Colotlán
Encyclopedia
The municipality of Colotlán is located in the northern extremity of the Mexican state of Jalisco
. The municipality covers an area of approximately 505 square kilometers. Colotlán is located at 22°12′N 103°18′W.
It stands at 1,550 meters above sea level.
Colotlán is bordered on the northeast by the municipality of Santa María de los Ángeles, on the northwest and southeast by the state of Zacatecas
and to the southwest by the municipality of Totatiche
.
Colotlán had a total of 6,008 economically active individuals in 2000. The manufacturing sector employs the largest percentage of this population (30.6 percent) followed by the wholesale and retail sectors (13.6 percent) and agriculture and ranching (12.0 percent).
The municipality is the origin and an important center of piteado
manufacturing.
. Prior to the Spanish conquest, the area surrounding present-day Colotlán was inhabited by indigenous ethnic groups
including the Tepecano
, Guachichil and Zacatec (largely nomadic groups collectively referred to by the Mexica
and later the Spanish as Chichimecs). These groups were continuously at war with the Caxcan who inhabited the surrounding areas.
in 1530, who reported that the area was largely uninhabited. The atrocities committed by the expeditions sent by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán
led to an area chieftain by the name of Zacatecas to align various indigenous groups in the area to resist the Spanish incursion in the Mixtón War in 1540.
In 1546, the governor of Nueva Galicia
, Cristóbal de Oñate
sent Juan de Tolosa
, who was successful in convincing the indigenous groups to accept Spanish military presence and evangelization by lavishing their leaders with gifts.
The first Spanish settlement was established by Lucas Tellez, who founded the Tochopa Hacienda. Along with Diego Ramírez, they sought permission from the viceroy Luis de Velasco
to found a village. The village was initially populated by part of the 400 Tlaxcaltec
families sent to this and other regions in the Chichimeca. The Spanish had negotiated with Tlaxaltec leaders to send families to regions where they had been unsuccessful in subjugating the local indigenous groups. The Tlaxcaltecs, who had allied themselves with the Spanish in the conquest of Tenochtitlan were to serve as models of civility and of sedentary agricultural life for the still indominatable Chichimecs of the region.
On August 21, 1591, Captain Miguel Caldera
, mayor of the village of Jerez
and the Valley of Tlaltenango
, gave the necessary land to estalish a settlement. The land was put under the custody of Fray Ignacio Cárdenas, who named the village Villa de Nueva Tlaxcala de Quiahuistlán, a name by which Colotlan was known until the end of the 18th Century.
The village was divided into three sectors. The first, Tlaxcala, corresponded to the Tlaxcaltecs as well as the few Spaniards who inhabited the village initially. The second, Sayotlan, was home to the local indigenous inhabitants who had been pacified. The third sector, Tochopa, named after the hacienda that had existed prior to the founding of the town, was for immigrant indigenous groups.
While initially under the rule of the government of Nueva Galicia
, the cost and logistics of suppressing the indigenous uprisings in the surrounding areas in the 18th century led the colonial government to place the town and its surrounding areas under the rule of a military government in the mid 18th century. Military governors during this period included Simon de Herrera Leiba and Pablo Enrique Yriarte Lanumbe. These military governments were charged with all civil and criminal proceedings in the region under their rule, known as Las Fronteras de Colotlán, which in addition to Colotlan, included the provinces of Nayarit
and Bolaños
. Upon the military government's dissolution in 1806, the area was divided into nine subdelegations and put under the rule of government of Nueva Galicia
.
along with a priest named Pablo José Calvillo
, declared Colotlán independent from Spain and put himself and the local indigenous garrisons under the command of Miguel Hidalgo
, leader of the independence movement.
In 1824, Colotlán was given the title of city and since that date served as seat of the 8th Canton of Jalisco. A municipal government was established by decree on April 8, 1844.
A small village in the municipality, called Agua Gorda, is the birthplace of Victoriano Huerta Márquez
, President of Mexico from 1913 to 1914. He was born on December 23, 1850, son of Jesús Huerta and Refugio Márquez, who was purportedly of Huichol descent. Victoriano Huerta is one of the few Presidents of Mexico who were originally from the Jalisco
state (with Valentín Gómez Farías
who served as acting president twice)
The area surrounding Colotlan was one of the principal battlegrounds of the Cristero Rebellion which lasted from 1927 to 1929, where pro-Catholic forces rebelled against the liberal and secularizing decrees instituted by Plutarco Elías Calles
, which included bans on clergy wearing clerical garb in public and on criticizing the government.
The parish priest of Totatiche, Cristóbal Magallanes Jara
, who was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1992, was executed by firing squad in Colotlán on May 25, 1927 as a consequence of the Cristero conflict.
Colotlán is named "Capital del Cinto Piteado", Capital of the Piteado
belt, this hand tailored belt among other things is made in Colotlán, and at one time provided a large portion of the income of the local residents. Demand has diminished for this product in recent years.
between the Sierra de Morones and the "Cerro Chichimeco" (Chichimeco mountain, approximately 2,600 meters above sea level). The canyon is also the origin of the "Chichoca" River, that runs east-west and that joins the Colotlán River before joining the Bolaños River
, one of the most important afluents, running north-south, of the Lerma-Santiago River
.
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
. The municipality covers an area of approximately 505 square kilometers. Colotlán is located at 22°12′N 103°18′W.
It stands at 1,550 meters above sea level.
Colotlán is bordered on the northeast by the municipality of Santa María de los Ángeles, on the northwest and southeast by the state of Zacatecas
Zacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
and to the southwest by the municipality of Totatiche
Totatiche
The municipality and town of Totatiche is located in the northern extreme of the state of Jalisco, Mexico between 21°48’30” and 22°06’00” latitude north and 103°20’00” and 103°34’00” longitude east at a height of above sea level. The municipality is bordered on the north and southeast by the...
.
Population
The population of the municipality of Colotlán in 2000 totaled 14,266. Of these, 12,283 lived in the municipal seat of Colotlán and the remaining lived in surrounding rural areas. The main villages in the Municipailty (known in the region as "Ranchos") are: El Refugio, El Saucillo De Los Pérez, El Carrizal, El Epazote, Los Aguajes, Agua Gorda.Colotlán had a total of 6,008 economically active individuals in 2000. The manufacturing sector employs the largest percentage of this population (30.6 percent) followed by the wholesale and retail sectors (13.6 percent) and agriculture and ranching (12.0 percent).
The municipality is the origin and an important center of piteado
Piteado
Piteado is an artisan technique where pita or ixtle is embroidered onto leather in decorative patterns. The technique is used to make belts, sandals, hair bands, saddles, and other leather accessories...
manufacturing.
Pre-Hispanic
The name Colotlán means "the place of scorpions" in NahuatlNahuatl
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...
. Prior to the Spanish conquest, the area surrounding present-day Colotlán was inhabited by indigenous ethnic groups
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
including the Tepecano
Tepehuán
The Tepehuán are a Native American ethnic group in northwest Mexico, whose villages at the time of Spanish conquest spanned a large territory along the Sierra Madre Occidental from Chihuahua and Durango in the north to Jalisco in the south...
, Guachichil and Zacatec (largely nomadic groups collectively referred to by the Mexica
Mexica
The Mexica were a pre-Columbian people of central Mexico.Mexica may also refer to:*Mexica , a board game designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling*Mexica , a 2005 novel by Norman Spinrad...
and later the Spanish as Chichimecs). These groups were continuously at war with the Caxcan who inhabited the surrounding areas.
Colonial
The first Spaniards to set foot in the region were soldiers under the command of Captain Pedro Almíndez ChirinoPedro Almíndez Chirino
Pedro Almíndez Chirino was a conquistador and member of several councils that governed New Spain while Hernán Cortés was traveling to Honduras, in 1525-26...
in 1530, who reported that the area was largely uninhabited. The atrocities committed by the expeditions sent by Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán
Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán
Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán or sometimes Nuño de Guzmán was a Spanish conquistador and colonial administrator in New Spain. He was Governor of the province of Pánuco from 1525–1533, and of Nueva Galicia from 1529–1534, President of the first Audiencia from 1528-30. He founded several cities in...
led to an area chieftain by the name of Zacatecas to align various indigenous groups in the area to resist the Spanish incursion in the Mixtón War in 1540.
In 1546, the governor of Nueva Galicia
Nueva Galicia
El Nuevo Reino de Galicia or Nueva Galicia was an autonomous kingdom of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was named after Galicia in Spain...
, Cristóbal de Oñate
Cristóbal de Oñate
Cristóbal de Oñate was a Spanish Basque explorer, conquistador and colonial official in New Spain. He is considered the founder of the contemporary city of Guadalajara in 1531, as well as other places in Nueva Galicia .-Background:Oñate was born in 1552 in Vitoria or Oñate, in the Basque country...
sent Juan de Tolosa
Juan de Tolosa
Juan de Tolosa was a Spanish Basque conquistador, possibly born in or near Tolosa, Spain. He discovered rich silver deposits near the present day city of Zacatecas, Mexico in 1546.-Founder of Zacatecas:...
, who was successful in convincing the indigenous groups to accept Spanish military presence and evangelization by lavishing their leaders with gifts.
The first Spanish settlement was established by Lucas Tellez, who founded the Tochopa Hacienda. Along with Diego Ramírez, they sought permission from the viceroy Luis de Velasco
Luis de Velasco
Luís de Velasco was the second viceroy of New Spain during the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the mid-sixteenth century....
to found a village. The village was initially populated by part of the 400 Tlaxcaltec
Tlaxcaltec
The Tlaxcalteca were an indigenous group of Nahua ethnicity that inhabited the Kingdom of Tlaxcala located in what is now the Mexican state of Tlaxcala.-Pre-hispanic history:...
families sent to this and other regions in the Chichimeca. The Spanish had negotiated with Tlaxaltec leaders to send families to regions where they had been unsuccessful in subjugating the local indigenous groups. The Tlaxcaltecs, who had allied themselves with the Spanish in the conquest of Tenochtitlan were to serve as models of civility and of sedentary agricultural life for the still indominatable Chichimecs of the region.
On August 21, 1591, Captain Miguel Caldera
Miguel Caldera
Miguel Caldera was an important figure in the pacification and colonization of Mexico's northern frontier immediately following the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.-Early life:...
, mayor of the village of Jerez
Jerez de García Salinas
The city and surrounding municipality of Jerez is located in the center of the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. Jerez de García Salinas is the name of the city and "Jerez" of the municipality....
and the Valley of Tlaltenango
Tlaltenango de Sánchez Román
The municipality of Tlaltenango de Sánchez Román is located in the southwestern portion of the Mexican state of Zacatecas. The average elevation of the municipality is 1,723 meters above sea level and the municipality covers an area of...
, gave the necessary land to estalish a settlement. The land was put under the custody of Fray Ignacio Cárdenas, who named the village Villa de Nueva Tlaxcala de Quiahuistlán, a name by which Colotlan was known until the end of the 18th Century.
The village was divided into three sectors. The first, Tlaxcala, corresponded to the Tlaxcaltecs as well as the few Spaniards who inhabited the village initially. The second, Sayotlan, was home to the local indigenous inhabitants who had been pacified. The third sector, Tochopa, named after the hacienda that had existed prior to the founding of the town, was for immigrant indigenous groups.
While initially under the rule of the government of Nueva Galicia
Nueva Galicia
El Nuevo Reino de Galicia or Nueva Galicia was an autonomous kingdom of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was named after Galicia in Spain...
, the cost and logistics of suppressing the indigenous uprisings in the surrounding areas in the 18th century led the colonial government to place the town and its surrounding areas under the rule of a military government in the mid 18th century. Military governors during this period included Simon de Herrera Leiba and Pablo Enrique Yriarte Lanumbe. These military governments were charged with all civil and criminal proceedings in the region under their rule, known as Las Fronteras de Colotlán, which in addition to Colotlan, included the provinces of Nayarit
Nayarit
Nayarit officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.It is located in Western Mexico...
and Bolaños
Bolaños
The municipality of Bolaños is located in the north of the Mexican state of Jalisco.The municipality shares its border on the north with the municipalities of Mezquitic and Villa Guerrero and to the southeast with the municipality of Chimaltitán...
. Upon the military government's dissolution in 1806, the area was divided into nine subdelegations and put under the rule of government of Nueva Galicia
Nueva Galicia
El Nuevo Reino de Galicia or Nueva Galicia was an autonomous kingdom of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was named after Galicia in Spain...
.
Modern
On November 12, 1810, a local indigenous leader from the Tlaxcala neighborhood, Marcos EscobedoMarcos Escobedo
Marcos Marcelo Escobedo was a military commander in the Mexican War of Independence. He later became Mayor of Colotlán, Jalisco.-Early life:...
along with a priest named Pablo José Calvillo
Pablo José Calvillo
Pablo José Calvillo served as a parish priest in northern Nueva Galicia in the early Nineteenth century, and led a number of the indigenous inhabitants of the Colotlán region in open rebellion against the Spanish during the Mexican War of Independence....
, declared Colotlán independent from Spain and put himself and the local indigenous garrisons under the command of Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Hidalgo
Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor , more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo, was a Mexican priest and a leader of the Mexican War of Independence.In 1810 Hidalgo led a group of peasants in a revolt against the dominant...
, leader of the independence movement.
In 1824, Colotlán was given the title of city and since that date served as seat of the 8th Canton of Jalisco. A municipal government was established by decree on April 8, 1844.
A small village in the municipality, called Agua Gorda, is the birthplace of Victoriano Huerta Márquez
Victoriano Huerta
José Victoriano Huerta Márquez was a Mexican military officer and president of Mexico. Huerta's supporters were known as Huertistas during the Mexican Revolution...
, President of Mexico from 1913 to 1914. He was born on December 23, 1850, son of Jesús Huerta and Refugio Márquez, who was purportedly of Huichol descent. Victoriano Huerta is one of the few Presidents of Mexico who were originally from the Jalisco
Jalisco
Jalisco officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in Western Mexico and divided in 125 municipalities and its capital city is Guadalajara.It is one of the more important states...
state (with Valentín Gómez Farías
Valentín Gómez Farías
Valentín Gómez Farías was several times acting President of Mexico in the 1830s and 1840s.Gomez Farias was one of the more important political figures in early Mexico. The first presidency of Santa Anna from 1833 to 1836 was a temporary victory for the Mexican Liberals...
who served as acting president twice)
The area surrounding Colotlan was one of the principal battlegrounds of the Cristero Rebellion which lasted from 1927 to 1929, where pro-Catholic forces rebelled against the liberal and secularizing decrees instituted by Plutarco Elías Calles
Plutarco Elías Calles
Plutarco Elías Calles was a Mexican general and politician. He was president of Mexico from 1924 to 1928, but he continued to be the de facto ruler from 1928–1935, a period known as the maximato...
, which included bans on clergy wearing clerical garb in public and on criticizing the government.
The parish priest of Totatiche, Cristóbal Magallanes Jara
Cristóbal Magallanes Jara
Saint Cristóbal Magallanes Jara, also known as Christopher Magallanes is a martyr and saint venerated in the Catholic Church who was killed without trial on the way to say Mass during the Cristero War after the trumped up charge of inciting rebellion. He was born in Totatiche, Jalisco, Mexico on...
, who was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1992, was executed by firing squad in Colotlán on May 25, 1927 as a consequence of the Cristero conflict.
Colotlán is named "Capital del Cinto Piteado", Capital of the Piteado
Piteado
Piteado is an artisan technique where pita or ixtle is embroidered onto leather in decorative patterns. The technique is used to make belts, sandals, hair bands, saddles, and other leather accessories...
belt, this hand tailored belt among other things is made in Colotlán, and at one time provided a large portion of the income of the local residents. Demand has diminished for this product in recent years.
Natural Attractions
One of the natural attractions of Colotlán is a natural canyon known as "La Barranca" located about 1 kilometer east of El Refugio, in the south east part of the municipality. This canyon runs for approximately 5 kilometers and is the exit of the basin of approximately 100 square kilometers that was formed in the highlands in the neighbouring state of ZacatecasZacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
between the Sierra de Morones and the "Cerro Chichimeco" (Chichimeco mountain, approximately 2,600 meters above sea level). The canyon is also the origin of the "Chichoca" River, that runs east-west and that joins the Colotlán River before joining the Bolaños River
Bolaños River
-References:*Atlas of Mexico, 1975 .*The Prentice Hall American World Atlas, 1984.*Rand McNally, The New International Atlas, 1993....
, one of the most important afluents, running north-south, of the Lerma-Santiago River
Lerma River
The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, Jalisco...
.
Sources
- Instituto Nacional de Estadistica, Geografia e Informatica (INEGINational Institute of Statistics, Geography, and Data ProcessingThe National Institute of Statistic and Geography is an autonomous agency of the Mexican Government dedicated to coordinate the National System of Statistical and Geographical Information of the country...
)
- Botello Aceves, Brígida del Carmen, en Memoria del Municipio en Jalisco. Unidad Editorial, Gobierno de Jalisco, 1987