The Tancítaro-Nueva Italia region (~4400 km 2 ) is located within the west-central Mexican volcanic belt and spans ~80 km of arc length along the volcanic front. On the basis of 65 40 Ar/ 39 Ar ages, it is shown that a total volume of ~326 ± 57 km 3 of magma has erupted from >200 vents since 1.2 Ma. Nearly a third of this volume (103 ± 5 km 3 ) was erupted as crystal-rich andesite from a large stratovolcano, Volcán Tancítaro, whereas the remaining two-thirds (~223 ± 52 km 3 ) span the complete range from 51 to 63 wt% SiO 2 , are relatively crystal-poor, and were erupted from peripheral vents. The total proportions of erupted lava types are ~6%-7% basalt, ~18% basaltic andesite, and ~74%-76% andesite; there is no rhyolite and only a trace of dacite.There is no evidence that any signifi cant magma differentiation occurred in the upper crust along this arc segment. Based on phenocryst abundances and modes, majorand trace-element data, as well as phaseequilibrium experiments from the literature, the following mechanisms for formation of andesite in this region can be ruled out:(1) crystal fractionation of basalt/basaltic andesite in the upper crust, (2) magma mixing of basalt/basaltic andesite with dacite/ rhyolite, and (3) assimilation of granitoid by basalt/ basaltic andesite. Instead, the same body of evidence indicates that the andesites were formed primarily in the deep crust through partial melting (>20%) of hornblende-rich (~40%) gabbronorite. The basaltic andesites are required, owing to their elevated Ni concentrations, to be hybrids of the andesitic partial melts with basaltic residual liquids that have undergone variable two-pyroxene fractionation in the deep crust.