Tehuacán
Encyclopedia
Tehuacán is the second largest city in the Mexican state of Puebla
, nestled in the Southeast Valley of Tehuacán
, bordering the states of Oaxaca
and Veracruz
. The 2010 census reported a population of 248,716 in the city and 274,906 in its surrounding municipality
of the same name, of which it serves as municipal seat. The municipality has an area of 390.36 km² (150.72 sq mi).
Originally a Native American settlement, it became officially a city in the Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1660. According to the archaeologist Richard Stockton MacNeish, the Valley of Tehuacán is the first place maize
was ever cultivated by humankind. He arrived at this conclusion when he found over 10,000 teoscintle
cobs in what is now known as the Cave of Coxcatlan.
In the late twentieth century, the city was well known for its mineral springs
. In fact, Peñafiel
(now owned by Cadbury Schweppes
), a well known soft drinks manufacturer, extracts water from these wells for use in their products. Tehuacán also has an important cluster of poultry
producers, making the city and its surroundings one of the most important egg producing regions in Mexico.
After the NAFTA agreement has been signed, Tehuacán saw a flood of textile maquiladoras established in the city and surrounding areas. These textile factories principally put together blue jeans for export to companies such as The Gap
, Guess
, Old Navy
, and JC Penney. At the height of the maquila (short for maquiladora) boom, there were an estimated number of more than 700 maquilas in town, including those that were operating from homes, often in secret. While this situation created a negative unemployment (zero unemployment) and the maquilas sought workers as far away as Orizaba
and Córdoba in the neighboring state of Veracruz
, it also created an urban and environmental nightmare. In one decade, Tehuacán went from being a town of 150,000 inhabitants to a city of 360,000. Although many maquilas have closed today, in 2007 there were still over 700 of them found in Tehuacán . Due to the poverty of the families living in Tehuacán, child labour in the maquilas is common, and worker's rights are often exploited there. Additionally, chemicals such as caustic soda, chlorine
, peroxide
, oxalic acid
, sodium bisulphate, potassium permanganate
, and sodium hexametaphosphate
are being discharged into the freshwater supplies by the jean laundries. Despite having new purifying technologies available at certain large facilities, they are still not being used the majority of the time. The water, which contains heavy metals such as mercury, lead, copper, zinc, chrome, cadmium and selenium is then used by the farmers to irrigate their land. The cost of environmental deterioration in 2002 was estimated to be $63 billion per year.
Historically, the Valley of Tehuacan is important to the whole of Mexico
, as the most ancient forms of cultivated maize
known were found here by archeologists.
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
, nestled in the Southeast Valley of Tehuacán
Tehuacán Valley matorral
The Tehuacán Valley matorral is a xeric shrubland ecoregion, within the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, in central Mexico.-Setting:The ecoregion occupies the Tehuacán and Cuicatlán valleys, covering parts of Puebla and Oaxaca states. The valleys lie in the rain shadow of the surrounding...
, bordering the states of 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...
and Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
. The 2010 census reported a population of 248,716 in the city and 274,906 in its surrounding municipality
Municipalities of Mexico
Municipalities are the second-level administrative division in Mexico . There are 2,438 municipalities in Mexico, making the average municipality population 45,616...
of the same name, of which it serves as municipal seat. The municipality has an area of 390.36 km² (150.72 sq mi).
Originally a Native American settlement, it became officially a city in the Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1660. According to the archaeologist Richard Stockton MacNeish, the Valley of Tehuacán is the first place maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
was ever cultivated by humankind. He arrived at this conclusion when he found over 10,000 teoscintle
Teosinte
Zea is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae. Several species are commonly known as teosintes and are found in Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua....
cobs in what is now known as the Cave of Coxcatlan.
In the late twentieth century, the city was well known for its mineral springs
Mineral Springs
Mineral Springs is the name of several locations in the United States:* Mineral Springs, Arkansas* Mineral Springs, North Carolina* Mineral Springs Township, North Dakota* Mineral Springs at Green Springs, Ohio...
. In fact, Peñafiel
Peñafiel (mineral water)
Peñafiel is a Mexican mineral water brand currently owned by the Dr Pepper Snapple Group.-History:Peñafiel was founded by the Peñafiel family in Tehuacán, Puebla around 1948.Current presentations for products include Naturel, Twist and Classic....
(now owned by Cadbury Schweppes
Cadbury Schweppes
Cadbury is a confectionery company owned by Kraft Foods and is the industry's second-largest globally after Mars, Incorporated. Headquartered in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom, the company operates in more than 50 countries worldwide....
), a well known soft drinks manufacturer, extracts water from these wells for use in their products. Tehuacán also has an important cluster of poultry
Poultry
Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...
producers, making the city and its surroundings one of the most important egg producing regions in Mexico.
After the NAFTA agreement has been signed, Tehuacán saw a flood of textile maquiladoras established in the city and surrounding areas. These textile factories principally put together blue jeans for export to companies such as The Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
, Guess
Guess
The word guess commonly refers to a conjecture or estimation. To "guess" is to make a prediction without sufficient information or knowledge.Guess may also refer to:*Guess , an American name-brand clothing line...
, Old Navy
Old Navy
Old Navy is an American clothing brand as well as a chain of stores owned by Gap, Inc., with corporate operations in San Francisco and San Bruno, California. It is one of the first major corporations to house headquarters in the new Mission Bay district of San Francisco.Gap, Inc. was run by...
, and JC Penney. At the height of the maquila (short for maquiladora) boom, there were an estimated number of more than 700 maquilas in town, including those that were operating from homes, often in secret. While this situation created a negative unemployment (zero unemployment) and the maquilas sought workers as far away as Orizaba
Orizaba
Orizaba is a city and municipality in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It is located 20 km west of its sister city Córdoba, and is adjacent to Río Blanco and Ixtaczoquitlán, on Federal Highways 180 and 190. The city had a 2005 census population of 117,273 and is almost coextensive with its small...
and Córdoba in the neighboring state of Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
, it also created an urban and environmental nightmare. In one decade, Tehuacán went from being a town of 150,000 inhabitants to a city of 360,000. Although many maquilas have closed today, in 2007 there were still over 700 of them found in Tehuacán . Due to the poverty of the families living in Tehuacán, child labour in the maquilas is common, and worker's rights are often exploited there. Additionally, chemicals such as caustic soda, chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
, peroxide
Peroxide
A peroxide is a compound containing an oxygen–oxygen single bond or the peroxide anion .The O−O group is called the peroxide group or peroxo group. In contrast to oxide ions, the oxygen atoms in the peroxide ion have an oxidation state of −1.The simplest stable peroxide is hydrogen peroxide...
, oxalic acid
Oxalic acid
Oxalic acid is an organic compound with the formula H2C2O4. This colourless solid is a dicarboxylic acid. In terms of acid strength, it is about 3,000 times stronger than acetic acid. Oxalic acid is a reducing agent and its conjugate base, known as oxalate , is a chelating agent for metal cations...
, sodium bisulphate, potassium permanganate
Potassium permanganate
Potassium permanganate is an inorganic chemical compound with the formula KMnO4. It is a salt consisting of K+ and MnO4− ions. Formerly known as permanganate of potash or Condy's crystals, it is a strong oxidizing agent. It dissolves in water to give intensely purple solutions, the...
, and sodium hexametaphosphate
Sodium hexametaphosphate
Sodium hexametaphosphate is a hexamer of composition 6. Sodium hexametaphosphate of commerce is typically a mixture of polymeric metaphosphates, of which the hexamer is one, and is usually the compound referred to by this name. It is more correctly termed sodium polymetaphosphate. It is prepared...
are being discharged into the freshwater supplies by the jean laundries. Despite having new purifying technologies available at certain large facilities, they are still not being used the majority of the time. The water, which contains heavy metals such as mercury, lead, copper, zinc, chrome, cadmium and selenium is then used by the farmers to irrigate their land. The cost of environmental deterioration in 2002 was estimated to be $63 billion per year.
Historically, the Valley of Tehuacan is important to the whole of 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...
, as the most ancient forms of cultivated maize
Maize
Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...
known were found here by archeologists.
Geography
Tehuacan is located in the southeastern part of the State of Puebla. Northern bordering cities are Tepanco de López, Santiago Miahuatlán, Vicente Guerrero y Nicolás Bravo; Eastern Vicente Guerrero, San Antonio Cañada y Ajalpan; Southern San Gabriel Chilac, Zapotitlán, San Antonio Texcala y Altepexi; and Western Zapotitlán, San Martín Atexcal, Juan N. Méndez y Tepanco de López.External links
- Diving Destiny Circle of Blue tells the story of one Tehuacán Valley community's response to Mexico's worst water crisis in decades.
- Tehuacán municipal government Official website (Spanish)
- Tehuacán, Puebla Information Tehuacán, Puebla Information (Spanish)
- tehuacan.com.mx, El Portal de la Ciudad tehuacan.com.mx, El Portal de la Ciudad. Directorio Empresarial en Línea
- Tehuacan News Noticias al dia de Tehuacán