Description of the area:
The indigenous community Santiago Angahuan traces its origins to the pre-Hispanic era and P’urhépecha customs and traditions still exist, in their purest expression. The Terutsikua project (which means “on the summit” in the P’urhépecha language) is located on the summit of an extinct volcano, at the edge of the village; it has a Casa for Tourists where you can buy handicrafts, a restaurant, tables, playground, camping area, and a zone for deer. The region has a sacred conservation area where the largest and most ancient trees exist along with great biodiversity.
In the region you can appreciate the noteworthy beauty of the Santiago Apostol church, built in the 16th century, that contains a “huatapera” (a place used during the colonial era by the friar missionaries as a hospital and school).
The community was able to observe the birth of the Paricutín Volcano in 1943, and with it the destruction of the villages of San Salvador Combutzio Paricutin and San Juan Parangaricutiro. In the latter you can still see the towers and the alter of the church encased in lava. We provide guided tours of the ruins of San Juan and the Paricutín Volcano.
Available activities:
Adventure, sports
Biking
Bird watching
Eco/nature/wildlife
Horseback riding
Tours
Visits to conservation projects
Walking/hiking
How to get there:
- Nearest international airport: Francisco J. Mújica Airport in Morelia.
- Nearest local / national airport: Uruapan Airport.
Terutsikua is only 24 miles (38 km) from the Uruapan Airport, and has year-round access. Once you are in Uruapan, take the highway to Zamora and turn left at the first crossroad to Peribán.
Upon reaching Angahuán, continue on the highway to the end of the road and turn left to enter the village. The Tourist Casa is a few meters from the crossroad; head up the road on the right toward the top of the hill to the restaurant; this stretch is unpaved gravel and can be passed in vehicle or on foot.
Making a difference:
The indigenous community Santiago Angahuan has created a lot of private and communal infrastructure where they offer tourism services, as a result of the work and negotiation of their authorities; at present, the authorities work on the standardization of prices and the quality of the services. The Terutsikua community project leads the organization’s effort and aims to benefit all the partners equally and offer more tourism products.
In order to learn to administer this new resource, the community seeks experience exchanges with other ejidos (communal lands) and indigenous communities, and they joined the Community Ecotourism Network of Michoacán, A. C. in 2006. Network members consist of ejidos and forestry communities from different regions of Michoacán that are developing activities to strengthen community-based tourism enterprises as viable alternatives for job creation and income, which will also help improve the environment.
General rates:
Restaurant: Meal prices range from $5.00 to $10.00.
Horse rental to the ruins of the old San Juan Parangaricutiro village: approximately US $15.00 per round-trip.
Camping fees : US$3.00 per person.
Country house rental: US$10.00 for 2 people and $15.00 for 4 people.