Fire is one of the sacred elements in the Purépecha cosmovision. Its centrality is particularly evident in the cult of Curicaueri, the main deity of the dominant group, who was associated with both warfare and the governing lineage. Fire undoubtedly plays a structuring role in both public and domestic ritual life. The principal temples maintained perpetual fires that symbolized the continuity of political authority and functioned as offerings, since it was said that Curicaueri fed on firewood. Rulers also painted their bodies black in reverence to the patron god and to symbolize smoke, the element through which humans communicated with the god.
The maintenance and renewal of fire involved highly codified practices that reproduced, at the local level, the regeneration of cosmic order. When the Cazonci died, for example, his body was cremated as one of the highest offerings to fire. Priests likewise offered blood from their ears to the fire, and in wartime contexts they accompanied prayers with offerings -- such as tobacco cast into the fire -- to secure success in the capture of enemies. These practices suggest that fire was connected to both domestic-priestly ritual settings and public ceremonial activity, likely also related to the hearths in the temples. A principal priest responsible for supplying firewood for these sacred fires is also mentioned, whose description probably coincides with the Petámuti figure.