Sahuayo de Morelos

Sahuayo de Morelos

Sahuayo de Morelos is a city situated in the western Mexican state of Michoacán, operating as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. Positioned near the southern shore of Lake Chapala at coordinates 20.057, -102.7164, the settlement functions as an important center for industry and commerce throughout the Chapala lake region.

Referred to in Nahuatl as Tzacuātlayotl, meaning turtle-shaped pot, the city holds a historical turning point marked on its municipal seal, which depicts the foundation of Sahuayo in 1530 alongside a plumed serpent fighting with the cross to symbolize the conquest by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán. Three hills on the seal represent the three towns that gave origin to Sahuayo during the second half of the 16th century.

Known regionally as the Athens of Michoacán due to the poets, writers, and painters residing there, Sahuayenses specialize in crafts, hats known as sombreros, and sandals known as huaraches. The locality proudly houses the largest huarache in the world, measuring 7.45 meters long and 3.09 meters wide, while serving as the current seat of the Arts Propositions Association.

Demographic growth is recorded across official assessments, showing a municipal population of 61,965 inhabitants in 2005 alongside a city population of 59,316 for that same year, while the Census of 2020 recorded a population of 78,477. Further details are accessible through Sahuayo and the GeoNames record for Sahuayo de Morelos.