Tarascan State

The Purépecha Empire, also known as the Kingdom of Tzintzuntzan (Purépecha: Ts'intsúntsani Iréchikwa, [tsʰin'd͡zund͡zani̥ i'ɾet͡ʃikʷa]), was a polity in pre-Columbian Mexico. Its territory roughly covered the geographic area of the present-day Mexican state of Michoacán, as well as eastern Jalisco, southern Guanajuato, and western Guerrero. At the time of the Spanish conquest, it was the second-largest state in Mesoamerica. The state is also colloquially known as the Tarascan Empire.

The kingdom was founded in the early 14th century and lost its independence to the Spanish in 1530. In 1543 it officially became the governorship of Michoacán. The Nahuas of the Aztec Empire called this region Michhuahcān from mich ("fish"), -huah ("owner / possessor of"), and -cān ("place of") and means "place of fisher folk".