Malpais Prieto Pre-Hispanic Settlement

Malpaís Prieto, also known as The Lost City, was established on the most recent volcanic lava flow and is perhaps the most characteristic example of the urbanization phenomenon of the Milpillas phase, having only been occupied during this phase (1250-1450 AD).

Sobre un terreno desprovisto de zonas planas, suelos o vegetación, se instalaron entre 5000 y 6000 personas en un espacio limitado por las dificultades del terreno. El caos natural de roca volcánica fue transformado, terraceado y edificado para formar una de las aglomeraciones prehispánicas más densas de Mesoamérica. Enmarcado en un paisaje volcánico espectacular, Malpaís Prieto es uno de los sitios mejor conservados a pesar de haber sufrido saqueos.

In 2013, a pyramid with 13 steps, 20 complete human burials and 15 pieces of clay, basalt and copper pottery were discovered in Malpaís Prieto, an area that is part of 400 archaeological sites located in the municipality of Zacapu, Michoacán, and where the Uacusecha culture settled 700 years ago, a group considered to be the precursor that gave rise to the development of the Tarascan kingdom.

This is indicated by the first archaeological findings and the exploration work on the Uacusecha culture that has been carried out for three years by archaeologists from the Center for Mexican and Central American Studies (CEMCA) with support from UNAM and INAH.