Uruapan
Uruapan, Michoacán | |
|---|---|
City and municipality | |
| Uruapan del Progreso | |
Uruapan Plaza | |
| Nickname: Capital mundial del aguacate. (World capital of the avocado) | |
| Motto(s): Salvaguarda del espíritu, la tradición y la mexicanidad. (Safeguard of the spirit, tradition, and Mexican nationalism) | |
| Coordinates: 19°25′15″N 102°03′46″W / 19.42083°N 102.06278°W | |
| Country | Mexico |
| State | Michoacán |
| Founded | 1533 |
| Founded by | Fray Juan de San Miguel |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez |
| Area | |
• Total | 45 km2 (17 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,620 m (5,310 ft) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 299,523 |
| • Density | 6,600/km2 (17,000/sq mi) |
| • Municipality | 356,786 |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 452 |
| Website | Official Website |
Uruapan (Spanish pronunciation: [uˈrwa.pan]) is the second largest city in the Mexican state of Michoacán. It is located at the western edge of the Purépecha highlands, just to the east of the Tierra Caliente region. Since the colonial period, it has been an important city economically due its location. The city was conquered by the Spanish in 1522, when the last Purépecha ruler fled the Pátzcuaro area to here. The modern city was laid out in 1534 by Friar Juan de San Miguel. It played an important role in the War of Independence, and was the capital of Michoacán during the French Intervention. Today it is the center of Mexico's avocado growing region, with most of the crop distributed from here nationally and internationally.