- Main features
- Current homes
- Ritual for the construction of houses
- Location of the Purépecha town
- References
The traditional Purépecha dwelling consists of a simple structure built with adobe or wood walls and palm leaf roofs, consisting of a room, loft and corridor.
In indigenous communities in regions such as Lago, La Cañada, Tingüindín and Los Reyes, in the state of Michoacán in Mexico, the houses are generally made of adobe, while in the mountains they are usually built of wood due to the weather conditions.
However, currently the construction materials most used in the homes of the Purépecha are the partition and the partition, the sheets of zinc and asbestos, the cardboard and the cast roof.
Main features
The traditional dwellings of the Purépecha, called kimánchikua, are built of adobe and wood.
They are very humble houses with roofs of palm leaves that grow in the regions where they live.
The houses are designed in a square or rectangular plan (with four sides) that occupy an average surface between 15 and 20 m².
They measure about 3.5 meters on the side by about 5 meters on the front or vice versa, depending on the construction site.
They consist of room, loft and corridor. They are used equally as a bedroom, artisan workshop and as a warehouse for the storage of agricultural products.
It is more common to see adobe or stepped mud houses in the regions of Lake Pátzcuaro and La Cañada de los Once Pueblos, both very rich in artisan production. They are also common in the communities that live in Los Reyes and Tingüindín.
As for wooden houses, their construction is more frequent in the mountains due to its mild climate. Wooden houses provide more heat and allow better use of heating.
Both houses, built with adobe or wood, use the hipped palm roof. Also, in some regions they are combined with stone walls around the house for protection. They have single-leaf or swing doors.
The houses also have a small garden, where they grow vegetables or raise domestic animals.
Current homes
Since it is now easier to build a house with other materials, some Purépecha communities are using more zinc, asbestos, cement, tiles, partition and partition or cardboard in the construction of their houses.
Ritual for the construction of houses
Traditionally, when beginning the construction of a house, the Purépecha perform a ritual to attract good spirits to the future occupant of the house.
When they finish their construction, they celebrate the event with a party. They sacrifice a goat, which is hung on the triangular vertex of the house to be depressed.
Outside the house they place a cross as a sign of gratitude to God, because they are a deeply Catholic people.
Location of the Purépecha town
This indigenous people lives mainly in the Mexican state of Michoacán, where they are known as Michoacas or Michoacanos in the Nahuatl language.
Previously they were called the Tarascan people; however, they call themselves Purepecha and prefer to be called by this name.
Many Purépecha Indians have migrated to other regions of Mexico and to the United States, Canada and Greenland.
References
- Ibarra, Ricardo. Adobe and wood: Purepecha architecture. Retrieved on December 15, 2017 from gaceta.udg.mx
- Purepechas. Consulted of grupopurepecha.blogspot.com
- Ávila, Patricia. Purepecha culture. Consulted of unesco.org.uy
- The Purépechas today (PDF). Consulted from sites.google.com
- The Purépechas today. sites.google.com
- P´urhépecha (PDF). Indigenous Peoples of Mexico in the XXI Century. Consulted of gob.mx