APATZINGN

in full Apatzingn De La Constitucin, city, west-central Michoacn estado (state), west-central Mexico. It lies along the Apatzingn (Acahuato) River, 176 miles (283 km) southwest of Morelia, the state capital. Its name commemorates the signing there, in 1814, of the Constitution of Apatzingn by the congress called by the revolutionary leader Jos Mara Morelos to declare Mexican independence. The city links the sparsely inhabited southern and densely populated central portions of Michoacn. Although the climate is hot and semiarid, the agricultural and pastoral hinterland is rich. Corn (maize), beans, sesame, rice, cotton, and fruits are the principal crops. Pop. (1980) 55,522.