Location and Environment

The Chupícuaro site is located in the valley of the Lerma River, a short distance upstream from the Acámbaro site, directly at the confluence of the Rio Lerma with the Tigre or Coroneo tributary (Frierman ix; Porter 519). The Lerma is a significant body of water in Central Mexico. It drains into Lake Chapala, near Guadalajara. From there it flows into the Río Grande de Santiago and on to the Pacific Ocean. Chupícuaro’s location within the Pacific Drainage region designates it as a “West Mexican” site (Frierman ix). However, its location is on the border with the Valley of Mexico, with which it shares many cultural traits and economic ties (ix). The inhabitants of Chupícuaro may, in fact, have been migrants from the Valley of Mexico (Weaver 8), as discussed at a later point, although scholars current theories disagree on this point (Darras and Faugère, “Proyecto” 4). The larger Acámbaro region is semi-arid, displaying a mixture of biomes such as pine-oak forest, open wood, thorn forest, and cactus-scrub (Weaver 7), all superimposed on a “rolling, dissected, hilly topography” (Frierman ix). At Chupícuaro itself, a good rainfall and the river ensure that the area is moderately fertile (ix). The largest nearby sites are Acámbaro, Jerecuaro, and Tarandacuaro (Sites Where Chupícuaro-Related Materials Have Been Found xv).