Which village stages the lighted Mesoamerican ball game at Las Yácatas?

The village that stages the lighted Mesoamerican ball game at Las Yácatas is Tzintzuntzan.

Tzintzuntzan was the ceremonial center and later capital of the Purépecha Empire in Michoacán. Its archaeological site is famous for five distinctive rounded pyramids called yácatas, arranged on a large platform overlooking Lake Pátzcuaro. The site’s name comes from a Purépecha word meaning “place of hummingbirds.”

During cultural festivities, performers play uárukua, a traditional Purépecha ball game related to older Mesoamerican ball-game traditions. In the nighttime version, the ball is set on fire and players use curved sticks resembling hockey sticks. The glowing ball makes the event especially striking when staged near the ancient yácatas.

Tzintzuntzan is sometimes confused with Pátzcuaro or Janitzio because all three are central to the lake region’s Night of the Dead celebrations. They are distinct places: Pátzcuaro is the historic lakeside town, Janitzio is an island, and Tzintzuntzan is the village beside the major Purépecha archaeological site. Its cultural events also include music, dance, crafts, and food traditions.