Michoacán
The kingdom of the Purépecha west of the Mexica, with its capital at Tzintzuntzan.
Today: Michoacán, Mexico
The Mexica Embassy and the Smallpox in Michoacán
Purépecha elders and a Franciscan friar, Relación de Michoacán (about 1539–1541), on the Mexica embassy of 1520 and the death of the cazonci Zuangua · compiled about 1539–1541 (events of 1520)
y dijéronnos, “vosotros los de Mechuacan por allí vendréis, y nosotros iremos por otra parte: y ansí los mataremos á todos, porque no los mataremos porque oimos de vosotros los de Mechuacan que sois grandes flecheros, tenemos confianza en vuestros arcos y flechas: mira que ya los habéis visto: llevad estas nuevas á vuestro señor, y decidle que le rogamos mucho que no quiebre nuestras palabras, que crea esto que le decimos que tenemos de nuestros dioses, que nos han dicho que nunca se ha de destruir Méjico, ni nos han de quemar las casas; dos reinos son nombrados, Méjico y Mechuacan: mira que hay mucho trabajo.
They said to us, ‘You of Mechuacan will come from that side, and we will come from the other, and so we will kill them all. Why should we not kill them? We hear that you of Mechuacan are great archers, and we trust in your bows and arrows. Now you have seen the strangers. Take this news to your lord. Tell him we beg him not to break faith with us. Let him believe what we tell him, for we have it from our gods. They have told us that Mexico will never be destroyed and our houses will never be burned. Two kingdoms are named, Mexico and Mechuacan. Look how much trouble there is.’