MICHOACN

estado (state), west-central Mexico, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the south- southwest; the states of Colima, Jalisco, and Guanajuato to the northwest and north; Mxico to the east; and Guerrero to the south. The territory rises from a narrow coastal plain to the Sierra Madre Occidental. It lies in an area of great volcanic activity: Mt. Jorullo arose during an eruption in an agricultural region in 1759, and in 1943 Paricutn suddenly appeared near Uruapan, the eruption that formed it continuing into 1952. The most important rivers draining to the Pacific are the Lerma, on the northwestern frontier, and the Balsas-Tepalcatepec, on the southern frontier, both of which have large-scale irrigation projects. The fertile mountain valleys are cool and conducive to good health, but the coastal plain is hot and unhealthful. The state has two large lakes: Chapala, bordering Jalisco state, and Ptzcuaro, in a popular resort area where fishermen use lightweight, gracefully framed butterfly nets. Handicrafts of the Tarasco Indians on display in Tzintzuntzan, Mex. In the 1530s Vasco de Quiroga established the first successful missions among the Tarascan Indians around Lake Ptzcuaro, in which, influenced by Thomas More's Utopia, he sought to organize a cooperative commonwealth. Crafts taught then survive today (see photograph), and Quiroga's name is still venerated in the region. Michoacn produces a wide range of forest products, tropical crops, grains, minerals, oil, and sulfur. It is well served by highway, air, and rail routes. Important cities of the state are Morelia, the capital; Uruapan; Zamora; and Ptzcuaro. The population is chiefly mestizo and Tarascan Indian. Area 23,138 square miles (59,928 square km). Pop. (1990) 3,548,199.