Calnali
Encyclopedia
Calnali is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo
, in central-eastern Mexico
. The municipality covers an area of 190.2 km². Calnali is a Nahuatl
name meaning house on the other side of the river. As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 15,815.
The cabecera or municipal seat is primarily mestizo
, while the outlying communities (including Papatlatla, Tula, Atempa, and Ahuacatlan) are heavily populated by Nahuatl
-speaking indigenous people. The town's tianguis
is held every Sunday morning in the central plaza and surrounding streets. Despite its small size, Calnali is important as a regional cultural center, hosting an annual music festival featuring local Bandas de Viento and huapango
performers, as well as an annual festival of indigenous culture. Large celebrations are also held for the Day of the Dead
, Carnival
and the 25th of April which is the festival of Calnali's patron saint; San Marcos.
In the 2008 municipal elections, Calnali became the first and only municipality in Hidalgo to be governed by the progressive Convergencia party. In 2009, over the objections of the municipal administration, the diocese of Huejutla de Reyes
temporarily suspended all Catholic Church functions in Calnali, including baptisms and funerals, in response to indigenous carnival activities on Ash Wednesday
.
Calnali supports six hotels, including three rustic eco-tourism lodges. The most important eco-tourism lodge is located at Quinta La Palapa which also has on display Calnali's historical achievements and photographs from the last 300 years. The Centro de Investigaciones Cientifícas de las Huastecas 'Aguazarca'
(CICHAZ) is located on the western outskirts of the municipal seat.
Central Calnali is located at 980 m elevation, and the entire municipality occupies the eastern slope of the Sierra Madre Oriental
. The terrain is largely mountainous Veracruz moist forests
fragmented by pasture and cropland. The Río Calnali and the Río Tula/Atempa, tributaries of the Río Conzintla and ultimately the Río Pánuco, traverse the municipality from east to west. Each of these rivers is a hybrid zone
between two species of the swordtail fish Xiphophorus
.
Municipalities of Hidalgo
The Mexican state of Hidalgois made up of 84 municipalities :...
, in central-eastern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The municipality covers an area of 190.2 km². Calnali is a Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
name meaning house on the other side of the river. As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 15,815.
The cabecera or municipal seat is primarily mestizo
Mestizo
Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...
, while the outlying communities (including Papatlatla, Tula, Atempa, and Ahuacatlan) are heavily populated by Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
-speaking indigenous people. The town's tianguis
Tianguis
A tianguis is an open air market or bazaar that is traditionally held on certain market days in a town or city neighborhood in Mexico and Central America. This bazaar tradition has its roots well into the pre-Hispanic period and continues in many cases essentially unchanged into the present day....
is held every Sunday morning in the central plaza and surrounding streets. Despite its small size, Calnali is important as a regional cultural center, hosting an annual music festival featuring local Bandas de Viento and huapango
Huapango
Huapango is a corruption of the Nahuatl word huapanco that textually means on top of the wood platform according to the dictionary of the Real Academia Española . Today huapango refers to a musical style that originated in and is played throughout the La Huasteca region in Mexico...
performers, as well as an annual festival of indigenous culture. Large celebrations are also held for the Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead
Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in many cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality...
, Carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
and the 25th of April which is the festival of Calnali's patron saint; San Marcos.
In the 2008 municipal elections, Calnali became the first and only municipality in Hidalgo to be governed by the progressive Convergencia party. In 2009, over the objections of the municipal administration, the diocese of Huejutla de Reyes
Huejutla de Reyes
Huejutla de Reyes is a town and one of the 84 municipalities of Hidalgo, in central-eastern Mexico.The municipality covers an area of 377.8 km². As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 115,786....
temporarily suspended all Catholic Church functions in Calnali, including baptisms and funerals, in response to indigenous carnival activities on Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday, in the calendar of Western Christianity, is the first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. It is a moveable fast, falling on a different date each year because it is dependent on the date of Easter...
.
Calnali supports six hotels, including three rustic eco-tourism lodges. The most important eco-tourism lodge is located at Quinta La Palapa which also has on display Calnali's historical achievements and photographs from the last 300 years. The Centro de Investigaciones Cientifícas de las Huastecas 'Aguazarca'
Centro de Investigaciones Cientifícas de las Huastecas 'Aguazarca'
Centro de Investigaciones Científicas de las Huastecas 'Aguazarca' is a research station in Calnali, Hidalgo, Mexico located at an elevation of 986 m on the eastern slope of the Sierra Madre Oriental. Founded in 2005, CICHAZ is privately owned and a member of the Organization of Biological Field...
(CICHAZ) is located on the western outskirts of the municipal seat.
Central Calnali is located at 980 m elevation, and the entire municipality occupies the eastern slope of the Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
. The terrain is largely mountainous Veracruz moist forests
Veracruz moist forests
The Veracruz moist forests are an ecoregion, in the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest biome, in eastern Mexico.-Setting:The Veracruz moist forests cover an area of , occupying a portion of Mexico's Gulf Coastal Plain between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Gulf of Mexico...
fragmented by pasture and cropland. The Río Calnali and the Río Tula/Atempa, tributaries of the Río Conzintla and ultimately the Río Pánuco, traverse the municipality from east to west. Each of these rivers is a hybrid zone
Hybrid zone
A hybrid zone exists where the ranges of two interbreeding species meet. For a hybrid zone to be stable, the offspring produced by the cross have to be less fit than members of the parent species, although this condition does not need to be met in the very first hybrid generation...
between two species of the swordtail fish Xiphophorus
Xiphophorus
Xiphophorus is a genus of euryhaline and freshwater fishes in the family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. The many Xiphophorus species are all called either platyfish or swordtails. The type species is X. hellerii, the Green swordtail. Platyfish and swordtails are Live-bearers, meaning...
.