Tetela de Ocampo
Encyclopedia
Tetela de Ocampo is a town and municipality
in the Sierra Norte
region of the Mexican state of Puebla
."Tetela" is a name of Nahuatl
origin, containing the elements tetl (hill) and tla (many): it thus means "place of many hills". Nahuas still inhabit the area.
The BUAP has a Regional Section there.
s who came from the west, worshipped Huitzilopochtli
, and fought in the xochiyaotl with the inhabitants of Zacatlán
and Tlaxcala
.
Tetela used to be called Tetela del Oro because there was a gold mine in a nearby local town called La Cañada. They used to coin gold coins in Tetela.
On 23 June 1861 it was given the status of a town (villa), with the "Ocampo" honorific for Melchor Ocampo
, who had been assassinated earlier that month.
In August 1865, during the French Intervention, it was the scene of fighting between Republicans (led by, local son and later President of Mexico, general Juan Nepomuceno Méndez) and Austro-Hungarian cavalry under de command of General Tancred de La Salla. The Mexican force retreated to the upper hills of Moracco where they were met by the enforcements of Juan Francisco Lucas.
The remains of Hacienda de Taxcantla, the trenches across the Rio Apulco bridge, the two campaign cannons taken from the Austro-Hungarian Corps in downtown Tetela, and the oral local history tradition of its people still remember us about the great heroism of the Sierra Norte native people during the French Intervention war.
Nowadays, there is a local museum called Museo de Los Tres Juanes which displays a number of artifacts ranging from the Precolombian up to the Mexican Revolution periods.
On a hill above the town Is a monumental cross and a lookout point which gives a good view of the town and the surrounding mountains. The cross was erected here in 1969 by the Los Josefinos Mission.
Just outside of the town proper is the hacienda of artist Rafael Bonilla, which is known to all the locals and located at the foot of the Juárez Hill. Visitors are greeted by sculptures of Nahua gods, created by the artist. There is a gallery here which contains a collection of Bonilla’s works as well as works by other artists from Tetela.
La Cañada is a small mining town, where the remains of sulfur and gold mines can still be seen and smelled. In Cuapancingo, there is an ancient bridge called the Bridge of Nanahuacingo.
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 Sierra Norte
Sierra Norte de Puebla
The Sierra Norte de Puebla – known simply as the Sierra Norte by locals – is a mountain range that makes up the southern end of the Sierra Madre Oriental in central Mexico.-Mountain range:...
region of the Mexican state of Puebla
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....
."Tetela" is a name of 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...
origin, containing the elements tetl (hill) and tla (many): it thus means "place of many hills". Nahuas still inhabit the area.
The BUAP has a Regional Section there.
History
The settlement was founded in 1219 by four tribes of ChichimecaChichimeca
Chichimeca was the name that the Nahua peoples of Mexico generically applied to a wide range of semi-nomadic peoples who inhabited the north of modern-day Mexico and southwestern United States, and carried the same sense as the European term "barbarian"...
s who came from the west, worshipped Huitzilopochtli
Huitzilopochtli
In Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli , was a god of war, a sun god, and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He was also the national god of the Mexicas of Tenochtitlan.- Genealogy :...
, and fought in the xochiyaotl with the inhabitants of Zacatlán
Zacatlán
Zacatlán is a city, and the surrounding municipality of the same name, in the northern region of the Mexican state of Puebla. It is renowned as one of the country's foremost apple-growing regions, and is so sometimes called "Zacatlán de las Manzanas"...
and Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala
Tlaxcala officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Tlaxcala is one of the 31 states which along with the Federal District comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 60 municipalities and its capital city is Tlaxcala....
.
Tetela used to be called Tetela del Oro because there was a gold mine in a nearby local town called La Cañada. They used to coin gold coins in Tetela.
On 23 June 1861 it was given the status of a town (villa), with the "Ocampo" honorific for Melchor Ocampo
Melchor Ocampo
Melchor Ocampo was a Mexican lawyer, scientist, and liberal politician.His home state was renamed Michoacán de Ocampo in his honour.-Studies:...
, who had been assassinated earlier that month.
In August 1865, during the French Intervention, it was the scene of fighting between Republicans (led by, local son and later President of Mexico, general Juan Nepomuceno Méndez) and Austro-Hungarian cavalry under de command of General Tancred de La Salla. The Mexican force retreated to the upper hills of Moracco where they were met by the enforcements of Juan Francisco Lucas.
The remains of Hacienda de Taxcantla, the trenches across the Rio Apulco bridge, the two campaign cannons taken from the Austro-Hungarian Corps in downtown Tetela, and the oral local history tradition of its people still remember us about the great heroism of the Sierra Norte native people during the French Intervention war.
Nowadays, there is a local museum called Museo de Los Tres Juanes which displays a number of artifacts ranging from the Precolombian up to the Mexican Revolution periods.
The town
The Parish of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción was built in 1808 and is the tallest building in the town. It faces the main plaza where the municipal palace is also found. This palace was built in the French style that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Inside if the Los Tres Juanes Museum, named in honor of the three generals from here who fought against the French in Battle of Puebla.On a hill above the town Is a monumental cross and a lookout point which gives a good view of the town and the surrounding mountains. The cross was erected here in 1969 by the Los Josefinos Mission.
Just outside of the town proper is the hacienda of artist Rafael Bonilla, which is known to all the locals and located at the foot of the Juárez Hill. Visitors are greeted by sculptures of Nahua gods, created by the artist. There is a gallery here which contains a collection of Bonilla’s works as well as works by other artists from Tetela.
The municipality
In the nearby community of Xaltempa de Lucas are the Aconco waterfalls, which is not often visited. In Carreragco are located the Grutas de Acocomoca, a cave system which was discovered only a decade ago. Today, it has a small “eco-hotel,” which provides tours through the caves. Visitors to the caves are required to wear hard hats, with lamps and a change of clothes recommended.La Cañada is a small mining town, where the remains of sulfur and gold mines can still be seen and smelled. In Cuapancingo, there is an ancient bridge called the Bridge of Nanahuacingo.