Stroll through luscious avocado groves to the beautiful ruins of this ceremonial site called Tinganio in Purépecha, which predates the Purépechan empire and thrived from about AD 450 to 900. Rarely visited and beautifully atmospheric as a result, the site is located outside the town of Tingambato, 33km northeast of Uruapan on the old road to Pátzcuaro. The ruins, which include two plazas, three altars and a ball court, have a Teotihuacán influence.
There’s also an 8m-high stepped pyramid to the east and an underground tomb where 15 skeletons and 32 scattered skulls were found – hinting at beheading or trophy-skull rituals. The wooded knoll behind the fence to the west of the ball court contains an unexcavated pyramid.
Buses to Morelia and Pátzcuaro leave from Uruapan’s terminal every half-hour and stop in Tingambato (M$11, 30 minutes) on the way. The ruins are 1.5km downhill on Terán, the continuation of Juárez, the sixth street on the right as you enter Tingambato.
