Chavinda, which means "place of four winds" in the Purepecha language, is a small town in the Mexican state of Michoacán

Michoacán

Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...

. It is located at an elevation of 5150 ft, about three hours' drive from Morelia

Morelia

Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...

 and Guadalajara

Guadalajara, Jalisco

Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...

. The estimated population is about 15,000 people.

Chavinda is the municipal seat for the municipality

Municipalities of Michoacán

The Mexican state of Michoacánis made up of 113 municipios :...

 of Chavinda, in the state of Michoacán de Ocampo

Michoacán

Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...

. Other small towns and villages included in this municipality are La Esperanza

La Esperanza

La Esperanza is a town in northern Ecuador, in the Imbabura Province, Ibarra Canton. It lies at the northern foot of the Mount Imbabura volcano....

, San Juan Palmira, and El Tepehuaje.

History

Chavinda was founded in 1840. The small town was developed as a religious center, and its early inhabitants believed Chavinda to be the doorway to heaven where the Gods ascended and descended. The Purepecha people first settled in Chavinda in 1494, led by Rey Curateme. It has always been of interest to Mexican history buffs because it was central to the careers of two diametrically opposed characters in Mexico's colonial past.

Chavinda has many traditions and customs like the great Salcedas known as los "musiquitas". The small village is hidden high in the mountains of Michoacán

Michoacán

Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...

. It is veiled from the outside world by a curtain of high pine trees. To the east is Zamora, one of Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

's quaintest towns.

The town retains its ancient atmosphere. It consists of largely one-story adobe or plaster-over-brick buildings with red tile roofs. The streets are dusty cobblestones traveled by horse and car. La Plaza is Chavinda's central square. Bricks covers the plaza, and a kiosk stands in its center with many tienditas around.

The prominent family in these parts are the Orinocos.