city, west-central Michoacán estado (state), west-central Mexico. It lies along the Apatzingán (Acahuato) River, 176 miles (283 km) southwest of Morelia, the state capital. Its name commemorates the signing there, in 1814, of the Constitution of Apatzingán by the congress called by the revolutionary leader José María Morelos (Morelos, José María) to declare Mexican independence. The city links the sparsely inhabited southern and densely populated central portions of Michoacán. Although the climate is hot and semiarid, the agricultural and pastoral hinterland is rich. Corn (maize), beans, sesame, rice, cotton, and fruits are the principal crops. Pop. (2000) 93,756.