Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo (Spanish pronunciation: [mitʃoaˈkan ðe oˈkampo]), officially Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo (Spanish: Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo), is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia (formerly called Valladolid). The city was named after José María Morelos, hero of the Mexican War of Independence.

Michoacán is located in Western Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Colima and Jalisco to the northwest, Guanajuato and Querétaro to the north, México to the east, Guerrero to the southeast. To the southwest, Michoacán has a stretch of coastline on the Pacific Ocean.

The name Michoacán is from Nahuatl: Michhuahkan from michhuah (“possessor of fish”) and -kan (place of) and means "place of the fishermen" referring to those who fish on Lake Pátzcuaro. In pre-Hispanic times, the area was the home of the P'urhépecha (Tarascan) Empire, which rivaled the Aztec Empire at the time of Spanish encounter. After the Spanish conquest, the empire became a separate province which became smaller over the colonial period. The state and several of its residents played a major role in the Mexican War of Independence. Today, the state is still home to a large population of P'urhépecha people as well as Otomi and Nahua. The economy is based on agriculture, fishing, mining and some industry. The major tourism draw for the state is the Lake Pátzcuaro-Tzintzuntzan-Quiroga area, which was the center of the P'urhépecha empire.

Arath De La Torre Balmaceda (born March 20, 1975 in Cancún, Quintana Roo) is a Mexican actor and comedian, best known for his roles in the television series La Parodia and El Privilegio de Mandar.

At the age of 17 he moved from Cancún to Mexico City in order to study at the Centro de Educación Artística (CEA). In 1996 he made his debut in the telenovela Tú y yo (You and I) for Televisa, one of the main TV broadcasters in Mexico. In 2003 he began to act in the sketch comedy show La Parodia (The Parody), and since 2004 in "El Privilegio de Mandar". His younger brother, Ulises de la Torre, is also an actor and often appears in La Parodia. In 2007, he hosted the now canceled show La Hora de la Papa along with Galilea Montijo. During this year his wife, Susy Lu, gave birth to Arath de la Torre's daughter. His daughter's name is Gala