted by Mohamad Sccidel.

• Martyrs of Uruapan Plaza, Uruapan, remembers with deep pain the perfidy and the death they of those 5 republicans, on October 21, 1865, and to whom the tradition and the history have designated with the name of the "martyrs of Uruapan". The Plaza is located in front to the San Francisco Church, it gets its name from the monument there erected in 1893 to honor the memory of the martyrs of Uruapan.

• Church the old San Juan, It is located between the indigenous community of Angahuan and the Paricut®n Volcano, were "the Christ of the miracles" was, being the Patron of the town. Today, it is located in San Juan Parangaricutiro (The new San Juan). This church remains buried by lava, only the towers and the altar can be seen.

• Municipality Museum Eduardo Ruiz

• San Pedro Factory, The textiles Factory of San Pedro in Uruapan, constitutes one of the most important projects of the textile industry of the state during the XIX century. The project began in 1886 and by 1911 the buildings were concluded and in operation, manufacturing cotton, linen and silk. Today, the original machines continue working in the telares (looms) and is also used as special events room.

• House of Culture, Its origin is a Franciscan convent: construction contiguous to the parish of San Francisco and directed by Monk Juan of San Miguel in 1536, the convent was of great help for spiritual assistance of the town inhabitants. In 1767 Monk Tejada, custodian of the convent, was commissioned to relinquish the church of to the diocesan clergy, fulfilling the order of secularize the parishes. The convent was then used as Parish House. During the war movement, the people, ignited by the insurgent Antonio Torres, during the Ayutla revolution (1817), and in the French intervention, suffered the same.

• Tourist House, Typical construction house of the Region used for the promotion, exhibition and sale of a great variety of crafts from all the state of Michoacan, as wood, pottery, textiles and typical products elaborated in the municipality as coffee, chocolate, Charanda, Macadamia nut, liquors, it also offers tourist information to the visitors.

• Uruapan is internationally known for its magnificent handicrafts: the 'maque' lacquer work on pitchers and bowls is a work of art as well as shawl making.