Xico, México
Encyclopedia
Xico is a city in Mexico State, Mexico
, located. It serves as the municipal seat of Valle de Chalco Solidaridad municipality
, with which it is, for all practical purposes, coterminous. The municipality lies adjacent to the east side of the Federal District (Distrito Federal)
and is part of the Mexico City metropolitan area
. The city and municipality lie on the old lakebed of Lake Chalco
, which was drained like much of the Mexico Basin. The city name comes from the nearby Xico hill (Cerro de Xico) and the name of the municipality comes from the old lake plus a reference to the "Programa Nacional de Solidaridad" (National Program of Solidarity) which was initiated here. The municipality's glyph
and shield make reference to both names. It is a distinct entity from the city and municipality of Chalco, which is nearby. "Chalco" in both names refers to the Chalca tribe that were one of the original inhabitants of the area.
culture. From 650 to 750, an Otomi
settlement gained prominence. The Acxotecas arrived around 1328, the same time that chinampa
farming began here. Xico was conquered by the Aztec
Tezozomoc
in 1381, after which groups of Mexica
s settle here extending the chinampa farming system in the 14th and 15th centuries. The area was ceded to Hernán Cortés
by the Spanish kind in 1529. The modern area began in the 19th century when Porfirio Díaz ordered the draining of Lake Chalco which devastated the economies of the former coastline communities. The Mexican Revolution
tried the compensate these communities by the creation of ejido
s, the two largest here being Estación Xico with 507 hectares and San Miguel Xico with 250 hectares. These ejidos, as well as the present-day city and municipality, rest almost entirely on former lakebed.
For the most part, the area laid barren until the late 1970s, when there was a sudden influx of families coming from the central and southern parts of Mexico in search of land. Despite its proximity, there was no infrastructure for basic services including schooling for children. Many people bought ejido land causing legal problems. The federal government had to step in to install basic services and regularize the property rights of more than 77,000 parcels of ejido land that was sold. However, the area did not become a separate municipality until 1994. In the census of 2005 the population of Xico was 331,321 people.
The only notable sites in the area are The Cerro del Marqués which contains architecture and archeological remains but these are not open to the public. However, there is the Museo Comunitario (Community Museum]] which displays local archeological finds located in the Casa de Cultura “Chalchiuhtlicue”. The is also the Ex – Hacienda de Xico which was constructed at the same time the lake was drained.
The municipality borders the municipalities of Ixtapaluca, Chicoloapan, Los Reyes Acaquilpan
, al oriente con Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias and borders to the south with the Distrito Federal. It covers a total surface area of 46.36 km² (17.9 sq mi).
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...
, located. It serves as the municipal seat of Valle de Chalco Solidaridad 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...
, with which it is, for all practical purposes, coterminous. The municipality lies adjacent to the east side of the Federal District (Distrito Federal)
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...
and is part of the Mexico City metropolitan area
Metropolitan areas of Mexico
Metropolitan areas in Mexico have been traditionally defined as the group of municipalities that heavily interact with each other, usually around a core city...
. The city and municipality lie on the old lakebed of Lake Chalco
Lake Chalco
Lake Chalco was an endorheic lake formerly located in the Valley of Mexico and was important for human development in central Mexico. The lake was named after the city of Chalco on its eastern shore....
, which was drained like much of the Mexico Basin. The city name comes from the nearby Xico hill (Cerro de Xico) and the name of the municipality comes from the old lake plus a reference to the "Programa Nacional de Solidaridad" (National Program of Solidarity) which was initiated here. The municipality's glyph
Glyph
A glyph is an element of writing: an individual mark on a written medium that contributes to the meaning of what is written. A glyph is made up of one or more graphemes....
and shield make reference to both names. It is a distinct entity from the city and municipality of Chalco, which is nearby. "Chalco" in both names refers to the Chalca tribe that were one of the original inhabitants of the area.
The city
Early pre-hispanic history refers to the area around the Cerro de Xico and the Island of Xico as most of the modern city was underwater until relatively recently. The area was mostly fishing villages from 900 BC to 100 AD. However, from 550 to 650, the area was dominated by the TeotihuacanTeotihuacan
Teotihuacan – also written Teotihuacán, with a Spanish orthographic accent on the last syllable – is an enormous archaeological site in the Basin of Mexico, just 30 miles northeast of Mexico City, containing some of the largest pyramidal structures built in the pre-Columbian Americas...
culture. From 650 to 750, an Otomi
Otomi people
The Otomi people . Smaller Otomi populations exist in the states of Puebla, Mexico, Tlaxcala, Michoacán and Guanajuato. The Otomi language belonging to the Oto-Pamean branch of the Oto-Manguean language family is spoken in many different varieties some of which are not mutually intelligible.One of...
settlement gained prominence. The Acxotecas arrived around 1328, the same time that chinampa
Chinampa
Chinampa is a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture which used small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land to grow crops on the shallow lake beds in the Valley of Mexico.-Description:...
farming began here. Xico was conquered by the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
Tezozomoc
Tezozomoc
Tezozomoc Yacateteltetl , was a Tepanec leader who ruled the altepetl of Azcapotzalco from the year 1353 or Five Reed or Eight Rabbit until his death in the year Twelve Rabbit...
in 1381, after which groups of Mexica
Mexica
The Mexica were a pre-Columbian people of central Mexico.Mexica may also refer to:*Mexica , a board game designed by Wolfgang Kramer and Michael Kiesling*Mexica , a 2005 novel by Norman Spinrad...
s settle here extending the chinampa farming system in the 14th and 15th centuries. The area was ceded to Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés
Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
by the Spanish kind in 1529. The modern area began in the 19th century when Porfirio Díaz ordered the draining of Lake Chalco which devastated the economies of the former coastline communities. 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...
tried the compensate these communities by the creation of ejido
Ejido
The ejido system is a process whereby the government promotes the use of communal land shared by the people of the community. This use of community land was a common practice during the time of Aztec rule in Mexico...
s, the two largest here being Estación Xico with 507 hectares and San Miguel Xico with 250 hectares. These ejidos, as well as the present-day city and municipality, rest almost entirely on former lakebed.
For the most part, the area laid barren until the late 1970s, when there was a sudden influx of families coming from the central and southern parts of Mexico in search of land. Despite its proximity, there was no infrastructure for basic services including schooling for children. Many people bought ejido land causing legal problems. The federal government had to step in to install basic services and regularize the property rights of more than 77,000 parcels of ejido land that was sold. However, the area did not become a separate municipality until 1994. In the census of 2005 the population of Xico was 331,321 people.
The only notable sites in the area are The Cerro del Marqués which contains architecture and archeological remains but these are not open to the public. However, there is the Museo Comunitario (Community Museum]] which displays local archeological finds located in the Casa de Cultura “Chalchiuhtlicue”. The is also the Ex – Hacienda de Xico which was constructed at the same time the lake was drained.
The municipality
As municipal seat, Xico has governing jurisdiction over the following communities: Las Bombas, Comalchica, Santa Cruz, El Triángulo, El Invernadero, Colonia Ampliación (San Miguel Tláhuac), and Ejido Tulyehualco (Tabla Número Nueve) as well as 13 unnamed communities. It has a total population of 332,279.The municipality borders the municipalities of Ixtapaluca, Chicoloapan, Los Reyes Acaquilpan
Los Reyes Acaquilpan
Los Reyes Acaquilpan is a city and governing head of the municipality of La Paz in Mexico State, Mexico. It is located on the dividing line between Mexico State and the eastern edge of the Federal District. It can therefore be considered part of the Greater Mexico City area...
, al oriente con Chalco de Díaz Covarrubias and borders to the south with the Distrito Federal. It covers a total surface area of 46.36 km² (17.9 sq mi).