9781422286944

The States of Mexico

connected it by railway to the state’s port city of Manzanillo. During the early 20th century, the turmoil caused by the Mexican Revolution wreaked havoc on the state of Colima, as battles raged back and forth across its fertile land. Slowly, though, the land recovered, and today its mining and shipping industries are prosperous. Tourists are also attracted to Colima’s beaches and still-active volcano. The state is a leading producer of lemons, as well as bananas, coconuts, corn, rice, and mangos. Factories are also moving into the state, producing beverages and clothing, and new discoveries of iron ore have made Colima one of Mexico’s largest iron-producing states. The port of Manzanillo has become a hub for trade with the United States, Central and South America, and countries across the Pacific Ocean. Michoacán Heading south along the Pacific Coast from Colima brings you to the state of Michoacán. When the Aztecs ruled Mexico, the Purépeche people lived around the shores of Lake Pátzcuaro, supporting themselves on the bountiful fish that lived in the lake. As a result, the Aztecs referred to these lands as “Michoacán”—which meant “country of fishermen.” The Purépeche people spoke a language that was different from any other spoken by the native people of Mexico, and they built terraced farm plots that were also unique in the land. Today archeologists believe these people probably migrated to Mexico from the South American country of Peru. The Purépeche lived in what is now Michoacán from about 800 B . C . until the arrival of the Spanish in their lands in 1522. European germs did their part in decreasing the Purépeche population, but today the remnants of this culture

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