Jiquipilco
Encyclopedia
Jiquipilco is a town and municipality located in State of Mexico in Mexico
. It is north of the Valley of Toluca, part of the region consisting of the southern and western slopes of Cerro La Catedral, which has a concentration of speakers of the Otomi language
. It is about 40 km from Toluca
, the state capital. The name is a corruption of Nahuatl “Xiquipilli”, meaning “the place of saddlebags”. Jiquipilco is situated on the transversal volcanic axis that crosses Mexico in an area surrounded by lakes and volcanoes. This portion is called "Anahuac”.
rule ca. 1274 and developed into a locally powerful town. The Franciscans arrived in 1552 to evangelize the area and gave the already existing village the name of Juan de las Huertas for its abundance of fruit trees (huerta being Spanish for "orchard"), but its current name is San Juan Jiquipilco. The village was officially proclaimed by the Spanish on March 6, 1593.
The municipality of Jiquipilco was founded in 1822 and has a total extension of 276.5 square km. It borders the following municipalities; San Bartolo Morelos, Villa del Carbón
, Ciudad Nicholás Romero, Temoaya
, Ixtlahuaca, and Jocotitlan
. The population is 59,969.
A significant number of people leave the town every year in search of employment, mainly young people under 30. Many of them go to Mexico City
or Toluca
.
Modern Jiquipilco was founded on March 6, 1593.
The economy of Jiquipilco is based on agriculture and stockbreeding. The principal crops are wheat, barley and oats. Because of the difficult local topography, people continue to apply old techniques, and few farmers use mechanized equipment. Livestock is mainly represented by cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. The municipality also has abundant minerals, mostly nonmetallic, such as silica sand and gravel, and stone, obsidian and quartz, which find use in used mostly in construction and road paving.
s first came to this area around 1274. According to legend, they settled here coming from a land called "Xicomostoc", where seven tribes of Otomis came from to settle in places like Jilotepec, Acxotlán, Tepexí as well as the highlands of Jiquipilco, here leading a hunting and gathering existence. The P'urhépecha
(better known until very recently as the Tarascans) fought here with the Otomis as they tried to conquer Matlatzinca
lands. In 1478, the Aztecs invaded Matlatzinca lands, and the Aztec prince Azayácatzin personally battled the Otomi prince Tlilcuetepalin (the Black Lizard) who won the fight, thereby saving Xiquipilco.
After the Spaniards subjugated Toluca, Gonzalo de Sandoval, known as the right arm of Hernán Cortés
, promised to bring Jiquipilco under Spanish dominion in 15 days; however, he found an area populated by men who preferred to die on the battlefield. The Spanish eventually did succeed in bringing Jiquipilco into the dominion of New Spain
.
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...
. It is north of the Valley of Toluca, part of the region consisting of the southern and western slopes of Cerro La Catedral, which has a concentration of speakers of the Otomi language
Otomi language
Otomi is an Oto-Manguean language and one of the indigenous languages of Mexico, spoken by approximately 240,000 indigenous Otomi people in the central altiplano region of Mexico. The language is spoken in many different dialects, some of which are not mutually intelligible, therefore it is in...
. It is about 40 km from Toluca
Toluca
Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...
, the state capital. The name is a corruption of Nahuatl “Xiquipilli”, meaning “the place of saddlebags”. Jiquipilco is situated on the transversal volcanic axis that crosses Mexico in an area surrounded by lakes and volcanoes. This portion is called "Anahuac”.
The town of San Juan Jiquipilco
The town had a population of 1,880 as of the 2005 INEGI census. It lies at an elevation of 2,657 meters above sea level.History
Jiquipilco came under OtomíOtomi people
The Otomi people . Smaller Otomi populations exist in the states of Puebla, Mexico, Tlaxcala, Michoacán and Guanajuato. The Otomi language belonging to the Oto-Pamean branch of the Oto-Manguean language family is spoken in many different varieties some of which are not mutually intelligible.One of...
rule ca. 1274 and developed into a locally powerful town. The Franciscans arrived in 1552 to evangelize the area and gave the already existing village the name of Juan de las Huertas for its abundance of fruit trees (huerta being Spanish for "orchard"), but its current name is San Juan Jiquipilco. The village was officially proclaimed by the Spanish on March 6, 1593.
Notable sites
In addition to the town chapel, other attractions are the sanctuary of Santa Cruz Tepexpán, which dates from the 16th and 18th centuries, and the chapel of San Felipe Santiago, constructed around the end of the 16th century. A number of colonial era buildings have been preserved such as the ex–haciendas of Mañí, Nixiní, Santa Isabel, Boximo, some of whose structures are in ruins.The municipality of Jiquipilco
As municipal seat, the town of Jiquipilco has governing jurisdiction over the following communities: Barrio Primero Buenos Aires, Bóximo, Buenavista, Buenos Aires, Colonia Benito Juárez, San Felipe Santiago, Colonia Flores Magón, Colonia la Purísima, Colonia Morelos, Dolores Amarillas, Ejido de Mañi, Ejido de Moxteje, Ejido de Santa María Nativitas, Ejido de Santa María Nativitas el Colector, Ejido Llano Grande (Planta Piloto), El Jaral (Tierra Montón), El Rincón Loma de Hidalgo, El Santuario del Señor del Cerrito, Hacienda Nixini Jiquipilco, La Nopalera, La Pastora, Las Golondrinas, Las Palomitas (Puerto Jiquipilli), Loma de Endotzi (Manzana Sexta), Loma de Hidalgo, Loma de San Felipe, Loma de San Pedro, Loma del Astillero, Loma del Madroño, Loma del Sitio, Loma Hermosa, Loma Hidalgo Colonia Benito Juárez, Loma Hidalgo Manzana Cuarta, Loma Vicente Guerrero, Los Ortiz, Manzana Cuarta, Manzana Cuarta de Santa Cruz Tepexpan, Manzana Primera la Capilla, Manzana Primera Parte Alta, Manzana Quinta (La Cañada), Manzana Quinta de San Bartolo Oxtotitlán, Manzana Segunda, Manzana Segunda de Santa Cruz Tepexpan, Manzana Sexta Parte Alta, Manzana Sexta Parte Baja, Manzana Sexta Parte Centro, Manzana Tercera (Bodo), Manzana Tercera de Santa Cruz Tepexpan, Manzana Tercera Juashi, Manzana Tercera Loma de Hidalgo, Manzana Tercera Panthé, Manzana Tercera Parte Baja, Moxteje, Palo Gacho, Pie del Cerro, Portezuelo, Primera Manzana de Santa Cruz Tepexpan, Ranchería de Mañi (Ex-hacienda de Mañi), Ranchería de Sila (Ejido de Sila), Rancho Alegre, Rancho Colorado, Rancho Loma de Malacota, Rancho los Quiroz, Rancho Santa Lucía, San Antonio Nixini, San Bartolo Oxtotitlán, San Felipe Santiago, San Francisco el Alto, San Isidro, San José del Sitio, San Martín Morelos, San Miguel Yuxtepec, Santa Isabel, Santa María Nativitas, Sección del Cerrito , and Tierra Blanca.The municipality of Jiquipilco was founded in 1822 and has a total extension of 276.5 square km. It borders the following municipalities; San Bartolo Morelos, Villa del Carbón
Villa del Carbón
Villa del Carbón is a town and municipality located in the northern part of Mexico State, just northwest of Mexico City. While the town of Villa del Carbón is the largest in the municipality, it is not the oldest. The municipality contains a number of villages of Otomí and Nahua origins, in which...
, Ciudad Nicholás Romero, Temoaya
Temoaya
Temoaya is a town and municipality in Mexico State, Mexico, It is located from Toluca and from Mexico City. It is known for its large ethnic Otomi population, the Centro Ceremonial Otomí and its tradition of making Persian style rugs using Mexican designs....
, Ixtlahuaca, and Jocotitlan
Jocotitlán
Jocotitlán is a town and municipality located in the northwestern part of the State of Mexico on the central highlands of the country of Mexico. The town is located at the foot of the Jocotitlán or Xocotépetl volcano, while most of the rest of the municipality is in the Ixtlahuaca Valley...
. The population is 59,969.
A significant number of people leave the town every year in search of employment, mainly young people under 30. Many of them go to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
or Toluca
Toluca
Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...
.
Modern Jiquipilco was founded on March 6, 1593.
The economy of Jiquipilco is based on agriculture and stockbreeding. The principal crops are wheat, barley and oats. Because of the difficult local topography, people continue to apply old techniques, and few farmers use mechanized equipment. Livestock is mainly represented by cattle, sheep, pigs and goats. The municipality also has abundant minerals, mostly nonmetallic, such as silica sand and gravel, and stone, obsidian and quartz, which find use in used mostly in construction and road paving.
History
The OtomiOtomi people
The Otomi people . Smaller Otomi populations exist in the states of Puebla, Mexico, Tlaxcala, Michoacán and Guanajuato. The Otomi language belonging to the Oto-Pamean branch of the Oto-Manguean language family is spoken in many different varieties some of which are not mutually intelligible.One of...
s first came to this area around 1274. According to legend, they settled here coming from a land called "Xicomostoc", where seven tribes of Otomis came from to settle in places like Jilotepec, Acxotlán, Tepexí as well as the highlands of Jiquipilco, here leading a hunting and gathering existence. The P'urhépecha
P'urhépecha
The P'urhépecha, normally spelled Purépecha in Spanish and in English and traditionally referred to as Tarascans, are an indigenous people centered in the northwestern region of the Mexican state of Michoacán, principally in the area of the cities of Uruapan and Pátzcuaro...
(better known until very recently as the Tarascans) fought here with the Otomis as they tried to conquer Matlatzinca
Matlatzinca
Matlatzinca is a name used to refer to different indigenous ethnic groups in the Toluca Valley in the state of México, located in the central highlands of Mexico. The term is applied to the ethnic group inhabiting the valley of Toluca and to their language, Matlatzinca.When used as an ethnonym,...
lands. In 1478, the Aztecs invaded Matlatzinca lands, and the Aztec prince Azayácatzin personally battled the Otomi prince Tlilcuetepalin (the Black Lizard) who won the fight, thereby saving Xiquipilco.
After the Spaniards subjugated Toluca, Gonzalo de Sandoval, known as the right arm of Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
, promised to bring Jiquipilco under Spanish dominion in 15 days; however, he found an area populated by men who preferred to die on the battlefield. The Spanish eventually did succeed in bringing Jiquipilco into the dominion of New Spain
New Spain
New Spain, formally called the Viceroyalty of New Spain , was a viceroyalty of the Spanish colonial empire, comprising primarily territories in what was known then as 'América Septentrional' or North America. Its capital was Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Empire...
.