-Ihuatzio: Its name translates as Place of Coyotes in English, and it is a Town founded by the Purepacha on top of a man-levelled plateau. It is south of the Patzcuaro Lake and it was an important ceremonial centre and an astronomy observatory in pre-Hispanic times.
One needs to pay attention to the two pyramids or yácatas (a series of circular and rectangular stories mixed on constructions built on a huge platform), and some archaeological objects such as the Chac-Mol (Tolteca sculpture related to the rain god), a clear evidence of their contact with other Mesoamerican cultures.
Another spot of interest, though of Spanish roots, is the temple and former convent of San Francisco, built in the XVI century in a strong renaissance style.
In pre-Columbian times Ihuatzio was part of the so called "Tarasca League", a sort of confederation shared with the peoples of Tzintzuntzan and Tingambato, created to defend the Purepacha Empire from foreign attacks.
Its population is dedicated to fishing, agriculture and craftsmanship. Ihuatzio is located 15 kilometres northwest of Patzcuaro, a City to which it is connected through the State Highway.

-Tingambato: It is a zone of climatic transition - between coldness and warmth - where our pre-Hispanic ancestors raised pyramids and a central plaza between the years 450 and 900 AC, archaeological vestiges that call our attention for being the palpable traces of the Mesoamerican cultural development.
The archaeological zone of Tingambato is located 35 kilometres west of Patzcuaro, and it presents a clear Teotihuacan influence. It has clearly been occupied twice on different time periods, and there is consensus about this.
During the first period the terrain was levelled and the ceremonial centre was partially raised, while during the second one (from 600 to 900 AC) the pyramidal buildings and the central plaza were built. It is believed that the place was abandoned after a fire.
On the other hand, there is a controversy regarding its name. There are those who say that it should be traduced as "Hill of Mild Weather"; however, there are other versions that indicate that its name comes from the word tinganio, a word from the Tarasca language meaning "Place where the Fire Ends".

-Tzintzuntzan: It was the capital City of the Purepacha Empire, and it has an approximate extension of seven kilometres with constructions known as yácatas, which mix rectangular and circular areas on a great platform. Studies have determined that Tzintzuntzan (Place of the Hummingbird) was a great urban complex between the years 1200 and 1521 AC, when the Purepachas ruled over the area. It had temples, dwelling buildings for the nobility and the common people, who were dedicated to agriculture and the production of handicrafts.
Later Tzintzuntzan would become the last stronghold of the Purepacha (Tarasca) resistance against the advance of the Spanish troops.