The Tarascan reign began with Tariácuri, the first chief to be given the title of Caltzontzin, equivalent to monarch, and this occurred in Pátzcuaro. In this way, Pátzcuaro became the first capital of the Tarascans. Tariácuri, the founder of the Tarascan empire, divided the region into three lordships: Ihuatzio, Tzintzuntzan, and Pátzcuaro.

In Pátzcuaro, the power was entrusted to Hiquigare, who died without descendants, and as a result, power was concentrated in Tzintzuntzan, which became the new Tarascan capital, leaving Pátzcuaro as a ceremonial center and recreation place.

Colonial Era

When the Spaniards arrived in Michoacán, the Chichimeca or Tarascan people who did not accept their surrender took refuge in Pátzcuaro in an attitude of resistance. They fortified themselves in a place that is now known as "Barrio Fuerte" (Strong Neighborhood).

In the Chapel of Christ, a church built by Don Vasco de Quiroga, the meeting between Tanganxoan II and Cristóbal de Olid took place. During this encounter, as the Spanish chief dismounted from his horse and reached out his arms to the monarch, the latter hurried forward and kneeled in front of the foreigner. Thousands of onlookers watched in silence and awe as this act of humility unfolded. Even today, the site where the encounter took place is known as "El Humilladero" (The Humiliation Place).

In 1526, Nuño de Guzmán arrived as the President of the Audiencia and committed countless crimes, culminating in the torture and death of Taganxoan II, the last Tarascan Caltzontzin. In response, the inhabitants of Michoacán, and especially Pátzcuaro, fled to the mountains, and the region was left depopulated.

In 1538, following the process of conquest, with the Spaniards already established in the former Tarascan capital, the Bishopric of Michoacán was founded, and the first Bishop was Don Vasco de Quiroga, who moved the provincial capital and the episcopal see to Pátzcuaro. By Royal Decree dated July 26, 1539, the change of the province's capital was authorized.

In 1540, the repopulation of Pátzcuaro began. Vasco de Quiroga brought several Indians and Spanish families to give new life to the place, and it is for this reason, along with all his episcopal work, that some historians consider Vasco de Quiroga the "true founder of Pátzcuaro." It is also from this date that the foundation of the College of San Nicolás Obispo dates.

As the episcopal see moved from Tzintzuntzan to Pátzcuaro, the title of the City of Michoacán, previously issued for Tzintzuntzan, was also transferred. Pátzcuaro became the City of Michoacán, and Tzintzuntzan became its neighborhood. In 1553, Pátzcuaro obtained the confirmation of the title of City and its coat of arms.

Don Vasco de Quiroga began the construction of his cathedral church on the site where the great temple dedicated to the goddess Cueráppari had been. The project, which aimed to be the most formidable temple in America, was deemed ambitious and unacceptable by Spain, and as a result, the works were suspended, leaving the cathedral as a single-nave building that remains to this day.

In 1575, ten years after Quiroga's death, the decline of Pátzcuaro began when the civil authorities moved to the newly founded Valladolid. In 1579 and 1580, the ecclesiastical authorities and the College of San Nicolás also moved to Valladolid.

In 1754, there were two congregations in the city of Pátzcuaro, one formed by Franciscans and the other by Augustinians. The former covered some neighborhoods of the head and two towns called San Andrés Thocuaro and San Miguel Nocuchepo.

War of Independence & the 19th Century

During the War of Independence, Pátzcuaro suffered several attacks. In this struggle, notable for their brave participation were Father Manuel de la Torres Lloreda, who took part in the Valladolid conspiracy, was a deputy to the First Constituent Congress of Michoacán, and author of the project of the first political constitution of Michoacán; and the heroine Doña Gertrudis Bocanegra de Lazo de la Vega, who was executed by the royalists in the Plaza Mayor of Pátzcuaro on October 10, 1817.

With the political division of the State in 1824, Pátzcuaro became the head of District XII of the Western Department. On December 10, 1831, it was elevated to the category of municipality by the Territorial Law of that year.

During the Reform War, Pátzcuaro constituted a conservative stronghold, pronouncing in favor of the empire in 1867.

General Régules, a republican fighter, attacked the city on January 4, encouraged by the triumph in Tacámbaro. After a bloody confrontation, he managed to take control of the city and appointed liberal authorities.

In the Porfirian era, Pátzcuaro became the seat of large landowners, merchants, and owners of nearby estates. In 1886, the Morelia-Pátzcuaro railway was inaugurated, leading to the entry of foreign companies that indiscriminately exploited forests and local labor.

On May 5, 1899, the electric lighting of Pátzcuaro was inaugurated.

20th Century

During the Revolution, the city of Pátzcuaro became a strategic point to take the State's capital. On April 21, 1913, encouraged by the victory in Tacámbaro, the revolutionaries decided to attack Pátzcuaro, where they were received with joy.

On August 9 of the same year, after learning that Pátzcuaro had fallen into the hands of the Huertista government, General Amaro marched to reclaim the town. As the revolutionaries failed to take control of the city, they withdrew hours later. The town was also attacked by the bandit Inés Chávez García.

In 1920, the reconstruction of the city began with the aim of preserving its indigenous and colonial heritage. In 1951, with the founding of the Regional Center for Fundamental Education for Latin America (CREFAL) by the United Nations, a new stage in the city's cultural life began.

In 1983, the city council established the Vasco de Quiroga Prize, awarded to individuals who have contributed to the city's greatness through their work, and it is presented on September 28.