Peak of the Tarascan Empire

Timeline

1. 1371–1376Tzintzuntzan · State of MichoacánCentered on Tzintzuntzan, the Tarascan empire had the cazonci control the cities of the Michoacán lake basin through a network of lineage nobles and local chiefs, collecting tribute and allocating corvée labor, forming a political order independent of the Nahua cultural sphere.
2. 1376–1380Michoacán lake basin · State of MichoacánThe empire relied on Lake Pátzcuaro fisheries, agricultural terraces, and distinctive copper-smelting techniques to maintain its economic advantage, while facing off against the expanding Aztec power on its eastern frontier; the two sides clashed multiple times in the 1370s without changing allegiance.