Huandacareo, Archaeological site near Lake Cuitzeo, Michoacán, Mexico

Huandacareo is an archaeological site set on an elevated plateau with ruins from pre-Hispanic times. The remains include ceremonial platforms, living areas, and burial grounds that reveal how people organized their community life.

The site shows clear Purépecha ancestry, but its position in the Cuitzeo basin and its ceremonial layout point to outside contacts. Obsidian from the Cerro de Zináparo and Zinapécuaro, along with Pacific coastal materials, reached the plateau. The main cultural influence came from the Purépecha region of Pátzcuaro.

Locally the site is called "La Nopalera". According to INAH, the name Huandacareo derives from the Purépecha word Uandakua, meaning "trial place", "speaker place" or "tribunal"; another version traces it to the Chichimeca word huandaca, "speech", giving "preaching place".

The site lies on an elevated plateau about 2.46 km from the northwestern shore of Lake Cuitzeo and roughly 2 km from the center of Huandacareo town. The lake level fluctuates, so the surrounding terrain can be marshy. The ground on the plateau is uneven; wear sturdy shoes.

Locals call the site "La Nopalera", after the nopal cacti on the plateau. INAH derives Huandacareo from the Purépecha word uandakua, meaning "trial place", "speaker place" or "tribunal"; another version traces it to the Chichimeca huandaca, "speech", giving "preaching place".