Patzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán.

Patzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The city was founded sometime in the late 1320, initially as the capital of the Tarascan State and later its ceremonial center. After the Spanish took over, Quiroga Patzcuaro Basque worked to make the capital of New Spain province of Michoacán, but after his death, the capital was moved to the nearby Valladolid (now Morelia). Patzcuaro has retained its colonial indigenous character and since then, and has been named both a "Pueblo Magico" and one of 100 Historic Cities of the World Treasury of the United Nations. Patzcuaro's lake region, is part is well known as a site for the Day of the Dead celebrations.

There are several possibilities as to the meaning of "Patzcuaro." The first is "phascuaro", meaning place dyed black or patatzecuaro, which means place of the foundations, is another petatzimícuaro means place of bulrushes, and still others state that means happy place or seat of the temples. Patzcuaro received his coat of arms in 1553 Charles V of Spain.

Lake Patzcuaro

Fishing boats in the lakePátzcuaro sits on the southern edge of Lake Patzcuaro and the lake still has great economic and cultural importance for the city. Patzcuaro are associated with a series of islands, the best known of which is Janitzio, a name that means hair of corn. Is recognizable through the forty-meter statue of José María Morelos y Pavón in the top of the hill. Below the statue is a series of murals on the life of this Mexican hero. There are four other islands in the lake. The Pacanda is at the center. This island has a small pond in it with carp and ducks. Yuneén island is near the center and its name means half of the moon. Its attractions include its vegetation, traditional houses and cottages for visitors. Urandenes is closer to Patzcuaro and consists of three islands surrounded by channels where fish are grown white. Residents here also fishing with butterfly nets. Tecuena is the smallest island in the lake and its name means good honey. Patzcuaro docks have boats that travel to these islands.

Until 2007, only Pátzcuaro was a water treatment plant with smaller communities of waste water discharged directly into the lake, causing serious pollution problems. The pollution has been mainly chemicals, garbage and sewage and sediment during the rainy season. The Michoacán state government, the federal environmental protection and the Mexican Institute of Water Technology has initiated a program to clean up the basin of Lake Patzcuaro. The plan is to repair water treatment facilities existing and build two more. It also includes the reforestation of the entire lake, landfills and barriers to prevent pollution of streams in the basin.