Western Mexico
Encyclopedia
The Western Mexico is a region of United Mexican States, formed by the states of Jalisco
, Nayarit
, Colima
and Michoacan
, also includes the Revillagigedo Islands
, Marías Islands and several smaller islands. The region extends from the coastal plain of the Pacific Ocean, the Sierra Madre Occidental
, the Volcanic axis, the basin of Balsas River
, the Sierra Madre del Sur
and the southwest of the Mexican plateau
.
Early archaeologists who wrote about the Western Mexico pointed that this region was somehow connected with Mesoamerica
; then, other researchers felt that the archeology of the western area belonged to the Mesoamerican studies, and finally the more recent authors argue that the area should be incorporated into a redefined Mesoamerica. There is very little information about early human occupation of the area, the earliest evidence is a camp established on the basis of a volcanic mountain in the Bay of Matanchén
, Nayarit,which is a likely date from 2200 to 1730 b.c.
Part of the area was under the dominion of the Tarascan Empire
was one of only two autonomous kingdoms in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The conquest of territory was accomplished by Nuño de Guzmán and named as Conquista del Espíritu Santo de la Mayor España (Conquest of the Holy Spirit of Spain Mayor). However, queen Joanna of Castile
(Joanna the Mad ), mother of Charles V
, did not agree with the name given to the conquered territory, and by Royal Decree, on January 25, 1531, ordered to call the conquered territory as Reino de la Nueva Galicia and was founded a city named Santiago de Galicia de Compostela
as capital city.
Nueva Galicia was home to many Mexican national heroes, the most important are Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez
, José María Morelos
and Agustín de Iturbide
, all born in Valladolid, now Morelia
, Michoacán. It was also the birthplace of presidents
José Justo Corro
and Valentín Gómez Farías
both born in Guadalajara
, 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...
, Nayarit
Nayarit
Nayarit officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.It is located in Western Mexico...
, Colima
Colima
Colima is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima....
and Michoacan
Michoacán
Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia...
, also includes the Revillagigedo Islands
Revillagigedo Islands
The Revillagigedo Islands or Revillagigedo Archipelago are a group of four volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean, known for their unique ecosystem...
, Marías Islands and several smaller islands. The region extends from the coastal plain of the Pacific Ocean, 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 Volcanic axis, the basin of Balsas River
Balsas River
The Balsas River is a major river of south-central Mexico. The basin flows through the states of Puebla, Morelos, Guerrero, and Mexico. The river empties into the Pacific Ocean at Mangrove Point, adjacent to the city of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán...
, the Sierra Madre del Sur
Sierra Madre del Sur
The Sierra Madre del Sur is a mountain range in southern Mexico, extending from southern Michoacán east through Guerrero, to the Istmo de Tehuantepec in eastern Oaxaca.-Geography:...
and the southwest of the Mexican plateau
Mexican Plateau
The Central Mexican Plateau, also known as the Mexican Altiplano or Altiplanicie Mexicana, is a large arid-to-semiarid plateau that occupies much of northern and central Mexico...
.
Pre-Columbian Era
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica is a region and culture area in the Americas, extending approximately from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, within which a number of pre-Columbian societies flourished before the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 15th and...
; then, other researchers felt that the archeology of the western area belonged to the Mesoamerican studies, and finally the more recent authors argue that the area should be incorporated into a redefined Mesoamerica. There is very little information about early human occupation of the area, the earliest evidence is a camp established on the basis of a volcanic mountain in the Bay of Matanchén
Matanchén
Matanchén is the name of both the bay and one of the small towns located just south of San Blas, Nayarit, on the Pacific coast of Mexico. It is known for its exceptionally long surf break. Las Islitas, one of the villages and surfing spots on Matanchén Bay, is documented by the Guinness Book of...
, Nayarit,which is a likely date from 2200 to 1730 b.c.
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
Part of the area was under the dominion of the Tarascan Empire
Tarascan state
The Tarascan state was a state in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, roughly covering the geographic area of the present-day Mexican state of Michoacán. At the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico it was the second-largest state in Mexico. The state was founded in the early 14th century and lost its...
New Kingdom of Galicia
The New Kingdom of GaliciaNueva Galicia
El Nuevo Reino de Galicia or Nueva Galicia was an autonomous kingdom of the Viceroyalty of New Spain. It was named after Galicia in Spain...
was one of only two autonomous kingdoms in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. The conquest of territory was accomplished by Nuño de Guzmán and named as Conquista del Espíritu Santo de la Mayor España (Conquest of the Holy Spirit of Spain Mayor). However, queen Joanna of Castile
Joanna of Castile
Joanna , nicknamed Joanna the Mad , was the first queen regnant to reign over both the Crown of Castile and the Crown of Aragon , a union which evolved into modern Spain...
(Joanna the Mad ), mother of Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
, did not agree with the name given to the conquered territory, and by Royal Decree, on January 25, 1531, ordered to call the conquered territory as Reino de la Nueva Galicia and was founded a city named Santiago de Galicia de Compostela
Compostela, Nayarit
Compostela is the name of both a municipality and the town within that municipality that serves as the seat. They are in the Mexican state of Nayarit. The population of the municipality was 62,925 in a total area of 1,848 km²...
as capital city.
Nueva Galicia was home to many Mexican national heroes, the most important are Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez
Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez
María Josefa Cresencia Ortiz y Girón, popularly known as Doña Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez or La Corregidora was an insurgent and supporter of the Mexican War of Independence, which fought for independence against Spain, in the early 19th century...
, José María Morelos
José María Morelos
José María Teclo Morelos y Pavón was a Mexican Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary rebel leader who led the Mexican War of Independence movement, assuming its leadership after the execution of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in 1811...
and Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín de Iturbide
Agustín Cosme Damián de Iturbide y Aramburu , also known as Augustine I of Mexico, was a Mexican army general who built a successful political and military coalition that was able to march into Mexico City on 27 September 1821, decisively ending the Mexican War of Independence...
, all born in Valladolid, now Morelia
Morelia
Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the...
, Michoacán. It was also the birthplace of presidents
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
José Justo Corro
José Justo Corro
José Justo Corro was a Mexican lawyer, politician, and president of the Republic, from March 2, 1836 to April 19, 1837.-Background:...
and Valentín Gómez Farías
Valentín Gómez Farías
Valentín Gómez Farías was several times acting President of Mexico in the 1830s and 1840s.Gomez Farias was one of the more important political figures in early Mexico. The first presidency of Santa Anna from 1833 to 1836 was a temporary victory for the Mexican Liberals...
both born in Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
, Jalisco.
States
| State | Official Name Estado Libre y Soberano de: |
Flag | Capital | Largest city | Area | Population (2010) | Order of Admission to Federation |
Date of Admission to Federation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colima Colima Colima is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima.... |
Colima |  |
Colima | Manzanillo | 5625 km² (2,171.8 sq mi) | 650,129 | 23 | 09-12-1856 |
| 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... |
Jalisco |  |
Guadalajara | Guadalajara | 78599 km² (30,347.2 sq mi) | 7,350,355 | 9 | 23-12-1823 |
| Michoacán Michoacán Michoacán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Michoacán de Ocampo is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 113 municipalities and its capital city is Morelia... |
Michoacán de Ocampo |  |
Morelia Morelia Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the... |
Morelia Morelia Morelia is a city and municipality in the north central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. The city is in the Guayangareo Valley and is the capital of the state. The main pre-Hispanic cultures here were the P'urhépecha and the Matlatzinca, but no major cities were founded in the... |
58643 km² (22,642.2 sq mi) | 4,348,485 | 5 | 22-12-1823 |
| Nayarit Nayarit Nayarit officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Nayarit is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 20 municipalities and its capital city is Tepic.It is located in Western Mexico... |
Nayarit |  |
Tepic Tepic Tepic is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Nayarit.It is located in the central part of the state, at.It stands at an altitude above sea level of some 915 meters, on the banks of the Río Mololoa and the Río Tepic, approximately 225 kilometers north-west of Guadalajara, Jalisco.... |
Tepic Tepic Tepic is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Nayarit.It is located in the central part of the state, at.It stands at an altitude above sea level of some 915 meters, on the banks of the Río Mololoa and the Río Tepic, approximately 225 kilometers north-west of Guadalajara, Jalisco.... |
27815 km² (10,739.4 sq mi) | 1,084,957 | 28 | 26-01-1917 |
See also
- Eastern MexicoEastern MexicoThe Eastern Mexico or also called East-Central Mexico , is a region of United Mexican States, formed by the states of Hidalgo, Puebla, Tlaxcala and Veracruz...
- North-Central MexicoNorth-Central MexicoNorth-Central Mexico is a region of Mexico consisting of five of the United Mexican States: Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas. It is a region with many colonial-style buildings and a wide variety of landscapes, from the mountains of Zacatecas and Guanajuato, la...
- Northeastern MexicoNortheastern MexicoNortheastern Mexico, is a geographic region of Mexico, composed of the states of Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. The Northeast is one of the wealthiest and most industrialized regions of Mexico; with Nuevo León having the highest GDP per capita among the Mexican states, closely followed by...
- Northwestern Mexico
- South-Central MexicoSouth-Central MexicoThe South-Central Mexico is a region of the United Mexican States, formed by the states of Morelos and México; as well as Mexico City, federal district and capital of the country. It is located in the central plateau of Prehispanic Mexico in the area of Texcoco lake...
- Southeastern Mexico
- Southwestern MexicoSouthwestern MexicoSouthwestern Mexico is a region of Mexico, formed by the states of Chiapas, Guerrero and Oaxaca.Because of its population is mostly indigenous people, these states are famous for the deep roots of their traditions, holidays, crafts and great food...