Tecalitlán
Encyclopedia
Tecalitlán is a city and municipality in the central Mexican
state of Jalisco
, located just to the south of Ciudad Guzmán
. According to the 1990 census, its population was 13,265.
A lot of the money that comes to the town comes from people that have migrated to the United States to work and send money to their families back home.
music was developed, and in fact the most famous exponent of that genre, Vargas de Tecalitlán, was founded there in the 1890s (though now resident in Mexico City
). There is a museum of this mariachi in Tecalitlan. Tecalitlan has a lot of traditions, like the fiestas de diciembre which celebrate religion and the love toward virgen of Guadalupe. People in this town are very friendly. A very interesting tradition kept until now, is that every Sunday after mass, people are used to going to the center of the town (jardin) and spend their afternoon socializing with other people of the town. In this Jardin, girls walk one way and boys on the other way so they face each other. There is the cerro de la cruz, a mountain were there is a cross that people go to visit and offer sacrifices.
A local culinary specialty is birria
, a savory stew
made from goat
meat and other ingredients.There are also other foods like tacos, sopes, pozole, tostadas, enchiladas and many more Mexican traditional foods.
Comedienne/singer Cessy Casanova
, whose father and brother have been guitarron
players with Vargas de Tecalitlan, was born and raised here.
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...
state of 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...
, located just to the south of Ciudad Guzmán
Ciudad Guzmán
Ciudad Guzmán is a city in the Mexican state of Jalisco.It is located at , 124 km south of Guadalajara, at a height of 1,507 metres above sea level...
. According to the 1990 census, its population was 13,265.
Industry
One of Tecalitlán's major industries was the growing of sugar cane. This industry ended about ten years ago. Nowadays the economy comes from agriculture and the raising of animals such as cattle, pigs, chickens, and goat.A lot of the money that comes to the town comes from people that have migrated to the United States to work and send money to their families back home.
Culture
Tecalitlán is at the heart of the region where mariachiMariachi
Mariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
music was developed, and in fact the most famous exponent of that genre, Vargas de Tecalitlán, was founded there in the 1890s (though now resident in 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...
). There is a museum of this mariachi in Tecalitlan. Tecalitlan has a lot of traditions, like the fiestas de diciembre which celebrate religion and the love toward virgen of Guadalupe. People in this town are very friendly. A very interesting tradition kept until now, is that every Sunday after mass, people are used to going to the center of the town (jardin) and spend their afternoon socializing with other people of the town. In this Jardin, girls walk one way and boys on the other way so they face each other. There is the cerro de la cruz, a mountain were there is a cross that people go to visit and offer sacrifices.
A local culinary specialty is birria
Birria
Birria is a spicy Mexican meat stew usually made with pork, goat, lamb, or mutton, often served during festive periods, such as Christmas, New Year's Eve, Mother's Day, and weddings. Originally from Jalisco, it is a common dish in some Mexican food establishments...
, a savory stew
Stew
A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables , meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used...
made from goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
meat and other ingredients.There are also other foods like tacos, sopes, pozole, tostadas, enchiladas and many more Mexican traditional foods.
Comedienne/singer Cessy Casanova
Cessy Casanova
Cecilia Santiago , better known as Cessy Casanova, is a Mexican comedienne and singer. She is the daughter of former Vargas de Tecalitlán guitarron player Natividad Santiago, and the sister of the band's current guitarron player, Marco Antonio Santiago...
, whose father and brother have been guitarron
Guitarrón
See also: Guitarrón ChilenoThe guitarrón mexicano or Mexican guitarron, is a very large, deep-bodied Mexican 6-string acoustic bass played in mariachi groups...
players with Vargas de Tecalitlan, was born and raised here.