Vasco de Quiroga was the first bishop of Michoacán. He died in Uruapan in 1565. The Purépecha called him Tata Vasco. Tata is a title that means “father.”
According to Mexico News Daily, he assigned many towns a specific craft, among them copper work in Santa Clara del Cobre and musical instruments in Paracho. Xataka México writes that the guitar making of Paracho goes back to the 16th century, when Don Vasco de Quiroga decided to teach the craft to the Purépecha.