Regional Museum of Michoacán, Dr. Nicolás León Calderón

The museum comprises 12 permanent exhibition rooms. The collection is mainly pre-Hispanic. It also includes drawings, weapons from the colonial era, religious, military and civil attire from the 17th and 19th centuries, as well as instruments of torture, furnishings from the Porfiriato, a painting gallery with works from different periods, and human and fauna remains. The collection features the landscape of the state of Michoacán; physical-geographic factors; geology, physiography and natural regions; climates and soil types; flora and fauna of the state, their geographic distribution and importance to humans, as well as the role humans have played as part of the ecosystems. From the Preclassic period there is a survey of the first cultures that settled in western Mexico, their relation to the rest of Mesoamerica, as well as archaeological evidence of tombs and offerings. From the Classic period, it is explained, through human figures, vessels, rattles, objects of obsidian, turquoise and jade, the technological progress and cultural evolution at sites such as Zacapu, Loma de Santa María, in Morelia, and the Balsas basin, as well as the architecture of Tingambato. From the Postclassic, the consolidation of the Tarascan lordship is shown, its social, religious and economic aspects, language, exploitation of natural resources, physical aspects, the appearance of metal objects, musical instruments, pottery and jewelry, as well as a reproduction of the Jucutacato canvas. The impact of European presence on the population of ancient Michoacán is explained; the coexistence of diverse ethnic groups; the gradual formation of a mestizo culture; the creation of institutions and new ways of life; colonization and its effects on population and Indigenous identity; the rise of oligarchic groups; mule trade and its importance in the economy; commerce; mining; the political situation and the Bourbon reforms; Enlightenment thought in Michoacán, as well as the background and causes that contributed to the gestation of the War of Independence. The political crisis of the Iberian Peninsula is addressed; the Valladolid conspiracy and its protagonists; Hidalgo and the armed struggle; Morelos; the congresses of Zitácuaro, Apatzingán and Chilpancingo; counterinsurgency; the guerrillas; the decline of the movement, and the consummation of the Independence. The struggles between centralists and federalists are explored; the participation of Michoacanos during the U.S. intervention of 1847, the Liberal Reform of 1857-1862 and the intervention of the French; the Porfiriato and its effects on the state; foreign companies and their economic interference; differences between social classes; the advancement of culture; the involvement of Michoacanos in the Madero Revolution, constitutionalism and the Cristera War; the leadership of Lázaro Cárdenas as President; oil expropriation, and land reform.