The name means "good view" in Spanish. Its original name was Tomatlán Buenavista, with the first name from Nahuatl meaning "place of tomatoes". The area was first formally settled by the Mexicas during the pre Hispanic period, but its population was mixed with those of the Purhepecha and Pirinda ethnicities. This community was located just north of the current municipal seat, which is now an archeological site at a ranch called Pueblo Viejo. After the Spanish Conquest, the location of the current town of Buenavista began as a hacienda. After Independence, it came under the control of the municipality of Apatzingán. The current municipality was formed in 1927, taking land from the municipalities of Apatzingán and Tancítaro, with the seat named Buenavista Tomatlán.