Ciudad Guzmán
Encyclopedia
Ciudad Guzmán is a city in the Mexican
state
of Jalisco
.
It is located at 19°42′N 103°28′W, 124 km south of Guadalajara
, at a height of 1,507 metres above sea level. Its population totaled 93,609 in the 2005 census, ranking as the eighth-largest city in the state.
Ciudad Guzmán is the municipal seat of Zapotlán el Grande
municipality, which has an area of 295.29 km² (114.0 sq.mi). The municipality's population was 96,050 in the same census.
Prior to the arrival of the European Spanish Conquistador
s, this area was the pre-Columbian kingdom of Zapotlán
and was at different times under the domain of the nearby kingdoms of Colima
and Michoacán
.
Zapotlán el Grande was conquered in 1526. Many treasures and weapons are said to be buried throughout the town's old colonial homes, buildings, and farms.
In the mid-19th century, the name of the town was changed from Zapotlán el Grande to Ciudad Guzman, after the Mexican federalist insurgent Gordiano De Guzmán.
A large number of Anusim
(see: Conversos) and Crypto-Jews are said to live in the city, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, although most of the town is Catholic
.
The town has been nicknamed the "Athens of Jalisco" because it's the birthplace of several well-known intellectuals and artists, including the muralist José Clemente Orozco
, the composer Consuelo Velazquez
, the scientist José Maria Arreola and the journalist and historian Juan José Arreola
.
The oldest part of the city, in the downtown area, holds a major stone Cathedral (La Catedral de San Jose) that local folklore says is haunted. Ciudad Guzmán is located in an area of high seismic activity. The cathedral’s towers have tumbled down several times due to earthquakes, sometimes killing people and their souls are said to guard the place.
The last time the towers collapsed was on September 19, 1985, during the 1985 Mexico City earthquake
, an earthquake of magnitude 8.1 that has come to be considered one of the most devastating natural disasters of the 20th century. In Guzmán City, it left more than 50 people dead and about 1,000 injured. The cathedral towers were never rebuilt to their majestic height.
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...
state
States of Mexico
The United Mexican States is a federal republic formed by 32 federal entities .According to the Constitution of 1917, the states of the federation are free and sovereign. Each state has their own congress and constitution, while the Federal District has only limited autonomy with a local Congress...
of 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...
.
It is located at 19°42′N 103°28′W, 124 km south of 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...
, at a height of 1,507 metres above sea level. Its population totaled 93,609 in the 2005 census, ranking as the eighth-largest city in the state.
Ciudad Guzmán is the municipal seat of Zapotlán el Grande
Zapotlán el Grande
Zapotlán el Grande is a municipality in the Mexican state of Jalisco. There are several meaninings given to the root name of the "Zapotlán el Grande" "TzapoTl is the name given to all the round fruits from the general region...
municipality, which has an area of 295.29 km² (114.0 sq.mi). The municipality's population was 96,050 in the same census.
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
s, this area was the pre-Columbian kingdom of Zapotlán
Zapotlán
Zapotlán refers to one of several locations in Mexico:*Zapotlán el Grande: city and municipality in the state of Jalisco Mexico.*Zapotlán de Juárez: city and municipality in the state of Hidalgo Mexico....
and was at different times under the domain of the nearby kingdoms of 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 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...
.
Zapotlán el Grande was conquered in 1526. Many treasures and weapons are said to be buried throughout the town's old colonial homes, buildings, and farms.
In the mid-19th century, the name of the town was changed from Zapotlán el Grande to Ciudad Guzman, after the Mexican federalist insurgent Gordiano De Guzmán.
Anusim
Anusim is a legal category of Jews in halakha who were forced or coerced to abandon Judaism against their will, typically while forcibly converted to another religion...
(see: Conversos) and Crypto-Jews are said to live in the city, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, although most of the town is Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
.
The town has been nicknamed the "Athens of Jalisco" because it's the birthplace of several well-known intellectuals and artists, including the muralist José Clemente Orozco
José Clemente Orozco
José Clemente Orozco was a Mexican social realist painter, who specialized in bold murals that established the Mexican Mural Renaissance together with murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and others...
, the composer Consuelo Velazquez
Consuelo Velázquez
Consuelo Velázquez was a Mexican concert pianist, songwriter and recording artist.According to her obituary, she was 88 years old when she died...
, the scientist José Maria Arreola and the journalist and historian Juan José Arreola
Juan José Arreola
Juan José Arreola Zúñiga was a Mexican writer and academic. He is considered Mexico's premier experimental short story writer of the twentieth century. Arreola is recognized as one of the first Latin American writers to abandon realism; he uses elements of fantasy to underscore existentialist and...
.
The oldest part of the city, in the downtown area, holds a major stone Cathedral (La Catedral de San Jose) that local folklore says is haunted. Ciudad Guzmán is located in an area of high seismic activity. The cathedral’s towers have tumbled down several times due to earthquakes, sometimes killing people and their souls are said to guard the place.
The last time the towers collapsed was on September 19, 1985, during the 1985 Mexico City earthquake
1985 Mexico City earthquake
The 1985 Mexico City earthquake, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck Mexico City on the early morning of 19 September 1985 at around 7:19 AM , caused the deaths of at least 10,000 people and serious damage to the greater Mexico City Area. The complete seismic event...
, an earthquake of magnitude 8.1 that has come to be considered one of the most devastating natural disasters of the 20th century. In Guzmán City, it left more than 50 people dead and about 1,000 injured. The cathedral towers were never rebuilt to their majestic height.
External links
- Link to tables of population data from Census of 2005 INEGI: Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática
- Jalisco Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México
- Administración Pública Municipal de Zapotlán el Grande Official website
- Sociales en Ciudad Guzman
- El Sur - Newspaper
- Alva Technology - Web Hosting
- F R O B U R G - Blogger in Ciudad Guzmán