Zacatecas
Encyclopedia
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas (Free and Sovereign State of Zacatecas) is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District
, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico
. It is divided in 58 municipalities
and its capital city is Zacatecas
.
It is located in North-Central Mexico
. It is bordered by the states of Durango
to the northwest, Coahuila
to the north, Nayarit
to the west, San Luis Potosí
and Nuevo León
to the east, and Jalisco
, Guanajuato
and Aguascalientes
to the south.
The state of Zacatecas is best known for its rich deposits of silver
and other minerals, its colonial architecture and its importance during the Mexican revolution
. Its main economic activities are mining
, agriculture
and tourism
.
-derived name for one of the indigenous peoples who inhabited the region before the arrival of the Spanish. The name ultimately derives from the Nahuatl word for a type of grass common in the region, zacatl. The region where this grass grew was originally called Zacatlan, and its inhabitants, Zacateca, pluralized in Mexican Spanish
to Zacatecas.
Besides the Zacatecas
, the Caxcan
, Guachichil
, and Tepehuan
were also reported by the Spanish to be inhabiting the region which comprises the modern state of Zacatecas.
On September 8, 1546, with the discovery of its mines, the present city of Zacatecas was founded. It was originally baptized "Minas de los Zacatecas" or "Mines of the Zacatecas". Its rich mineral wealth gave the Spanish Crown a great amount of income (the silver mines in Zacatecas and Potosi, Bolivia, were the Spanish crown's largest sources of income during colonialism), which gave the city of Zacatecas the title of "Ciudad de Nuestra Señora de los Zacatecas".
The State stretches from the Sierra Madre Oriental
in the northeast, through the Central Plateau
which makes up the most part of the state, to the Sierra Madre Oriental
in the southwest. There is also a small portion of the state in the extreme southeast that is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
. The average elevation is 2,100 meters with the highest points being: Sierra El Astillero at 3,200 m, Sierra de Sombrerete at 3,100 m, and Sierra Fria at 3,030 m. The Cañón del Río Juchipila is the lowest point in the state at 840 m.
There are two river basins in the state, the one that empties at the Pacific and the interior basin that lacks an exit to the sea and instead flows north towards the state of Coahuila. Some of the most important rivers include the Aguanaval, Juchipila, Atengo-San Andrés, Jerez, Valparaiso, Tlatenango, San Francisco, Villanueva, Palomas, and Bolaños.
There are forest of pine
s and evergreens in the sierras; in the valleys and plains there is a great abundance of mesquite
, maguey, cactus
, agave
, pastures, huisache
, and many other semi-desertic plants. An interesting tree that occurs in Zacatecas is the Elephant tree, Bursera microphylla
.
In the sierras there are many wild boar, white-tailed deer
and hares; in the valleys and plains it is common to find coyote
, badgers, quails and ducks. The extreme northern part of the state is the southern fringe of the Chihuahuan Desert
and as such is rich and diverse in biology. This desert is home to a large amount of cacti and is one of the most ecologically diverse deserts on earth.
The average temperature in the state is 17°C
(62.6°F
) with the maximum average around 30°C (86°F) being reached in may and the lowest at 3°C (37.4°F) in January.
issued his call to rebellion against colonial authorities in 1810, his insurgent followers marched through Zacatecas; they would return the following year, during a hasty retreat into the northern deserts after being routed by a Royalist army near Mexico City
. Mexico gained independence in 1821, and Zacatecas was incorporated as a federal state three years later. Zacatecas was far removed from the capital, and the local mining barons sought to preserve their autonomy. During the civil wars between federalists and centralists in the first decade of the republic, Zacatecas and its lucrative mines were Federalist strongholds. In May 1835, the citizens of Zacatecas joined the other northern Mexican states by revolting against Antonio López de Santa Anna
, who had suspended the federalist constitution and established a dictatorship the previous year. Except for Texas, Santa Anna crushed most of these rebellions, rewarding his soldiers with two days of pillage in Zacatecas
, in which up to 2,000 people died. Santa Anna detached the prosperous city of Aguascalientes
from Zacatecas and made it the capital of a separate state (reputedly, as a reward for a kiss from the beautiful wife of a local politician). The state was a battleground in the War of Reform, and Zacatecas, Zacatecas
changed hands several times until, finally, in 1859 being captured by Liberal Gen. Jesus Gonzalez Ortega, who expelled most of the cities' clergy. During the War of the French Intervention, French soldiers briefly occupied the city.
In 1884, the Mexico Central Railway linked Zacatecas with Mexico City
and Ciudad Juarez
. Due to its location between northern and central Mexico, Zacatecas was a major beneficiary of newfound stability and economic modernization that came during the reign of Porfirio Diaz
. With Mexico's second largest mint and many of its largest silver mines, Zacatecas played an important role in Mexico's economic growth. Its strategic and economic importance made it an important front in the Mexican Revolution
. The Toma de Zacatecas
by Pancho Villa
's Division del Norte
in July 1914 was the decisive battle of the Constitutionalist
rebellion against the counter-revolution of Gen. Victoriano Huerta
.
and maguey, the first being dependent on the rainfall, often failing altogether, the second on irrigation in the lower valleys, and the latter doing best in a dry climate on a calcareous soil with water not far beneath the surface. There is also a considerable production of peach
es, apricot
s and grape
s, the last being made into wine
. A few cattle
are raised, and considerable attention is given to the rearing of sheep, goat
s and swine. A natural product is guayule
, a shrub from which rubber
is extracted.
The chief industry of Zacatecas, however, is mining
for silver
, gold
, mercury
, copper
, iron
, zinc
, lead
, bismuth
, antimony
and salt
. Its mineral
wealth was discovered soon after the conquest, and some of its mines are among the most famous of Mexico, dating from 1546. One of the most productive of its silver mines, the Alvarado, has records which show a production of nearly $800,000,000 in silver between 1548 and 1867.
The state is traversed by the Mexican Central and the Mexican National railways. Its manufactures are limited chiefly to the reduction of mineral ores, the extraction of rubber from guayule, the making of sugar, rum
, mezcal
, pulque
, wool
len and cotton
fabrics, and some minor industries of the capital.
has a smaller number of indigenous people, numbering 3,472; Zacatecas has 4,039 indigenous people. It is estimated that half of the people from Zacatecas do not reside in the state. Mexico's National Population Council estimates that 600,000 natives of Zacatecas now live in the United States, a figure that is equivalent to 40 percent of the state's resident population of 1.5 million. If the base population is supplemented by the number of children and grandchildren who have been born on the Other Side, the total number of Mexicans and Mexican Americans of "zacatecano" origin living in the United States exceeds the number of people who have stayed behind. http://books.google.com/books?id=q222UYDAaSkC&lpg=PA169&ots=ZVkJSaCJfM&dq=zacatecanos%20population%20in%20United%20States&pg=PA169#v=onepage&q=zacatecanos%20population%20in%20United%20States&f=false
with a population of 138,176.
, and Sombrerete.On July 25 in the town of Moyahua de Estrada, there's a big celebration for the saint "Santo Santiago Apostol" and near Sombrerete there is a small town called La Noria, it is small but on July 27 they have a big festival celebrating the saint "San Pantaleón". There are other places like Jerez
, or others such as Sierra de Organos, Sierra de Cardos, and Altavista.
(PRI
). The state is represented by three representatives in the Mexican senate
: Mejía Haro Antonio (PRD
), Tomás Torres Mercado
(PRD
) and José Isabel Trejo Reyes (PAN
). Zacatecas also has 9 representatives in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies
: 9 of the Party of the Democratic Revolution
, 3 of the National Action Party
and 1 of the Ecologist Green Party
.
s (equivalent to a county or a parish in the USA). Mazapil by far is the largest municipality in the state, occupying about 16% of the area of the state. The Municipality of Momax is the smallest one in area with only 164.5 square kilometre.
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...
, comprise the 32 Federal Entities 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...
. It is divided in 58 municipalities
Municipalities of Zacatecas
The Mexican state of Zacatecas is made up of 58 municipalities .- Defunct municipalities :SaucedaSierra HermosaTenayuca...
and its capital city is Zacatecas
Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas is a city and municipality in Mexico and the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It is located in the north central part of the country. The city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century. Prior to this, the area's rich deposits in silver and other minerals were known...
.
It is located in North-Central Mexico
North-Central Mexico
North-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...
. It is bordered by the states 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...
to the northwest, Coahuila
Coahuila
Coahuila, formally Coahuila de Zaragoza , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico...
to the north, 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...
to the west, San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí officially Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is San Luis Potosí....
and Nuevo León
Nuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
to the east, and 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...
, Guanajuato
Guanajuato
Guanajuato officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guanajuato is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 46 municipalities and its capital city is Guanajuato....
and Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
to the south.
The state of Zacatecas is best known for its rich deposits of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and other minerals, its colonial architecture and its importance during 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...
. Its main economic activities are mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
.
Etymology and founding
"Zacatecas" is the NahuatlNahuatl
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...
-derived name for one of the indigenous peoples who inhabited the region before the arrival of the Spanish. The name ultimately derives from the Nahuatl word for a type of grass common in the region, zacatl. The region where this grass grew was originally called Zacatlan, and its inhabitants, Zacateca, pluralized in Mexican Spanish
Mexican Spanish
Mexican Spanish is a version of the Spanish language, as spoken in Mexico and in various places of Canada and the United States of America, where there are communities of Mexican origin....
to Zacatecas.
Besides the Zacatecas
Zacateco
The Zacatecos were an indigenous people inhabiting part of northern Mexico, one of the peoples called Chichimecas by the Aztecs. They lived in most of what is now the state of Zacatecas and the northeastern part of Durango. They have many direct descendants, but most of their culture and...
, the Caxcan
Caxcan
The Caxcan were a partly nomadic indigenous people of Mexico. Under their leader, Francisco Tenamaztle, the Caxcan were allied with the Zacatecos against the Spaniards during the Mixtón Rebellion. During the rebellion, they were described as "the heart and the center of the Indian Rebellion". They...
, Guachichil
Guachichil
Of all the Chichimeca natives, the Guachichiles occupied the most extensive territory, stretching north to Saltillo in Coahuila and to the northern corners of Michoacán in the south...
, and 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...
were also reported by the Spanish to be inhabiting the region which comprises the modern state of Zacatecas.
On September 8, 1546, with the discovery of its mines, the present city of Zacatecas was founded. It was originally baptized "Minas de los Zacatecas" or "Mines of the Zacatecas". Its rich mineral wealth gave the Spanish Crown a great amount of income (the silver mines in Zacatecas and Potosi, Bolivia, were the Spanish crown's largest sources of income during colonialism), which gave the city of Zacatecas the title of "Ciudad de Nuestra Señora de los Zacatecas".
Geography
Zacatecas is the eight-largest Mexican state with an area of 75,539 km² (229,166 sq mi). Occupying about 3.9% of the total land area of the nation. It is a bit larger than the country of Panama but smaller than the Czech Republic. It is located in the north-central region of Mexico and is bordered by the states of Durango to the northwest, Coahuila to the north, Nayarit to the west, San Luis Potosí and Nuevo León to the east, and Jalisco, Guanajuato and Aguascalientes to the south.The State stretches from the Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
in the northeast, through the Central 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...
which makes up the most part of the state, to the Sierra Madre Oriental
Sierra Madre Oriental
The Sierra Madre Oriental is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico.-Setting:Spanning the Sierra Madre Oriental runs from Coahuila south through Nuevo León, southwest Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, and Hidalgo to northern Puebla, where it joins with the east-west running Eje Volcánico...
in the southwest. There is also a small portion of the state in the extreme southeast that is part of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
Trans-Mexican volcanic belt
The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt also known as the Transvolcanic Belt and locally as the Sierra Nevada , is a volcanic belt that extends 900 km from west to east across central-southern Mexico...
. The average elevation is 2,100 meters with the highest points being: Sierra El Astillero at 3,200 m, Sierra de Sombrerete at 3,100 m, and Sierra Fria at 3,030 m. The Cañón del Río Juchipila is the lowest point in the state at 840 m.
There are two river basins in the state, the one that empties at the Pacific and the interior basin that lacks an exit to the sea and instead flows north towards the state of Coahuila. Some of the most important rivers include the Aguanaval, Juchipila, Atengo-San Andrés, Jerez, Valparaiso, Tlatenango, San Francisco, Villanueva, Palomas, and Bolaños.
There are forest of pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
s and evergreens in the sierras; in the valleys and plains there is a great abundance of mesquite
Mesquite
Mesquite is a leguminous plant of the Prosopis genus found in northern Mexico through the Sonoran Desert and Chihuahuan Deserts, and up into the Southwestern United States as far north as southern Kansas, west to the Colorado Desert in California,and east to the eastern fifth of Texas, where...
, maguey, cactus
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
, agave
Agave
Agave is a genus of monocots. The plants are perennial, but each rosette flowers once and then dies ; they are commonly known as the century plant....
, pastures, huisache
Acacia farnesiana var. farnesiana
Vachellia farnesiana var. farnesiana, Huisache or Sweet Acacia, is a species of shrub or small tree in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is native to the Americas, including the Southern United States, Mexico, and the Neotropics. V. f. var. farnesiana has been planted throughout the world, and is...
, and many other semi-desertic plants. An interesting tree that occurs in Zacatecas is the Elephant tree, Bursera microphylla
Bursera microphylla
Bursera microphylla, known by the common name Elephant Tree, is a tree in genus Bursera. It grows into a distinctive sculptural form, with a trunk resembling that of an elephant. The Elephant Tree is quite rare...
.
In the sierras there are many wild boar, white-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
and hares; in the valleys and plains it is common to find coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
, badgers, quails and ducks. The extreme northern part of the state is the southern fringe of the Chihuahuan Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert is a desert, and an ecoregion designation, that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border in the central and northern portions of the Mexican Plateau, bordered on the west by the extensive Sierra Madre Occidental range, and overlaying northern portions of the east range, the Sierra...
and as such is rich and diverse in biology. This desert is home to a large amount of cacti and is one of the most ecologically diverse deserts on earth.
The average temperature in the state is 17°C
Celsius
Celsius is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. It is named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius , who developed a similar temperature scale two years before his death...
(62.6°F
Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is the temperature scale proposed in 1724 by, and named after, the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit . Within this scale, the freezing of water into ice is defined at 32 degrees, while the boiling point of water is defined to be 212 degrees...
) with the maximum average around 30°C (86°F) being reached in may and the lowest at 3°C (37.4°F) in January.
History
After Miguel HidalgoMiguel Hidalgo
Miguel Gregorio Antonio Ignacio Hidalgo y Costilla y Gallaga Mandarte Villaseñor , more commonly known as Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla or simply Miguel Hidalgo, was a Mexican priest and a leader of the Mexican War of Independence.In 1810 Hidalgo led a group of peasants in a revolt against the dominant...
issued his call to rebellion against colonial authorities in 1810, his insurgent followers marched through Zacatecas; they would return the following year, during a hasty retreat into the northern deserts after being routed by a Royalist army near Mexico City
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...
. Mexico gained independence in 1821, and Zacatecas was incorporated as a federal state three years later. Zacatecas was far removed from the capital, and the local mining barons sought to preserve their autonomy. During the civil wars between federalists and centralists in the first decade of the republic, Zacatecas and its lucrative mines were Federalist strongholds. In May 1835, the citizens of Zacatecas joined the other northern Mexican states by revolting against Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
, who had suspended the federalist constitution and established a dictatorship the previous year. Except for Texas, Santa Anna crushed most of these rebellions, rewarding his soldiers with two days of pillage in Zacatecas
Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas is a city and municipality in Mexico and the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It is located in the north central part of the country. The city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century. Prior to this, the area's rich deposits in silver and other minerals were known...
, in which up to 2,000 people died. Santa Anna detached the prosperous city of Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
from Zacatecas and made it the capital of a separate state (reputedly, as a reward for a kiss from the beautiful wife of a local politician). The state was a battleground in the War of Reform, and Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas is a city and municipality in Mexico and the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It is located in the north central part of the country. The city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century. Prior to this, the area's rich deposits in silver and other minerals were known...
changed hands several times until, finally, in 1859 being captured by Liberal Gen. Jesus Gonzalez Ortega, who expelled most of the cities' clergy. During the War of the French Intervention, French soldiers briefly occupied the city.
In 1884, the Mexico Central Railway linked Zacatecas with Mexico City
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 Ciudad Juarez
Ciudad Juárez
Ciudad Juárez , officially known today as Heroica Ciudad Juárez, but abbreviated Juárez and formerly known as El Paso del Norte, is a city and seat of the municipality of Juárez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. Juárez's estimated population is 1.5 million people. The city lies on the Rio Grande...
. Due to its location between northern and central Mexico, Zacatecas was a major beneficiary of newfound stability and economic modernization that came during the reign of Porfirio Diaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
. With Mexico's second largest mint and many of its largest silver mines, Zacatecas played an important role in Mexico's economic growth. Its strategic and economic importance made it an important front in 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...
. The Toma de Zacatecas
Battle of Zacatecas
The Battle of Zacatecas, also known as the Toma de Zacatecas , was the bloodiest battle in the campaign to overthrow Mexican President Victoriano Huerta. On June 23, 1914, Pancho Villa's División del Norte decisively defeated the troops of General Luís Medina Barrón defending the town of Zacatecas...
by Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
's Division del Norte
Division del Norte
The División del Norte was an armed faction formed by Madero and initially led by General Jose Gonzales Salas following the call to arms from Francisco Madero at the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910. After Salas committed suicide following his defeat at the hands of Pascual Orozco at the...
in July 1914 was the decisive battle of the Constitutionalist
Constitutional Army
The Constitutional Army was the army that fought against Huerta's Federal Army, and later, against the Villistas and Zapatistas during the Mexican Revolution. It was formed in March 1913 by Venustiano Carranza, so-called "First-Chief" of the army, as a response to the murder of President Francisco I...
rebellion against the counter-revolution of Gen. Victoriano Huerta
Victoriano Huerta
José Victoriano Huerta Márquez was a Mexican military officer and president of Mexico. Huerta's supporters were known as Huertistas during the Mexican Revolution...
.
Economy
The agricultural products are cereals, sugarSugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
and maguey, the first being dependent on the rainfall, often failing altogether, the second on irrigation in the lower valleys, and the latter doing best in a dry climate on a calcareous soil with water not far beneath the surface. There is also a considerable production of peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es, apricot
Apricot
The apricot, Prunus armeniaca, is a species of Prunus, classified with the plum in the subgenus Prunus. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation.- Description :...
s and grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s, the last being made into wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
. A few cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
are raised, and considerable attention is given to the rearing of sheep, goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
s and swine. A natural product is guayule
Guayule
Parthenium argentatum, commonly known as the Guayule , is a flowering shrub in the aster family, Asteraceae, that is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It can be found in the US states of New Mexico and Texas and the Mexican states of Zacatecas, Coahuila, Chihuahua, San...
, a shrub from which rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
is extracted.
The chief industry of Zacatecas, however, is mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
for silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
, copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
, lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
, bismuth
Bismuth
Bismuth is a chemical element with symbol Bi and atomic number 83. Bismuth, a trivalent poor metal, chemically resembles arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth may occur naturally uncombined, although its sulfide and oxide form important commercial ores. The free element is 86% as dense as lead...
, antimony
Antimony
Antimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
and salt
Sodium chloride
Sodium chloride, also known as salt, common salt, table salt or halite, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCl. Sodium chloride is the salt most responsible for the salinity of the ocean and of the extracellular fluid of many multicellular organisms...
. Its mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
wealth was discovered soon after the conquest, and some of its mines are among the most famous of Mexico, dating from 1546. One of the most productive of its silver mines, the Alvarado, has records which show a production of nearly $800,000,000 in silver between 1548 and 1867.
The state is traversed by the Mexican Central and the Mexican National railways. Its manufactures are limited chiefly to the reduction of mineral ores, the extraction of rubber from guayule, the making of sugar, rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
, mezcal
Mezcal
Mezcal, or mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the maguey plant native to Mexico. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl metl and ixcalli which mean 'oven cooked agave.'...
, pulque
Pulque
Pulque, or octli, is a milk-colored, somewhat viscous alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant, and is a traditional native beverage of Mexico. The drink’s history extends far back into the Mesoamerican period, when it was considered sacred, and its use was limited to...
, wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
len and cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
fabrics, and some minor industries of the capital.
Demographics
The state of Zacatecas has a population of 1,490,668 (2010 census) inhabitants. The three largest municipios (a municipio is equivalent to a county in the United States) are Fresnillo at 213,139; Guadalupe at 159,991 and Zacatecas, 138,176. Of the state's total population,18,139 individuals were born in foreign countries. Zacatecas has more than tripled in a century, in 1900 its population was 462,190. In the year 2008, Zacatecas had the smallest indigenous population percentage-wise in Mexico: 0.3%. Only the state of AguascalientesAguascalientes
Aguascalientes is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 11 municipalities and its capital city is Aguascalientes....
has a smaller number of indigenous people, numbering 3,472; Zacatecas has 4,039 indigenous people. It is estimated that half of the people from Zacatecas do not reside in the state. Mexico's National Population Council estimates that 600,000 natives of Zacatecas now live in the United States, a figure that is equivalent to 40 percent of the state's resident population of 1.5 million. If the base population is supplemented by the number of children and grandchildren who have been born on the Other Side, the total number of Mexicans and Mexican Americans of "zacatecano" origin living in the United States exceeds the number of people who have stayed behind. http://books.google.com/books?id=q222UYDAaSkC&lpg=PA169&ots=ZVkJSaCJfM&dq=zacatecanos%20population%20in%20United%20States&pg=PA169#v=onepage&q=zacatecanos%20population%20in%20United%20States&f=false
Cities
According to the 2010 census the largest municipio (county) in terms of population in the state of Zacatecas is Fresnillo, with a population of 213,139 (2010). It is followed by the municipio of Guadalupe at 159,991, then the state capital of ZacatecasZacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas is a city and municipality in Mexico and the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It is located in the north central part of the country. The city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century. Prior to this, the area's rich deposits in silver and other minerals were known...
with a population of 138,176.
Tourist destinations
The state has touristic cities like: ZacatecasZacatecas, Zacatecas
Zacatecas is a city and municipality in Mexico and the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It is located in the north central part of the country. The city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century. Prior to this, the area's rich deposits in silver and other minerals were known...
, and Sombrerete.On July 25 in the town of Moyahua de Estrada, there's a big celebration for the saint "Santo Santiago Apostol" and near Sombrerete there is a small town called La Noria, it is small but on July 27 they have a big festival celebrating the saint "San Pantaleón". There are other places like Jerez
Jerez de García Salinas
The city and surrounding municipality of Jerez is located in the center of the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. Jerez de García Salinas is the name of the city and "Jerez" of the municipality....
, or others such as Sierra de Organos, Sierra de Cardos, and Altavista.
- Zacatecas: The colonial center of this city is a UNESCO World Heritage site and features elaborately decorated buildings, cobblestone streets, and wrought-iron lanterns.
- Sombrerete: Colonial city established in 1555 as a village, actually is a small city, is the fifth most important in the state, and considered the second most beautiful city in the state. The city features old and beautiful churches built in the New Spain Era, with decorated, old buildings. The municipality has touristic forests, and Sierra de Organos, world famous for filming of western movies.
- Jerez de Garcia Salinas: A "Pueblo Mágico" near the capital city of Zacatecas (Zacatecas City), has colonial buildings and the Santuario and Parroquial Churches, made known internationally by Lopez Velarde, a writer born in that city. It also has beautiful colonial buildings some of which are now lighted at night. Jérez was designated as a "Pueblo Mágico" in 2007 because of its customs, traditions, cuisine and its people. More than 20 years in the past (1988) it had already been designated as a National Monument.
- The Rafael Coronel museum is unique in that it holds a collection of over 5,000 masks. It is one of the largest mask collections in Mexico, with pieces from throughout the country.
Government
The current governor of Zacatecas is Miguel Alonso ReyesMiguel Alonso Reyes
Miguel Alejandro Alonso Reyes is a Mexican politician member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party , and current governor of Zacatecas.-Early Career:...
(PRI
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
). The state is represented by three representatives in the Mexican senate
Senate of Mexico
The Senate of the Republic, constitutionally Chamber of Senators of the Honorable Congress of the Union After a series of reforms during the 1990s, it is now made up of 128 senators:...
: Mejía Haro Antonio (PRD
Party of the Democratic Revolution
The Party of the Democratic Revolution is a democratic socialist party in Mexico and one of 2 Mexican affiliates of the Socialist International...
), Tomás Torres Mercado
Tomás Torres Mercado
Tomás Torres Mercado is a Mexican politician affiliated to the Party of the Democratic Revolution who was elected to serve as senator from 2006 to 2012.- Biography :...
(PRD
Party of the Democratic Revolution
The Party of the Democratic Revolution is a democratic socialist party in Mexico and one of 2 Mexican affiliates of the Socialist International...
) and José Isabel Trejo Reyes (PAN
National Action Party (Mexico)
The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...
). Zacatecas also has 9 representatives in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Mexico
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico's bicameral legislature. The structure and responsibilities of both chambers of Congress are defined in Articles 50 to 70 of the current constitution.-Composition:The Chamber of Deputies is composed of one federal...
: 9 of the Party of the Democratic Revolution
Party of the Democratic Revolution
The Party of the Democratic Revolution is a democratic socialist party in Mexico and one of 2 Mexican affiliates of the Socialist International...
, 3 of the National Action Party
National Action Party (Mexico)
The National Action Party , is one of the three main political parties in Mexico. The party's political platform is generally considered Centre-Right in the Mexican political spectrum. Since 2000, the President of Mexico has been a member of this party; both houses have PAN pluralities, but the...
and 1 of the Ecologist Green Party
Ecologist Green Party of Mexico
The Ecologist Green Party of Mexico is one of the six political parties to have representation in the Mexican Congress. The party's congressional strength currently stands at 17 deputies and five senators .-Elections 2000:...
.
Municipalities
Zacatecas is subdivided into 58 municipioMunicipio
Municipio and Município are terms used for country subdivisions. They are often translated as municipality.-Overview:...
s (equivalent to a county or a parish in the USA). Mazapil by far is the largest municipality in the state, occupying about 16% of the area of the state. The Municipality of Momax is the smallest one in area with only 164.5 square kilometre.
Major communities
- ChalchihuitesChalchihuitesAlta Vista, or Chalchihuites, is a small Mesoamerican archaeological site in the Mexican state of Zacatecas, in the northwest of Mexico. The archaeological site of Alta Vista, at Chalchihuites, is located 137 miles to the northwest of the city of Zacatecas and 102 miles southeast of the city of...
- FresnilloFresnilloFresnillo /fres'nijo/ , founded in 1554 by Francisco de Ibarra, is the second largest city in Zacatecas state, north central Mexico...
- GuadalupeGuadalupe, ZacatecasGuadalupe is the third-largest city in the state of Zacatecas in Mexico. It lies adjacent to the east side of the city of Zacatecas and is a component of the Zacatecas-Guadalupe metropolitan area. The city had a 2005 census population of 99,572 inhabitants and serves as municipal seat of the...
- JalpaJalpa, ZacatecasFounded in the early 15th Century by Spanish explorers in search of Gold and Silver, Jalpa was spelled "Xalpa" by its native Indian Caxcan, Chichimeca and huichole people. Conquered by the Spanish the Indian population inter-mixed with Spanish and other European peoples to form today's meztisos...
- Jerez de García SalinasJerez de García SalinasThe city and surrounding municipality of Jerez is located in the center of the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. Jerez de García Salinas is the name of the city and "Jerez" of the municipality....
- Juchipila
- Juan AldamaMunicipality of Juan AldamaThe Municipality of Juan Aldama was named in honor of the insurgent Juan Aldama, who participated alongside Miguel Hidalgo in the Mexican War of Independence...
- Moyahua De Estrada
- LoretoLoreto, ZacatecasLoreto is a town in Loreto Municipality, Zacatecas. The town is the seventh-largest community in the state, with a 2005 census population of 22,085 inhabitants, while the municipality of which it serves as municipal seat had a population of 43,411...
- OjocalienteOjocaliente, ZacatecasOjocaliente is a medium-sized town in the Mexican state of Zacatecas. It is similar in appearance with Fresnillo, also having bright-colored houses and a park to serve as a sort of central ornament...
- Río Grande
- Sain Alto
- SombrereteSombrerete, ZacatecasSombrerete is a colonial city and its surrounding municipality of the same name located in western part of the Mexican state of Zacatecas.Known for being a picturesque city and for its large deposits of mineral ores, discovered in the sixteenth century...
- ValparaisoValparaíso, ZacatecasValparaíso is a town in the north central Mexican state of Zacatecas. It is located at on the interior plateau, 70 mi/113 km E of Zacatecas, at an elevation of 6200 ft/1890m...
- Victor Rosales
- VillanuevaVillanueva, ZacatecasVillanueva is a town in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. It is the administrative seat of the Municipality of Villanueva.-Name:Villanueva was founded on February 4, 1692 under the name Villagutierre del Águila. Like many towns in Mexico the name of the patron saint of the town was added to the name...
- ZacatecasZacatecas, ZacatecasZacatecas is a city and municipality in Mexico and the capital of the state of Zacatecas. It is located in the north central part of the country. The city had its start as a Spanish mining camp in the mid 16th century. Prior to this, the area's rich deposits in silver and other minerals were known...
Notable natives and residents
- Mark SanchezMark SanchezMark Travis John Sanchez is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League . He was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft as the fifth overall selection by the Jets and the second quarterback taken overall...
, NFL QB for New York Jets - Alfonso MárquezAlfonso MárquezAlfonso Márquez is an umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked in the National League in 1999 and throughout both major leagues since 2000.-MLB career:...
, MLB umpire - Antonio AguilarAntonio AguilarJosé Pascual Antonio Aguilar Barraza most commonly known as Antonio Aguilar, nicknamed "El Charro de México", was a Mexican film actor, singer, producer and screenwriter. During his career, he made over 150 albums, which sold 25 million copies, and made 167 movies...
, singer, actor - Pepe AguilarPepe AguilarJosé "Pepe" Aguilar Jiménez is a popular singer-songwriter of ranchera, mariachi and pop music. Pepe is the son of Mexican icon Antonio Aguilar and folkloric actress Flor Silvestre.-Career:...
, singer - Rebecca de AlbaRebecca de AlbaRebecca de Alba is a Mexican model and TV presenter. She dated Mexican actor Guillermo Capetillo and Mexican singer Leonardo de Lozanne...
, model - José María CárdenasJosé María CárdenasJosé Maria Cárdenas López is a Mexican footballer currently playing for Santos Laguna in the Primera División de México.He played of F.C Pachuca then got transferred to Santos Laguna in the 2009 draft-International career:...
, soccer player - Leonor Cortés MoctezumaLeonor Cortés MoctezumaLeonor Cortés Moctezuma was the illegitimate child of Hernan Cortés, conquistador of Mexico, and Isabel Moctezuma the eldest daughter of the Aztec Emperor Moctezuma II.-Background:...
, illegitimate daughter of Hernan CortésHernán CortésHernán 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...
, an early resident and grandmother of Juan de OñateJuan de OñateDon Juan de Oñate y Salazar was a Spanish explorer, colonial governor of the New Spain province of New Mexico, and founder of various settlements in the present day Southwest of the United States.-Biography:... - Efraín FloresEfraín FloresEfraín Flores is a Mexican coach, who last managed Club Deportivo Guadalajara.-Club career:He was named coach during the mid Apertura 2007 tournament, taking over for José Manuel de la Torre...
, former soccer player and coach of Pachuca - Benjamin GalindoBenjamín GalindoBenjamín Galindo Marentes was a Mexican footballer. He participated with the national team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup.-Coaching career:...
, former soccer player and former coach of Atlas - Susana GonzálezSusana GonzálezSusana Alejandra González is a Mexican actress. This particular Mexican actress is known for her talent, beauty and docile character.- Biography :...
, actress - Banda JerezBanda JerezBanda Jerez is a Mexican banda group formed in the late 1980s. Banda Jerez's hits include "Billete Verde", "Una Mujer Casada" "Tan Bonita", "Cerveza Helada", "La Cabrona", "La Baraja","tamarindo", and "la iguana". The band was named after Jerez de García Salinas, Zacatecas, Mexico, where it was...
, music group - Cynthia KlitboCynthia KlitboCynthia Klitbo is a Mexican actress of telenovelas, theater and Mexican cinema.- Biography :Cynthia Klitbo was born in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico, the 11 of March, 1967 to a Danish father and a Mexican Mother. She has previously been married to actors Jorge Antolín and Francisco Gattorno...
, actress - Marcelino Bautista SifuentesMarcelino Bautista SifuentesMarcelino Bautista Sifuentes is a Mexican-American artist known for his papel picado . Sifuentes currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. Born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and raised in Los Angeles, California, He began learning his skills later in his adult life...
, Master Paper Cutter (Papel Picado) - Mateo Correa MagallanesMateo Correa MagallanesSaint Mateo Correa Magallanes was born on 23 July 1866 at Tepechitlán, Zacatecas, Mexico. He was a Knight of Columbus, of Council 2140. He attended the seminary at Zacatecas on a scholarship, in 1881. He was ordained as priest in 1893 at the age of 27...
, 1866–1927, saint and martyr - Francisco Javier Gonzalez Medina, soccer player
- Florinda MezaFlorinda MezaFlorinda Meza García de Gómez is a Mexican actress of film and television; she is also a writer, director, and producer. She started her career when Roberto Gómez Bolaños cast her in El Chavo as "Doña Florinda"...
, actress - Don Juan de Oñate, Mexican-born conquistador of Spanish parents
- Manuel María PonceManuel Maria PonceManuel María Ponce Cuéllar was a Mexican composer active in the 20th century. His work as a composer, music educator and scholar of Mexican music connected the concert scene with a usually forgotten tradition of popular song and Mexican folklore...
, composer - Sergio SantanaSergio SantanaSergio Alejandro Santana Piedra is a Mexican footballer. He currently plays for Rayados de Monterrey.-Career:...
, soccer player - Los TemerariosLos TemerariosLos Temerarios are a Mexican romantic music group started in 1978 by brothers Adolfo Angel and Gustavo Angel and their cousin Fernando Angel. During their early years they were known as Conjunto La Brisa....
, music group - Ramón López VelardeRamón López VelardeRamón López Velarde was aMexican poet. His work is generally considered to be postmodern, but is unique for its subject matter. He achieved great fame in his native land, to the point of being considered Mexico's national poet....
, Mexican poet of the 19th Century, poet of "La Suave Patria" - Vicente Carillo Fuentes, Wanted drug dealer