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Purépecha

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The Purépecha ( endonym Western Highland Purepecha : P'urhepecha [pʰuˈɽepet͡ʃa] ) are a group of Indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of Michoacán , Mexico , mainly in the area of the cities of Cherán and Pátzcuaro .

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27-466: They are also known by the derogatory term " Tarascan ", an exonym , applied by outsiders and not one they use for themselves. The Purépecha occupied most of Michoacán but also some of the lower valleys of both Guanajuato and Jalisco . Celaya , Acambaro , Cerano , and Yurirapundaro . Now, the Purépecha live mostly in the highlands of central Michoacán, around Lakes Patzcuaro and Cuitzeo . It

54-520: A fierce war against the Spanish. Using stolen Spanish horses, her people learned to ride into battle. In 1529 to 1530, the Spanish forces entered Michoacán and some parts of Guanajuato with an army of 500 Spanish soldiers and more than 10,000 Native warriors. Then, in 1530, the president of the Real Audiencia , Nuño de Guzmán , a conquistador notorious for his ruthlessness and brutality towards

81-495: A house in Pátzcuaro , which he named "La Quinta Eréndira." She had been a regional figure, but as governor and president, Cárdenas raised her name recognition significantly. She became a symbol of indigenous resistance to the Spanish conquest, specifically as a foil to the role of Cortés's indigenous cultural translator Malinche . Cárdenas commissioned muralist Fermín Revueltas to paint murals of Purépecha history and reshape

108-475: A large troop of soldiers. She had promised a Purépecha man named Nanuma that if he returned from the battle victorious, they would get married, and he led his people into battle. He succumbed to fear of the Spanish weapons and horses and tried to run from the battlefield, but was captured by Cristobal de Olid, and without a leader the Purépecha warriors were quickly defeated. Cristobal de Olid punished Nanuma's cowardice by forcing him and his men to serve food to

135-417: A white Spanish horse, which they planned to sacrifice, but Eréndira requested that she keep it. She tamed the animal, and they soon became inseparable, with Eréndira even allowing it to sleep in her home. After a period of peace, Nanuma finally returned to ambush Tzintzuntan, planning to take Eréndira for a slave if she did not marry him. Eréndira escaped on her horse and ran away. With Eréndira gone, her father,

162-661: Is a Purépecha town, unmarried men will dance the Dance of the Cúrpites. The dance is used to help the man express their masculinity and court their sweetheart. The dance is celebrated during the Christian holiday of Epiphany . The Purépecha language is spoken by nearly 200,000 people in Michoacán . Since Mexico's 2000 indigenous language law, indigenous languages like Purépecha were granted official status equal with Spanish in

189-581: Is an exonym and the popular name for the Purépecha culture . It may refer to: The term has pejorative connotations of "loathsomeness and disgust" when it refers to the people or their language. The name "Tarascan" (and its Spanish-language equivalent, "tarasco") comes from the word "tarascue" in the Purépecha language, which means indistinctly "father-in-law" or "son-in-law". The Spanish took it as their name, for reasons that have been attributed to different, mostly legendary, stories. The Nahuatl name for

216-444: Is said to have fought against the Spanish. He named the house he built in Pátzcuaro "La Quinta Eréndira" and commissioned muralists to depict Purépecha history in his residence and elsewhere. Purépecha traditions of folkloric performance became a source of indigenista pride. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first century social scientists have studied Purépecha out-migration from the region. Many traditions live on, including

243-523: The cazonci Tangaxuan II pledged his allegiance as a vassal of the King of Spain without a fight in 1525. It is believed that the Spanish conquistador Cristóbal de Olid , upon arriving in the Purépecha Empire , now in present-day Michoacán , explored some parts of Guanajuato in the early 1520s. A legend relates of a 16- or 17-year-old Purépecha, Princess Eréndira , who led her people into

270-662: The Jimbani Uexurhina (New Fire), which is celebrated on February 2. It has both traditional indigenous and Catholic elements. The community lights a fire, called the chijpiri jimbani or "new fire," as part of a ceremony that honors the four elements. Mass is also celebrated in the Purhépecha language. They believed in God of the sky, earth, and underworld. The God of the sky and war, Kurikaweri. The Goddess of earth, controlling life and climate, Kweawaperi. The Goddess of

297-533: The Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), Michoacán experienced political unrest. When former revolutionary general Lázaro Cárdenas , originally from a small town in Michoacán, was appointed governor of his state, he began an ambitious program of reform and economic development, which he continued when he became president of Mexico (1934–40). For him, the indigenous heritage of Michoacán was foundational for

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324-625: The Nickelodeon animated series The Casagrandes , has lead protagonist Ronnie Anne Santiago travel with her family to the fictional city of Japunda, which is largely based on the real-life Michoacán town of Pátzcuaro . The movie draws inspiration from director Miguel Puga's Purépecha heritage, and the director, along with cultural consultant Lalo Alcaraz, worked "to portray the P’urhépecha community in this universe — their customs, their food, their music." Tarascan Tarascan or Tarasca

351-586: The Aztecs. The Purépecha kingdom expanded through conquest. However, many avoided conquest and bloodshed and, in order to maintain their freedom, exchanged goods and resources such as metal with the Purépecha kingdom. The Purépecha empire was never conquered by the Aztec Empire , in fact there is no record of the Aztecs ever defeating them in battle. This was most likely due to the presence of metal ores within their empire, and their knowledge of metallurgy, which

378-433: The Purépecha include the baptism of newborns after forty days of separate rest for the mother and child. The infant is then swaddled for six weeks and kept in physical contact with the mother or a close female relative.this is only for the Christian villages a Temples created by Purépecha did not look like their Mesoamerican counterparts. Purépecha today celebrate many holidays. One of the most popular holidays celebrated by

405-590: The Purépecha is the Day Of The Dead or "Día De Los Muertos" . While it is celebrated throughout Mexico in the same way, Purépechans celebrate slightly differently. On November 1 and 2, family members take part in all-night vigils at the graves of their loved ones. Purépecha believe that the souls of the dead watch over their living relatives on the Day of the Dead. In the town of San Juan Nuevo Parangaricutiro, which

432-527: The Purépecha was "Michhuàquê" ("those who have fish"), whence the name of the Mexican state of Michoacán . Princess Er%C3%A9ndira Princess Eréndira of the Purépecha was the princess of the Purépecha from c. 1503–1529. Eréndira was 16–17 when the Spanish came to Mexico . The Tarascan state 's cazonci (monarch), Tangaxuan II , had given up his kingdom and people to the Spanish after he saw

459-545: The Spanish army. In order to capture the Eréndira's father, Tangaxuan, Cristobal de Olid gathered together the Purépecha warriors and lead them into battle, betraying their own people. Leading them was Nanuma, who was promised a Purépecha woman if he cooperated, and he had Eréndira on his mind. Eréndira gathered together the people of Tzintzuntzan, and attacked the invading army from atop a hill, defeating Nanuma and his warriors. Once again, Nanuma fled. Eréndira's army had captured

486-476: The Spanish. There are many theories as to what happened to her. Some of which include her suicide by drowning, her leaving to train others for war and that she killed herself for falling in love with a Spanish monk. One legend even claims that she was kidnapped by her own people and put into a temple so that the Spaniards should not find and kill her. When Lázaro Cárdenas was governor of Michoacán, he built

513-469: The areas in which they are spoken. Recently, educational instruction in Purépecha has been introduced in the local school systems. Additionally, many Purépecha communities offer classes and lessons in the language. Princess Eréndira of the Purépecha was depicted in the 2006 film Erendira Ikikunari ( Erendira the Untamable ). The 2017 Disney film, Coco presents a character named “Mama Coco”, who

540-459: The cazonzci, converted to Catholicism and invited a Franciscan friar named Fray Martin to the city. He destroyed the images of the Purépecha gods. Fray Martin converted and baptized many Purépecha people, but suspected that Tangaxuan was secretly still a pagan. For this he had a Spanish warrior named Nuño de Guzmán burn him at the stake. When Eréndira learned that her father had been killed, she used her horse to begin an underground resistance against

567-418: The construction of Mexico's post-revolutionary identity. Although the Aztecs loomed large in Mexican history and the construction of identity, Cárdenas saw the Purépecha as "purer" source. The Purépecha had never been conquered by the Aztecs, but in the era of the Spanish conquest, the resistance of the Purépecha was a point of regional pride. In particular, Cárdenas promoted the story of Princess Eréndira who

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594-461: The downfall of the Aztec Empire to the Spanish. The story of princess Eréndira's subsequent role as a heroine is based on tradition and may or may not reflect actual events, since there are no contemporary records of her existence. According to the folk legend, Eréndira organized a ceremony in the temple of Charatanga, the moon goddess, and a horse was sacrificed. The next day, a Spanish warrior named Cristobal de Olid approached Tzintzuntzan with

621-664: The natives, plundered the region and executed Tangaxuan II, destroying the Purépecha State and provoking a chaotic situation and widespread violence. In 1533, the Crown sent an experienced Oidor (Judge of the Audiencia) and later bishop, Don Vasco de Quiroga , who established a lasting colonial rule. The lands of the Purépecha was subjected to serious deforestation during the Spanish Colonial period. Following

648-466: The sea and the underworld, Xaratenga. The Purépecha are mainly fishers because they mainly lived around the Patzcuaro lakes. They are also known for their skill in weaving, pottery and their skill in battle. Many live in wooden cabins within compounds surrounded by dry-stone walls. However, many of these structures are being replaced with homes made out of brick and concrete. One distinctive practice of

675-454: Was apparently based on the real Purépecha woman María Salud Ramírez Caballero, although it was never officially confirmed by Pixar . The 2022 film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever , introduces Namor , whose mythos is rewritten to include an indigenous Meso American background with influences from Mayan and Aztec culture. Tenoch Huerta , who portrays Namor, comes from a Purépecha background. The 2024 film, The Casagrandes Movie , based on

702-487: Was far superior to that of the Aztecs [1] ; such skills have persisted in their descendants and are still widely regarded today, particularly their coppersmithing . Even though they were enemies with the Aztecs, the Aztecs still traded with them, mainly for metal tools and weapons. After hearing of the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and having the native population much diminished by an epidemic of smallpox ,

729-545: Was one of the major empires of the Pre-Columbian era . The capital city was Tzintzuntzan . Purépecha architecture is noted for step pyramids in the shape of the letter "T". Pre-Columbian Purépecha artisans made feather mosaics that extensively used hummingbird feathers, which were highly regarded as luxury goods throughout the region. During the Pre-Colonial era, the Purépecha kingdom engaged in conflict with

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