Church wall in Tzintzuntzan, Mexico

Two rough-hewn doors sit closed under a stone arch. Stone walls butt up against the archway. Tzintzuntzan is a small town near Pátzcuaro, Mexico in the state of Michoacán. It dates from before the arrival of the Spanish and was established by the P’urhépechapecha people. In the P’urhépecha language, Tzintzuntzan means the "Place of the Hummingbirds." During the pre-colonial period, the town served as an important ceremonial site and had several large stone pyramids. Many of these pyramids were dismantled by the Spanish to provide building blocks for colonial institutions, but the original ruins remain for archaeologists to study. Today the town is a popular tourist attraction and is known also for its hand-made baskets.