Tepehuanes is both a town and a 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...

 in the Mexican state of Durango

Durango

Durango officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is located in Northwest Mexico. With a population of 1,632,934, it has Mexico's second-lowest population density, after Baja...

. It is located in the North West of Durango at 25°12'"-26°25'"N 105°23'"-106°40'"W , at an elevation of about 1,830 meters (6000 feet). It is bordered to the north by the municipality of Guanacevi, the municipality El Oro to the east, the municipality of Santiago Papasquiaro to the south, the municipality of Canelas to the southwest, the municipality of Topia to the west, and the municipality of Tamazula to the northwest along with the state of Chihuahua. The total area of the municipality (urban and rural) is 6401.50 square kilometers, which represents 5.95% of the state. The 2005 census lists a population of 11,605 inhabitants, 4,951 of whom reside in the municipal seat of Santa Catarina de Tepehuanes. The town gained its name from the native Tepehuan

Tepehuán

The Tepehuán are a Native American ethnic group in northwest Mexico, whose villages at the time of Spanish conquest spanned a large territory along the Sierra Madre Occidental from Chihuahua and Durango in the north to Jalisco in the south...

 Indians. Their name is 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...

 for mountain dweller.

Founding

When the Spanish arrived in the area, they met a large tribe known as the Great Tepehuan Nation living on the eastern side of the Sierra Madre Occidental

Sierra Madre Occidental

The Sierra Madre Occidental is a mountain range in western Mexico.-Setting:The range runs north to south, from just south of the Sonora–Arizona border southeast through eastern Sonora, western Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Durango, Zacatecas, Nayarit, Jalisco, Aguascalientes to Guanajuato, where it joins...

. The Tepehuan practiced ritual cannibalism and were fierce with their enemies. The capital of the Tepehuan Nation was named Ubamari in honor of a Tepehuan king. In 1597 Father and Jesuit Jerónimo Ramírez arrived from the northeast of Durango on a mission to establish missionaries and evangelize the natives who inhabited the region. After great difficulty and the help of a Tepehuan woman, he convinced the Tepehauns to establish a settlement on the bend that forms the terrain next to the Tepehuan River where the church symbolized the foundation. In 16 July 1597 the mission of Santa Catarina de Tepehuanes, Durango was founded, and would later be the base of the municipality of Tepehuanes.

Rebellion of 1616

Although the Spanish were well received by the natives, the Spanish sought enrichment and power. They considered themselves a superior race, not just for the color of their skin, but for the power of their arms. They subjugated and enslaved the natives for their own private services. Nineteen years after the founding of the mission in Tepehuanes at the start of the 17th century, a rebellion by the Tepehuans began lead by the violent and bewitching Quautlatlas who martyred several priests, along with 70 black slaves, 200 Spaniards of all age and condition, and the countless converts who embraced their faith so much they chose death over renouncing it.

18th Century to Today

For the 18th century Tepehaunes was part of Santiago Papasquiaro

Santiago Papasquiaro

Santiago Papasquiaro is a town of 47,360 people located in a valley in west-central Durango, Mexico. It is the fourth-largest community in the state in population, and is the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. It is home of a military base of the 71st Infantry Battalion. The town...

. In 1910 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...

began and Tepehuanes was not spared the fighting between the revolutionaries and the federalists. It's during the revolution that Tepehuanes became an independent municipality in 1917 due to the breakdown of political leadership. Félix López was it's first municipal president.

Climate

The average temperature for the year is 15°C and average rainfall is 1000-1200 mm of rain.

Communities

Tepehuanes has several branching communities (pueblos) surrounding the town.

• Los Bagres
• San Jose De La Boca
• La Purisima
• El Rincon
• Carreras
• Los Pinos
• San Nicolas de Presidios
• Sandías
• La Cienega