Santa Clara del Cobre
Encyclopedia
Santa Clara del Cobre is a town and municipality
located in the center of the state of Michoacán
, Mexico
, 18 km from Pátzcuaro
and 79 km from the state capital of Morelia
. While the official name of the municipality is Salvador Escalante, and the town is often marked as "Villa Escalante" or "Salvador Escalante" on maps, both entities are interchangeably called Santa Clara del Cobre. The town is part of the Pátzcuaro region of Michoacán, and ethnically dominated by the P'urhépecha
people. These people have been working with copper
since the pre-Hispanic era
, and led to this town’s dominance in copper crafts over the colonial period (1519–1821) until well into the 19th century. Economic reverses led to the industry’s near-demise here until efforts in the 1940s and 1970s managed to bring the town’s work back into prominence.
Santa Clara del Cobre was named a "Pueblo Mágico
" in 2010.
region, was settled by the Tarascan or P’urhépecha people starting from the 12th century. In this area, the P’urhépecha founded villages such as Churucumeo, Cuirindicho, Andicua, Huitzila, Taboreca and Itziparátzico with the village closest to the modern town of Santa Clara del Cobre being Xacuaro. Of Mesoamerica
n cultures, only the P’urhépecha and the Zapotec peoples in Oaxaca
were able to extensively use copper. This metal was rare among the Aztec
s. The P’urhépechas were the most advanced in metallurgy, with the ability to fashion bells, decorations, jewelry and tools such as axes. They also knew how to inlay gold into copper objects. Burial grounds here have yielded copper items such as axes, masks and pincers. Part of the reason for this is that the area contained mines such as Inguarán and Opopeo which were known for abundance and which attracted the Spanish when they arrived.
At the beginning of the Conquest, most natives here fled the Spaniards, but were later enticed to return by the Spanish to continue their former trades. One of the incentives that Vasco de Quiroga
gave the natives of the Santa Clara area was the exclusive right to produce “cazos” a cross between a large caldron and a very large wok. These are still used today in Mexico, often to render fat or to fry pig skin into chicharrones. He also introduced new methods of smelting and working copper. Evangelization of the area was led by Friar Francisco Villafuerte, and the town was founded as Santa Clara de Acuero by Friar Martín de Jesús in 1521.
In 1540, a large forge was built here to smelt copper, which was not from local sources but rather from mines miles away. Smelting was done here because the process require three times the charcoal as ore, and the surrounding forests provided the charcoal. The town was officially founded in 1553, with the name Santa Clara de los Cobres. Santa Clara became the most important copper smelting area in New Spain
, meeting the demand for cauldrons, stills, casks, church bells and sending copper to the mint for coinage. In 1765, the town of Santa Clara de los Cobres incorporated two Indian settlements called Santa María Opopeo, and Santiago de Ario. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was a sacristan of the parish church in 1788. The settlement was officially named a town in 1858 and called Santa Clara de Portugal in honor of Cayetano de Portugal.
Copper production peaked in the second half of the 19th century. At this time a huge fire destroyed the town and it remained impoverished from the end of the 19th century into the early 20th. It burned again in 1910, with the Spanish population abandoning the town for nearby Pátzcuaro and Morelia, leaving only the indigenous. The municipality was the scene of the first uprising in support of Francisco I. Madero
, led by Salvador Escalante. However, the town had so degraded economically that its coppersmithing tradition was ignored by Dr. Atl
in his 1921 classic work The Popular Arts of Mexico. In 1932, the town’s name was changed to Villa Escalante and the municipality’s name was changed to Salvador Escalante but neither name was ever used popularly. In 1946, a group of local artisans decided to organize a copper fair, which continues to this day. The copper industry was revived here making decorated jugs, vases, centerpieces and other items. However, the nearest copper mines were tapped out in the mid 20th century. Today, the 10,000 tons of copper that comes into Santa Clara each week arrives in the form of recycled copper wire and cable from electric and telephone companies in Mexico and abroad. In 1981, the town changed its name back to Santa Clara del Cobre but kept Salvador Escalante as the official name of the municipality.
walls. Many of the houses here have decorations such as bells, flowerpots, doorknockers, etc. made of copper.
The center of town is made of two plazas. One contains a kiosk
with a copper roof, as well as benches and garbage cans painted to look like copper. Facing this plaza are many shops selling copper wares. Next to it is a plain plaza onto which face the town’s two main churches, the Parish of Santa Clara and the Chapel del Hospital.
Just off the kiosk plaza is the Museo del Cobre (Copper Museum). The museum holds a collection of hand-hammered copper items from the pre-Hispanic period to the winners of the town’s annual copper festival each year to the present, as well as national and international competitions. One section contains workshops in which classes are given and it is also home to the Unión de Artesanos (Artisans’ Union) which accredits smiths and products in order to conserve and further develop the craft.
Most of the town’s population, 82%, is employed in the making of copper items. There are 250 registered workshops in and around the town, which process about 450 tons of copper each year. This generates an income of about fifty million pesos a year. Many of the copper items made are of a utilitarian nature – cooking utensils, various types of containers, pots, pans, plates, shot glasses, clocks, jewelry, vases, beds, tables, chairs, light switches, counters, sinks, even bathtubs, and much, much more, all in copper. However, since the 1970s copper jewelry, and many other non-esencial items has also been made here. The workshops here are family-owned with children learning the trade from their parents. There is also a cooperative school-workshop to teach coppersmithing, named Vasco de Quiroga.
Items take from four days to a month to complete, depending on the size, thickness and decorative features. One example is the copper roof of the town’s kiosk which is located in one of the main plazas. The making of a piece in a workshop usually require four people to heat the metal, turn it and hammer it into shape.
Pieces from this town have been collected by museums in various parts of the world as well as private Mexican and international collectors. This has led to growing exports of items made from this community. To further promote Santa Clara del Cobre’s work, expositions such as one called “Santa Clara del Cobre. Obras Maestras” (Santa Clara del Cobre Masterpieces) have been held. This particular exposition featured more than 200 works done in copper, as well as covered the history of copper work in the town.
A major force in the development of Santa Clara del Cobre’s work since the 1970s has been the efforts of American James Metcalf and his wife, Mexican Ana Pellicer. Both had been internationally recognized artists prior to settling in Santa Clara del Cobre. Metcalf was commissioned to create the Olympic torch for the 1968 Olympic Games
and Pellicer designed the jewelry that adorned the Statue of Liberty
on its 100th anniversary.
The two established a studio in the town, bringing new approaches to working copper. They founded the Casa de Artesana in 1972, which emphasized the collective aspects of the old artisans’ guild. Giant public pieces were produced, from murals to bas-reliefs, which now adorn places like the Acapulco
Convention Center and the Institute for Foreign Trade in Mexico City. These pieces succeeded in bring widespread attention to the copper smithing craft of this town. Until this time, women were not involved in making copper items due to the upper body strength needed to hammer large items. Pellicer introduced copper jewelry-making, with women now making gossamer chains and small beads. The couple introduced the integration of new technologies such as lathes, levelers, electric motors, linseed finishes, computer designs and others melded with traditional indigenous designs.
With government support, Metcalf and Pellicer founded a school of arts and crafts in 1976 in the town, undertaking instruction in new techniques, development of new tools, and cultural, technical and artistic studies. As the school grew, so too did the participation of the Mexican government, and the school became known as the Adolfo Best Maugard
Center for Creative Technical and Industrial Training (CECATI No. 166), now teaching its third generation of students from all parts of Mexico. There are also satellite campuses in Guanajuato
, Oaxaca
and Chiapas
.
. The festival opens with speeches by politicians and a parade. The parade with floats, with themes related to copper and the area, including agriculture. Other attractions include musical groups, dances, singing contests, athletic events, classic car shows fireworks and food tasting. Local food specialties include sopa rellena, tostadas de carne apache, corundas and atole
. A queen of the festival is also crowned each year.
and Tingambato
, with a territory of 487.98km2. It lies on the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
contains the Santa Clara mountains, and the mountains of San Miguel, El Zurapio Pelón, San Lorenzo and El Guayamel as notable peaks. The main rivers are Silencio and Manzanillos, with streams such as the Turitán and Agua Blanca, Lake Zirahuén and fresh water springs comprising the rest of the surface water. The municipality has a temperate climate with a rainy season in the summer, with a few areas low enough to be considered tropical. Most of the vegetation is mixed pine and oak forest with tropical foliage in the lowest lying areas. Animal life consists of small mammals such as opossums, foxes, rabbits with fish such as trout in the rivers and Lake Zirahuén
. This lake is a deep blue color and surrounded by forests of mostly pine trees. The area has hiking paths, mountain biking, horseback riding and fishing and camping. The landscapes of the municipality were featured in the novel “La vida inútil de Pito Pérez” by José Rubén Romero.
Copper smithing is the most important economic activity, especially in the municipal seat, but agriculture occupies most of the land. Crops grown include corn, potatoes, wheat, beans, blackberries and barley. Livestock includes cattle, pigs, sheep, horses and mules. Other industries here include food processing and wood working, especially furniture-making. Tourism is attracted through the coppersmithing, the annual copper festival, forests and Lake Zirahuén. Other crafts are practiced in communities outside the municipal seat. Objects such as chairs, rag dolls, wood items and other things are made by communities such as Opopeo and Casas Blancas. Many of these artisans receive government support through the Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías.
Municipalities of Mexico
Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...
located in the center of the 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...
, 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...
, 18 km from Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro
Pátzcuaro is a large town and municipality located in the state of Michoacán. The town was founded sometime in the 1320s, at first becoming the capital of the Tarascan state and later its ceremonial center...
and 79 km from the state capital of 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...
. While the official name of the municipality is Salvador Escalante, and the town is often marked as "Villa Escalante" or "Salvador Escalante" on maps, both entities are interchangeably called Santa Clara del Cobre. The town is part of the Pátzcuaro region of Michoacán, and ethnically dominated by the P'urhépecha
P'urhépecha
The P'urhépecha, normally spelled Purépecha in Spanish and in English and traditionally referred to as Tarascans, are an indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of the Mexican state of Michoacán, principally in the area of the cities of Uruapan and Pátzcuaro...
people. These people have been working with copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
since the pre-Hispanic era
Pre-Columbian Mexico
The pre-Columbian history of the territory now within the contemporary nation of Mexico is known through the work of archaeologists and epigraphers, and through the accounts of the conquistadors, clergymen, and indigenous chroniclers of the immediate post-conquest period...
, and led to this town’s dominance in copper crafts over the colonial period (1519–1821) until well into the 19th century. Economic reverses led to the industry’s near-demise here until efforts in the 1940s and 1970s managed to bring the town’s work back into prominence.
Santa Clara del Cobre was named a "Pueblo Mágico
Pueblo Mágico
The Programa Pueblos Mágicos is an initiative led by Mexico's Secretariat of Tourism , in conjunction with other federal and state agencies, to promote a series of towns around the country that offer visitors a "magical" experience – by reason of their natural beauty, cultural riches, or...
" in 2010.
History
This area, like the rest of the Lake PátzcuaroLake Pátzcuaro
Lake Pátzcuaro is a lake in the municipality of Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico.The natives believe that the lake is the place where the barrier between life and death is the thinnest....
region, was settled by the Tarascan or P’urhépecha people starting from the 12th century. In this area, the P’urhépecha founded villages such as Churucumeo, Cuirindicho, Andicua, Huitzila, Taboreca and Itziparátzico with the village closest to the modern town of Santa Clara del Cobre being Xacuaro. Of Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
n cultures, only the P’urhépecha and the Zapotec peoples in Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
were able to extensively use copper. This metal was rare among the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
s. The P’urhépechas were the most advanced in metallurgy, with the ability to fashion bells, decorations, jewelry and tools such as axes. They also knew how to inlay gold into copper objects. Burial grounds here have yielded copper items such as axes, masks and pincers. Part of the reason for this is that the area contained mines such as Inguarán and Opopeo which were known for abundance and which attracted the Spanish when they arrived.
At the beginning of the Conquest, most natives here fled the Spaniards, but were later enticed to return by the Spanish to continue their former trades. One of the incentives that Vasco de Quiroga
Vasco de Quiroga
Vasco de Quiroga was the first bishop of Michoacán, Mexico and one of the judges in the second Audiencia that governed New Spain from January 10, 1531 to April 16, 1535....
gave the natives of the Santa Clara area was the exclusive right to produce “cazos” a cross between a large caldron and a very large wok. These are still used today in Mexico, often to render fat or to fry pig skin into chicharrones. He also introduced new methods of smelting and working copper. Evangelization of the area was led by Friar Francisco Villafuerte, and the town was founded as Santa Clara de Acuero by Friar Martín de Jesús in 1521.
In 1540, a large forge was built here to smelt copper, which was not from local sources but rather from mines miles away. Smelting was done here because the process require three times the charcoal as ore, and the surrounding forests provided the charcoal. The town was officially founded in 1553, with the name Santa Clara de los Cobres. Santa Clara became the most important copper smelting area in New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
, meeting the demand for cauldrons, stills, casks, church bells and sending copper to the mint for coinage. In 1765, the town of Santa Clara de los Cobres incorporated two Indian settlements called Santa María Opopeo, and Santiago de Ario. Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was a sacristan of the parish church in 1788. The settlement was officially named a town in 1858 and called Santa Clara de Portugal in honor of Cayetano de Portugal.
Copper production peaked in the second half of the 19th century. At this time a huge fire destroyed the town and it remained impoverished from the end of the 19th century into the early 20th. It burned again in 1910, with the Spanish population abandoning the town for nearby Pátzcuaro and Morelia, leaving only the indigenous. The municipality was the scene of the first uprising in support of Francisco I. Madero
Francisco I. Madero
Francisco Ignacio Madero González was a politician, writer and revolutionary who served as President of Mexico from 1911 to 1913. As a respectable upper-class politician, he supplied a center around which opposition to the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz could coalesce...
, led by Salvador Escalante. However, the town had so degraded economically that its coppersmithing tradition was ignored by Dr. Atl
Dr. Atl
Gerardo Murillo was a Mexican painter and writer who signed his works "Dr. Atl". He was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, where he began the study of painting at an early age, under Felipe Castro...
in his 1921 classic work The Popular Arts of Mexico. In 1932, the town’s name was changed to Villa Escalante and the municipality’s name was changed to Salvador Escalante but neither name was ever used popularly. In 1946, a group of local artisans decided to organize a copper fair, which continues to this day. The copper industry was revived here making decorated jugs, vases, centerpieces and other items. However, the nearest copper mines were tapped out in the mid 20th century. Today, the 10,000 tons of copper that comes into Santa Clara each week arrives in the form of recycled copper wire and cable from electric and telephone companies in Mexico and abroad. In 1981, the town changed its name back to Santa Clara del Cobre but kept Salvador Escalante as the official name of the municipality.
The town
The town has mostly conserved its colonial look, with houses and other buildings mostly painted white and roofed in red tiles. Older buildings have thick adobeAdobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
walls. Many of the houses here have decorations such as bells, flowerpots, doorknockers, etc. made of copper.
The center of town is made of two plazas. One contains a kiosk
Kiosk
Kiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward...
with a copper roof, as well as benches and garbage cans painted to look like copper. Facing this plaza are many shops selling copper wares. Next to it is a plain plaza onto which face the town’s two main churches, the Parish of Santa Clara and the Chapel del Hospital.
Just off the kiosk plaza is the Museo del Cobre (Copper Museum). The museum holds a collection of hand-hammered copper items from the pre-Hispanic period to the winners of the town’s annual copper festival each year to the present, as well as national and international competitions. One section contains workshops in which classes are given and it is also home to the Unión de Artesanos (Artisans’ Union) which accredits smiths and products in order to conserve and further develop the craft.
Coppersmithing of Santa Clara del Cobre
Copper has been worked in this area since pre-Hispanic times, with the native P’urhépecha being the most advanced smiths of that time. Although the Spanish introduced new techniques, one native one that was kept was that of smelting, as it was more efficient than European techniques. For this reason, bellows seen here are very different from Europe.Most of the town’s population, 82%, is employed in the making of copper items. There are 250 registered workshops in and around the town, which process about 450 tons of copper each year. This generates an income of about fifty million pesos a year. Many of the copper items made are of a utilitarian nature – cooking utensils, various types of containers, pots, pans, plates, shot glasses, clocks, jewelry, vases, beds, tables, chairs, light switches, counters, sinks, even bathtubs, and much, much more, all in copper. However, since the 1970s copper jewelry, and many other non-esencial items has also been made here. The workshops here are family-owned with children learning the trade from their parents. There is also a cooperative school-workshop to teach coppersmithing, named Vasco de Quiroga.
Items take from four days to a month to complete, depending on the size, thickness and decorative features. One example is the copper roof of the town’s kiosk which is located in one of the main plazas. The making of a piece in a workshop usually require four people to heat the metal, turn it and hammer it into shape.
Pieces from this town have been collected by museums in various parts of the world as well as private Mexican and international collectors. This has led to growing exports of items made from this community. To further promote Santa Clara del Cobre’s work, expositions such as one called “Santa Clara del Cobre. Obras Maestras” (Santa Clara del Cobre Masterpieces) have been held. This particular exposition featured more than 200 works done in copper, as well as covered the history of copper work in the town.
A major force in the development of Santa Clara del Cobre’s work since the 1970s has been the efforts of American James Metcalf and his wife, Mexican Ana Pellicer. Both had been internationally recognized artists prior to settling in Santa Clara del Cobre. Metcalf was commissioned to create the Olympic torch for the 1968 Olympic Games
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
and Pellicer designed the jewelry that adorned the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
on its 100th anniversary.
The two established a studio in the town, bringing new approaches to working copper. They founded the Casa de Artesana in 1972, which emphasized the collective aspects of the old artisans’ guild. Giant public pieces were produced, from murals to bas-reliefs, which now adorn places like the Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
Convention Center and the Institute for Foreign Trade in Mexico City. These pieces succeeded in bring widespread attention to the copper smithing craft of this town. Until this time, women were not involved in making copper items due to the upper body strength needed to hammer large items. Pellicer introduced copper jewelry-making, with women now making gossamer chains and small beads. The couple introduced the integration of new technologies such as lathes, levelers, electric motors, linseed finishes, computer designs and others melded with traditional indigenous designs.
With government support, Metcalf and Pellicer founded a school of arts and crafts in 1976 in the town, undertaking instruction in new techniques, development of new tools, and cultural, technical and artistic studies. As the school grew, so too did the participation of the Mexican government, and the school became known as the Adolfo Best Maugard
Adolfo Best Maugard
Adolfo Best Maugard also known as Fito Best was a Mexican painter, film director and screenwriter.- Life :...
Center for Creative Technical and Industrial Training (CECATI No. 166), now teaching its third generation of students from all parts of Mexico. There are also satellite campuses in Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
, Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
and Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
.
Feria del Cobre
The Feria Nacional y Concurso del Cobre Martillado (National Festival and Competition of Hammered Copper) takes place in late August and/or early September, around the feast day of the town’s patron saint, Saint Claire (Santa Clara). This is one of the events that has earned the state of Michoacán its reputation as a fine crafts producer. Its main feature is a copper crafts competition which awards more than eighty prizes with a combined purse of about 400,000 pesosMexican peso
The peso is the currency of Mexico. Modern peso and dollar currencies have a common origin in the 15th–19th century Spanish dollar, most continuing to use its sign, "$". The Mexican peso is the 12th most traded currency in the world, the third most traded in the Americas, and by far the most...
. The festival opens with speeches by politicians and a parade. The parade with floats, with themes related to copper and the area, including agriculture. Other attractions include musical groups, dances, singing contests, athletic events, classic car shows fireworks and food tasting. Local food specialties include sopa rellena, tostadas de carne apache, corundas and atole
Atole
Atole is a traditional masa-based Mexican and Central American hot drink. Chocolate atole is known as champurrado or atole...
. A queen of the festival is also crowned each year.
The municipality
As a municipality, the community of Santa Clara del Cobre is the governing authority for 116 named communities. About one third of the municipality’s total population of 38,502 lives in the town of Santa Clara del Cobre proper. The municipality is located in the center of Michoacán, bordered by the municipalities of Pátzcuaro, Huiramba, Tacámbaro, Ario de Rosales, Zirahuén, TaretanTaretan
Taretan is a municipality located in the central part of the Mexican state of Michoacán. The municipality has an area of 185.23 square kilometres and is bordered to the north by the municipality of Ziracuaretiro, to the east by Salvador Escalante and Ario, to the south by Gabriel Zamora and Nuevo...
and Tingambato
Tingambato
Tingambato is a municipality in the north-central part of the Mexican state of Michoacán. Its municipal seat is the city of the same name. The municipality has an area of 188.77 square kilometres and is bordered by the north by the municipalites of Nahuatzén and Erongarícuaro, to the east by...
, with a territory of 487.98km2. It lies on the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Trans-Mexican volcanic belt
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada , is a volcanic belt that extends 900 km from west to east across central-southern Mexico...
contains the Santa Clara mountains, and the mountains of San Miguel, El Zurapio Pelón, San Lorenzo and El Guayamel as notable peaks. The main rivers are Silencio and Manzanillos, with streams such as the Turitán and Agua Blanca, Lake Zirahuén and fresh water springs comprising the rest of the surface water. The municipality has a temperate climate with a rainy season in the summer, with a few areas low enough to be considered tropical. Most of the vegetation is mixed pine and oak forest with tropical foliage in the lowest lying areas. Animal life consists of small mammals such as opossums, foxes, rabbits with fish such as trout in the rivers and Lake Zirahuén
Lake Zirahuén
Lake Zirahuén is a small endorheic lake in the Municipality of Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán state of west-central Mexico.Lake Zirahuén is a small, deep mountain lake, with a sandy bottom that is partially covered with mud....
. This lake is a deep blue color and surrounded by forests of mostly pine trees. The area has hiking paths, mountain biking, horseback riding and fishing and camping. The landscapes of the municipality were featured in the novel “La vida inútil de Pito Pérez” by José Rubén Romero.
Copper smithing is the most important economic activity, especially in the municipal seat, but agriculture occupies most of the land. Crops grown include corn, potatoes, wheat, beans, blackberries and barley. Livestock includes cattle, pigs, sheep, horses and mules. Other industries here include food processing and wood working, especially furniture-making. Tourism is attracted through the coppersmithing, the annual copper festival, forests and Lake Zirahuén. Other crafts are practiced in communities outside the municipal seat. Objects such as chairs, rag dolls, wood items and other things are made by communities such as Opopeo and Casas Blancas. Many of these artisans receive government support through the Fondo Nacional para el Fomento de las Artesanías.