San Pablo Huitzo is a town and municipality

Municipalities of Mexico State

The Mexican state of Mexico is made up of 125 municipios :-External links:* Estado de México / State of Mexico...

 in Oaxaca

Oaxaca

Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...

 in south-western 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 63.80 km².
It is part of the Etla District

Etla District, Oaxaca

Etla District is located in the north of the Valles Centrales Region of the State of Oaxaca, Mexico.-Municipalities:The district includes the following municipalities:*Guadalupe Etla*Magdalena Apasco*Nazareno Etla*Reyes Etla*San Agustín Etla...

 in the Valles Centrales region

Valles Centrales de Oaxaca

The Valles Centrales is a region in the heart of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico.It includes the districts of Etla, Centro, Zaachila, Zimatlán, Ocotlán, Tlacolula and Ejutla...

. As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 5,242.

History

The area comprising Huitzo was inhabited as early as 1200 BCE. By 1400 AD a Zapotec village existed that was known by the name of Huijazoo, a word that means Warrior Watchtower in the Zapotec language

Zapotec language

The Zapotec language are a group of closely related indigenous Mesoamerican languages spoken by the Zapotec people from the southwestern-central highlands of Mexico. Present-day native speakers are estimated to number over half a million, with the majority inhabiting the state of Oaxaca....

. In 1522 Spanish troops arrived and founded the current city, giving it the name Gueixolotitlan. However, by 1700 the name Huitzo had been adopted by the populace. When the first Roman Catholic monks arrived to evangelize the local population, they selected St. Paul the Apostle (San Pablo, in Spanish) as the patron saint

Patron saint

A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...

 of the village and erected a church by the same name. It was through the influence of the Catholic Church that the town arrived at its present name San Pablo Huitzo.

Modern day

Today Huitzo is a farming community noted for growing vegetables and flowers, with almost half of its population employed by farms or other agriculture-related ventures. Archaeological sites in the area consist of several tombs, walls, and similar Zapotec structures. Most of the sites are overgrown with vegetation, however they do attract some tourists and archaeologists.

External links