Lerma, Mexico State
Encyclopedia
Lerma is a city and municipality located just east of Toluca
and 54 km west of Mexico City
in Mexico State, Mexico. The city was founded in the early colonial period and named after the Duke of Lerma in Spain. The municipal area saw two battles of the Mexican War of Independence
, the Battle of Monte de las Cruces
and the Battle of Lerma. For a time after independence, the city was the capital of Mexico State before it was moved to Toluca. The municipality is in one of the most densely populated areas of Mexico and is growing. Much of this growth is occurring near the Toluca-Mexico City highway and on the floodplains of the Lerma River. The latter has caused significant problems with flooding when the river overflows its banks during the rainy season.
The Nahuatl
name for the area is Cacamilhuacan, which translates to “crows in the field.” In the early colonial period, the area was called Santa Clara Cacamilhuacan. The municipality has both an Aztec
glyph
with a crow reflecting its Nahuatl name and a Spanish coat of arms.
, the Mazahua
s and the Matlatzinca
s. Much of this area was marshland fed by the Lerma River
. Some claim that the city was founded by the Matlatzincas before the Aztecs arrived, but this is disputed. The area was subdued in 1426 by the Aztec emperor Itzcoatl
, when the main settlement was Huitzizilapan. After the Spanish Conquest, the area was divided into encomenderos with this area under the control of Isabel Moctezuma, with Martín Chimaltecatl, the indigenous leader of Ocoyocac having influence. At that time the major settlement here was San Pedro Tultepec as the city of Lerma did not exist. The city would be founded in 1616 as a village.
During the Mexican War of Independence, the most significant events to occur near here were the Battle of Monte de las Cruces
in October 1810 and the Battle of Lerma in May 1812. The first was a pivotal battle in which Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla defeated royalist General Trujillo. The second was a battle for control of the city of Lerma.
The municipality of Lerma was created in 1826, soon after the erection of the State of Mexico. Just before the Reform War
, Lerma became the sixth capital of Mexico State, until it was changed to Toluca in 1868. The municipality of San Mateo Atenco
separated from Lerma in 1871, taking with it San Pedro Tultepec, This community returned to Lerma in 1874. The first railway line through here, connecting Toluca and Mexico City was built in the late 19th century.
During the Mexican Revolution
, the city was mostly spared but outlying haciendas in the municipality such as Doña Rosa Santa Catarina and San Nicolas Peralta were attacked.
In 1936, the La Marquesa National Park
was created, part of which is in the municipality of Lerma.
In 1940, the construction of an aqueduct
called “Alto Lerma” was begun to divert water to Mexico City. The first industries located here in 1960 in what is now known as Parque Industrial Lerma. This would accelerate the growth of the city and municipality.
During restructuring of the municipality’s records between 1958 and 1960, it was found that several communities actually belonged to Ocoyocac and not Lerma. The communities of Peñon, La Escondida, El Portezuelo, La Marqueza and El Zarco were then administratively handed over.
In 2005, municipality residents along the highway blocked and closed it demanding that a pedestrian bridge be built in the area. The Lerma section of the Toluca-Mexico City highway had seen a large number of car/pedestrian accidents. Demonstrators stated that they had requested the bridge for years from authorities to no avail. A short time prior to the demonstration, two minors were struck by a vehicle and one died. The demonstration backed up traffic on the westbound lanes all the way onto Paseo Tollocan in Toluca.
, which on certain days swell to include vendors from the surrounding areas. Lerma is known for its production of cold cuts and sausages, especially chorizo
. Lerma used to have a signature dish called frog soup, but this has mostly disappeared due to the loss of marshlands here. In markets and tianguis, one can find barbacoa
, tacos, tamales and other traditional central Mexican dishes. However, one can occasionally find tamales with frogs’ legs in the center.
In 2009, the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana
submitted plans to build a campus in Lerma on 23 hectares that were donated to the school by the federal government. The campus is projected to be opened in September 2010.
Prior to the colonial period, the Lerma River here was an interconnected series of lagoons and wetlands that covered much of the river valley. Drainage and other modifications have dried the marshes and left floodplains. Parts of the city and municipality of Lerma is prone to sudden and fierce flooding during the rainy season. These floods can affect thousands of people, prompting the need for rescue and at times displacing them for as much as a week. The floods spread the dirty and contaminated water of the river through homes and wild animals such as scorpions and snakes invade neighborhoods. This can prompt local declarations of disaster areas. The river has dikes and other water containment systems but they are insufficient, especially when garbage clogs drainage canals. The growing population of the municipality is pushing development onto what is left of the undeveloped floodplain, leading to more flooding problems.
The most evident growth of the city has taken place in the areas around the Toluca-Mexico City highway to the Toluca International Airport. This area has always been important, with two of the city’s best known monuments, the Lerma Bridge, constructed between the 17th and 18th centuries and the old highway arch being in this area. The latter was built in 1942 on the old highway connecting Toluca and Mexico City and in a style called “national Neoclassical” (neoclasico nacionalista). It is located 200 meters from the Lerma Bridge. The municipality’s main industrial park is located here and accounts for about 60% of the industry in the municipality. Businesses here produce processed foods, textiles, metals, automobiles and chemical products, by companies suich as Avcomex, Diconsa, Bayer, Barcel and Unilever. About 340 businesses total are in the park. The park has over 60 hectares of subdivided land available for further expansion. Some of the enterprises located here include.
The highway has also attracted a number of commercial developments. The Las Plazas Outlet is one of the very few outlet malls in Mexico, located in the municipality on the Toluca- Mexico City highway. The mall contains over 150 stores selling a number of name brands at between 30 and 80% discount, including Zara, Massimo Dutti, Hugo Boss, Zegna, Nike, Reebok, Palacio de Hierro, Pull & Bear, Levi's, Aca Joe and Nine West. The mall was opened in 2002 and during its first year of operations it had over seven million visits. Some of these customers are wholesalers who redistribute products in other parts of the country. The Plaza Sendero Toluca is one of the newest shopping malls in the municipality, opened in 2006. It is located in an area of the municipality experiencing growth due to its proximity to the Toluca airport and the Toluca-Mexico City highway. The mall was created by Grupo Acosta Verde with numerous stores and three hotels. Some of the businesses located here include Soriana, City Club, Cinepolis and about 150 others. The municipality also contains the first and only self storage business, U-Storage, in Mexico. This was constructed and opened in the mid 2000s.
Attempts to build a north-south highway to serve the city have been problematic. A highway linking the city with the southern part of Mexico State and the state of Morelos has generated significant controversy since it was proposed. Critics state that the Lerma-Tres Marias Highway threatened forests in the southern part of Mexico State. These critics have included Greeenpeace and the Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental. The purpose of the highway is to provide a bypass for Mexico City for traffic to the west and south. However, critics state the highway passes through the Bosque de Agua forest, which is an important aquifer recharge area for the cities of Cuernavaca, Toluca and Mexico City.
.The municipality borders the municipalities of Jilotzingo
, Xonacatlan
, Capulhuac
, Santiago Tianguistenco
, Huixquilucan, Naucalpan de Juarez, Ocoyoacac
, Metepec
, San Mateo Atenco and Toluca.
The municipality’s territory is irregular with rolling hills leading up to the Sierra de Las Cruces mountain range, which extend from north to south on the east side of the municipality. In this range, there are a number of steep valleys, such as Salazar. Most of the residents are found in the foothills of the Sierra. The western part used to be occupied by the Lerma Lake, a marsh connected with the Lerma River. This river is the main surface water source although there are some other streams and fresh-water springs. Most of the municipality’s potable water is provided by 38 deep wells. The climate is temperate and fairly moist. The warmest months are May and June with most rains occurring from June to October. Average high temperatures are around 19C.. Lows average about 7C but freezing temperatures in winter are not uncommon. The higher elevations are covered in forests of fir and pine. In the center of the municipality there are grass areas and willow, eucalyptus and other trees. Wildlife consists mostly of small mammals and reptiles. The soils and rocks here are volcanic in origin, with the west dominated by old lake and marshbeds.
About 41% of the municipality’s territory is still dedicated to agriculture. Eighty percent of what is grown is corn and the rest divided among other crops. Livestock mostly consists of domestic fowl such as chickens and turkeys.
Crafts are still practiced in a number of smaller communities in the municipality. In San Pedro Tultepec, rattles, dolls and other toys are made. San Migul Ameyalco specializes in embroidered items such as napkins and tablecloths with some fireworks made here as well. Elaborate adornments for church doors called “portadas” are made with agave, flowers and other plants in Huitzizilapan and Xochicuautla. Traditional clay comals are made in Santiago Analco, San Pedro Tultepec and San Miguel Ameyalco.
San Pedro Tultepec is known for the production of rustic and European style furniture as well as fireworks. It is one of the major producers of traditional Mexican rustic furniture
in the Mexico City area. About 80% of the village’s population of 15,000 is dedicated to furniture making. The community also has a Furniture Festival each year. The town is also known for its veneration of the Virgin of Candelaria which is celebrated every year on 2 February. The day is celebrated with traditional dance, fireworks, amusement rides and various religious activities. Food featured is mole rojo and rice. The town is surrounded by a number of lagoons, making fishing and duck hunting popular here. However, both these activities have been negatively affected by the dumping of garbage and other contaminants in the waterways.
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...
and 54 km west of 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...
in Mexico State, Mexico. The city was founded in the early colonial period and named after the Duke of Lerma in Spain. The municipal area saw two battles of the Mexican War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
, the Battle of Monte de las Cruces
Battle of Monte de las Cruces
The Battle of Monte de las Cruces was one of the pivotal battles of the early Mexican War of Independence. It was fought between the insurgent troops of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Ignacio Allende against the royalist troops of General Torcuato Trujillo in the Sierra de las Cruces mountains...
and the Battle of Lerma. For a time after independence, the city was the capital of Mexico State before it was moved to Toluca. The municipality is in one of the most densely populated areas of Mexico and is growing. Much of this growth is occurring near the Toluca-Mexico City highway and on the floodplains of the Lerma River. The latter has caused significant problems with flooding when the river overflows its banks during the rainy season.
The 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 for the area is Cacamilhuacan, which translates to “crows in the field.” In the early colonial period, the area was called Santa Clara Cacamilhuacan. The municipality has both an Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
glyph
Glyph
A glyph is an element of writing: an individual mark on a written medium that contributes to the meaning of what is written. A glyph is made up of one or more graphemes....
with a crow reflecting its Nahuatl name and a Spanish coat of arms.
History
The area was first inhabited by the OtomisOtomi 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...
, the Mazahua
Mazahua
The Mazahua are an indigenous people of Mexico, inhabiting the northwestern portion of the State of Mexico and northeastern area of Michoacán, with a presence also in the Federal District owing to recent migration...
s and the 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,...
s. Much of this area was marshland fed by the Lerma 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...
. Some claim that the city was founded by the Matlatzincas before the Aztecs arrived, but this is disputed. The area was subdued in 1426 by the Aztec emperor Itzcoatl
Itzcóatl
Itzcoatl was the fourth emperor of the Aztecs, ruling from 1427 to 1440, the period when the Mexica threw off the domination of the Tepanecs and laid the foundations for the eventual Aztec Empire.- Biography :...
, when the main settlement was Huitzizilapan. After the Spanish Conquest, the area was divided into encomenderos with this area under the control of Isabel Moctezuma, with Martín Chimaltecatl, the indigenous leader of Ocoyocac having influence. At that time the major settlement here was San Pedro Tultepec as the city of Lerma did not exist. The city would be founded in 1616 as a village.
During the Mexican War of Independence, the most significant events to occur near here were the Battle of Monte de las Cruces
Battle of Monte de las Cruces
The Battle of Monte de las Cruces was one of the pivotal battles of the early Mexican War of Independence. It was fought between the insurgent troops of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and Ignacio Allende against the royalist troops of General Torcuato Trujillo in the Sierra de las Cruces mountains...
in October 1810 and the Battle of Lerma in May 1812. The first was a pivotal battle in which Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla defeated royalist General Trujillo. The second was a battle for control of the city of Lerma.
The municipality of Lerma was created in 1826, soon after the erection of the State of Mexico. Just before the Reform War
Reform War
The Reform War in Mexico is one of the episodes of the long struggle between Liberal and Conservative forces that dominated the country’s history in the 19th century. The Liberals wanted a federalist government, limiting traditional Catholic Church and military influence in the country...
, Lerma became the sixth capital of Mexico State, until it was changed to Toluca in 1868. The municipality of San Mateo Atenco
San Mateo Atenco
San Mateo Atenco is a city and a municipality located in the State of México in Mexico. It lies west of the Federal District near the municipality of Metepec, in the central part of the state of México, and is part of the Toluca urban area bordering the city to the east. Atenco is derived from the...
separated from Lerma in 1871, taking with it San Pedro Tultepec, This community returned to Lerma in 1874. The first railway line through here, connecting Toluca and Mexico City was built in the late 19th century.
During the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, the city was mostly spared but outlying haciendas in the municipality such as Doña Rosa Santa Catarina and San Nicolas Peralta were attacked.
In 1936, the La Marquesa National Park
La Marquesa National Park
La Marquesa is the common name for the Parque Nacional Insurgente Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, situated west of Mexico City on the toll road heading towards Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico. It lies in the municipalities of Ocoyoacac, Huixquilucan, and Lerma de Villada in the State of...
was created, part of which is in the municipality of Lerma.
In 1940, the construction of an aqueduct
Aqueduct
An aqueduct is a water supply or navigable channel constructed to convey water. In modern engineering, the term is used for any system of pipes, ditches, canals, tunnels, and other structures used for this purpose....
called “Alto Lerma” was begun to divert water to Mexico City. The first industries located here in 1960 in what is now known as Parque Industrial Lerma. This would accelerate the growth of the city and municipality.
During restructuring of the municipality’s records between 1958 and 1960, it was found that several communities actually belonged to Ocoyocac and not Lerma. The communities of Peñon, La Escondida, El Portezuelo, La Marqueza and El Zarco were then administratively handed over.
In 2005, municipality residents along the highway blocked and closed it demanding that a pedestrian bridge be built in the area. The Lerma section of the Toluca-Mexico City highway had seen a large number of car/pedestrian accidents. Demonstrators stated that they had requested the bridge for years from authorities to no avail. A short time prior to the demonstration, two minors were struck by a vehicle and one died. The demonstration backed up traffic on the westbound lanes all the way onto Paseo Tollocan in Toluca.
The city
The city center is located just north of the Toluca-Mexico City highway. In the center is the Parish of Santa Clara, which dates from 1693 with altarpieces from the 18th century. The Chapel of the Señor de la Caña contains an image of Christ which is locally venerated. The Temple of San Francisco dates from the 17th century. The feast of the Señor de la Caña is on 6 January and the feast for Santa Clara is on 12 August. The center has traditional markets called a tianguisTianguis
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....
, which on certain days swell to include vendors from the surrounding areas. Lerma is known for its production of cold cuts and sausages, especially chorizo
Chorizo
Chorizo is a term encompassing several types of pork sausages originating from the Iberian Peninsula.In English, it is usually pronounced , , or , but sometimes ....
. Lerma used to have a signature dish called frog soup, but this has mostly disappeared due to the loss of marshlands here. In markets and tianguis, one can find barbacoa
Barbacoa
Barbacoa is a form of cooking meat that originated in the Caribbean with the Taíno people, from which the term "barbecue" derives. In contemporary Mexico it generally refers to meats or a whole sheep slow-cooked over an open fire, or more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with...
, tacos, tamales and other traditional central Mexican dishes. However, one can occasionally find tamales with frogs’ legs in the center.
In 2009, the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana
The Metropolitan Autonomous University is a public university located in Mexico City, Mexico...
submitted plans to build a campus in Lerma on 23 hectares that were donated to the school by the federal government. The campus is projected to be opened in September 2010.
Prior to the colonial period, the Lerma River here was an interconnected series of lagoons and wetlands that covered much of the river valley. Drainage and other modifications have dried the marshes and left floodplains. Parts of the city and municipality of Lerma is prone to sudden and fierce flooding during the rainy season. These floods can affect thousands of people, prompting the need for rescue and at times displacing them for as much as a week. The floods spread the dirty and contaminated water of the river through homes and wild animals such as scorpions and snakes invade neighborhoods. This can prompt local declarations of disaster areas. The river has dikes and other water containment systems but they are insufficient, especially when garbage clogs drainage canals. The growing population of the municipality is pushing development onto what is left of the undeveloped floodplain, leading to more flooding problems.
The most evident growth of the city has taken place in the areas around the Toluca-Mexico City highway to the Toluca International Airport. This area has always been important, with two of the city’s best known monuments, the Lerma Bridge, constructed between the 17th and 18th centuries and the old highway arch being in this area. The latter was built in 1942 on the old highway connecting Toluca and Mexico City and in a style called “national Neoclassical” (neoclasico nacionalista). It is located 200 meters from the Lerma Bridge. The municipality’s main industrial park is located here and accounts for about 60% of the industry in the municipality. Businesses here produce processed foods, textiles, metals, automobiles and chemical products, by companies suich as Avcomex, Diconsa, Bayer, Barcel and Unilever. About 340 businesses total are in the park. The park has over 60 hectares of subdivided land available for further expansion. Some of the enterprises located here include.
The highway has also attracted a number of commercial developments. The Las Plazas Outlet is one of the very few outlet malls in Mexico, located in the municipality on the Toluca- Mexico City highway. The mall contains over 150 stores selling a number of name brands at between 30 and 80% discount, including Zara, Massimo Dutti, Hugo Boss, Zegna, Nike, Reebok, Palacio de Hierro, Pull & Bear, Levi's, Aca Joe and Nine West. The mall was opened in 2002 and during its first year of operations it had over seven million visits. Some of these customers are wholesalers who redistribute products in other parts of the country. The Plaza Sendero Toluca is one of the newest shopping malls in the municipality, opened in 2006. It is located in an area of the municipality experiencing growth due to its proximity to the Toluca airport and the Toluca-Mexico City highway. The mall was created by Grupo Acosta Verde with numerous stores and three hotels. Some of the businesses located here include Soriana, City Club, Cinepolis and about 150 others. The municipality also contains the first and only self storage business, U-Storage, in Mexico. This was constructed and opened in the mid 2000s.
Attempts to build a north-south highway to serve the city have been problematic. A highway linking the city with the southern part of Mexico State and the state of Morelos has generated significant controversy since it was proposed. Critics state that the Lerma-Tres Marias Highway threatened forests in the southern part of Mexico State. These critics have included Greeenpeace and the Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental. The purpose of the highway is to provide a bypass for Mexico City for traffic to the west and south. However, critics state the highway passes through the Bosque de Agua forest, which is an important aquifer recharge area for the cities of Cuernavaca, Toluca and Mexico City.
The municipality
As municipal seat, the city of Lerma is the local governing authority for over eighty other named communities, which together cover an area of 228.64km2. About sixteen percent of the municipality’s population lives in the city proper. Many of the rest live in subdivisions called “fraccionamientos” that surround the city. Due to its mostly urban nature, less than 4% of the population speaks an indigenous language, mostly Nahuatl and OtomiOtomi 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...
.The municipality borders the municipalities of Jilotzingo
Jilotzingo
Jilotzingo is a town and municipality in Mexico State in Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 143.66 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 13,825.-References:...
, Xonacatlan
Xonacatlán
Xonacatlán is a town and municipality in Mexico State in Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 32.87 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 45,274.-Etymology:...
, Capulhuac
Capulhuac
Capulhuac is a small town and municipality, in Mexico State in Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 21.5 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 30,838.Prominent PeopleJosue Mirlo Salvador Acevedo...
, Santiago Tianguistenco
Santiago Tianguistenco
Santiago Tianguistenco, often just simply called Tianguistenco, is a city and municipality located in Mexico State about thirty km south of the state capital of Toluca. It is located in the southwest part of the Valley of Toluca at the edge of the Ajusco mountain range that separates it from Mexico...
, Huixquilucan, Naucalpan de Juarez, Ocoyoacac
Ocoyoacac
Ocoyoacac is a town and municipality in Mexico State in Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 134.71 km². It is one of the 17 municipalities that border Mexico City...
, Metepec
Metepec
Metepec is a city and municipality in the State of Mexico in Mexico and is located directly to the east of the state capital, Toluca, at an altitude of 2,635 metres above sea level. The centre of Mexico City lies some 50 km further to the east. The name Metepec comes from Náhuatl meaning hill of...
, San Mateo Atenco and Toluca.
The municipality’s territory is irregular with rolling hills leading up to the Sierra de Las Cruces mountain range, which extend from north to south on the east side of the municipality. In this range, there are a number of steep valleys, such as Salazar. Most of the residents are found in the foothills of the Sierra. The western part used to be occupied by the Lerma Lake, a marsh connected with the Lerma River. This river is the main surface water source although there are some other streams and fresh-water springs. Most of the municipality’s potable water is provided by 38 deep wells. The climate is temperate and fairly moist. The warmest months are May and June with most rains occurring from June to October. Average high temperatures are around 19C.. Lows average about 7C but freezing temperatures in winter are not uncommon. The higher elevations are covered in forests of fir and pine. In the center of the municipality there are grass areas and willow, eucalyptus and other trees. Wildlife consists mostly of small mammals and reptiles. The soils and rocks here are volcanic in origin, with the west dominated by old lake and marshbeds.
About 41% of the municipality’s territory is still dedicated to agriculture. Eighty percent of what is grown is corn and the rest divided among other crops. Livestock mostly consists of domestic fowl such as chickens and turkeys.
Crafts are still practiced in a number of smaller communities in the municipality. In San Pedro Tultepec, rattles, dolls and other toys are made. San Migul Ameyalco specializes in embroidered items such as napkins and tablecloths with some fireworks made here as well. Elaborate adornments for church doors called “portadas” are made with agave, flowers and other plants in Huitzizilapan and Xochicuautla. Traditional clay comals are made in Santiago Analco, San Pedro Tultepec and San Miguel Ameyalco.
San Pedro Tultepec is known for the production of rustic and European style furniture as well as fireworks. It is one of the major producers of traditional Mexican rustic furniture
Rustic furniture
Rustic furniture is furniture employing sticks, twigs or logs for a natural look. Many companies, artists and craftspeople make rustic furniture in a variety of styles and with a variety of historical and contemporary influences...
in the Mexico City area. About 80% of the village’s population of 15,000 is dedicated to furniture making. The community also has a Furniture Festival each year. The town is also known for its veneration of the Virgin of Candelaria which is celebrated every year on 2 February. The day is celebrated with traditional dance, fireworks, amusement rides and various religious activities. Food featured is mole rojo and rice. The town is surrounded by a number of lagoons, making fishing and duck hunting popular here. However, both these activities have been negatively affected by the dumping of garbage and other contaminants in the waterways.