Pico de Tancítaro

Pico de Tancítaro, or Volcán Tancítaro, is the highest peak in Michoacán and part of the Michoacán–Guanajuato volcanic field in western Mexico. An andesitic-dacitic stratovolcano active from about 800,000 to 237,000 years ago, it is now extinct, though the surrounding volcanic field remained active, notably with Parícutin’s eruption beginning nearby in 1943. The mountain is significant for its layered high-elevation ecosystems, including pine-oak forest, cloud forest, and zacatonal grasslands, and for its biodiversity, with about 207 recorded animal species. Much of the area is protected within the Pico de Tancítaro Flora and Fauna Protection Area, first established in 1940 and redesignated in 2009.

Michoacán · Mexico