Jocotitlán
Encyclopedia
Jocotitlán is a town and municipality
located in the northwestern part of the State of Mexico on the central highlands
of the country of Mexico
. The town is located at the foot of the Jocotitlán or Xocotépetl volcano, while most of the rest of the municipality is in the Ixtlahuaca Valley. The area has culturally been Mazahua
since the pre-Hispanic period, with this indigenous group’s traditions strongest in a number of smaller communities in the municipality. Jocotitlán is also home to the Pasteje Industrial Park, which was established in the 1960s, and began the industrialization of the economy. Today, about half of the municipality is employed in industry.
and Ixtlahuaca
. It looks over a relatively flat area which is the Ixtlahuaca Valley. The center of this town has cobblestone
streets and houses with red tile roofs. The social center of the community is the main plaza, with the parish church on the east side. The main plaza has two levels. The upper level contains a kiosk
and a number of trees. Next to the plaza and the church, there is a enclosed rink for futbol rápido
(fast soccer).
The parish church is named the Jesús Nazareno (Jesus the Nazarene) Church. The church was established in the 1575, and since then, it has had three phases of construction. The atrium
cross is from the original 16th century construction, which was built by the Franciscans . The current building was begun in the 1860s, built in black sandstone with brick accents in Neoclassical style
. However, the bell towers were not completed until 1983, over a century later. The interior has a single nave
, and contains a monolithic baptismal font which is probably from the 16th century. On the south side of the church, there is a large chapel decorated in white and gold in Neoclassical style called the Santísimo.
Across the street from the main plaza on the south side, there is a commercial center called the “portales.” One of the structures here serves as the cultural center for the community, called the Casa de Cultura Lic. Diego de Nájera Yanguas. It is named for a former parish priest who published a book in the Mazahua language
. This cultural center offers classes in dance, painting, English and other subjects.
The municipal market
is located a bit further south at the intersection of Jesus Cardozo and Rivapalacio Streets. The market mostly sells staple products for local consumption. It also contains food stands which sell local and regional specialties such as barbacoa
, mole
, quelites (a name for various types of edible greens), and dishes which contains local specialty ingredients such as wild mushrooms, escamoles
, maguey flowers, ant eggs and “cupiches” (a kind of butterfly larvae) .
, San Bartolo Morelos
, El Oro, Temascalcingo
and San Felipe del Progreso
. Only the town proper is considered to be urbanized, the rest of the territory is still relatively rural. This municipality is divided into three zones: the east centered on Santiago Yeche, the center centered on the town of Jocotitlán and the west centered on San Miguel Tenochtitlán. The city council is made up of a municipal president and representatives from the various communities of the municipality.
and means “among the sour fruit trees.” The Aztec
glyph
for the municipal contains an image of the god Otonteuctli. It is not known if the Mazahuas worshipped the deity before Aztec domination, but this deity was recognized by neighboring Otomis
and Tepanec
s.
By the Classic period (200 to 600 CE), there were sedentary agricultural villages in the area, which had contact with Teotihuacan
, and whose inhabitants spoke a language of the Oto-mazhaua family. However, Teotihuacan’s influence in the area came late in the period, as the area was on the margin of the city’s sphere. For the period of 600 to 900 CE, there is a lack of archeological evidence and ceramics do not show a great deal of sophistication. Jocotitlán was part of an area called Mazahuacan, or land of the Mazahua, and the town was originally a Mazahua settlement. This settlement, along with the rest of the area, was conquered by the Aztecs in 1478.
After the Spanish subdued the area in 1520, lands were portioned out among the conquistadors as encomienda
s. The area of Jocotitlán, then spelled Xocotitlán, along with Atlacomulco, was given to Francisco de Villegas. The Spanish town of Jocotitlán was officially established by royal decree in 1540. Diego Nájera was assigned as the area’s priest in 1592, and by the time he died in 1635, was highly regarded by the Mazahuas. He learned both the culture and the language of the Mazahua people he served. Nájera wrote “La Doctrina y Enseñanza en la Lengua Mazahua” as a guide for priests to teach the Catholic faith in the Mazahua language. It was published in 1637. It is the only known book published in this language.
During the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence
, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and his army passed through the municipality on his way to Mexico City. The parish priest of Jocotitlán, José Ignacio Muñiz y Acosta issued the formal edit excommunicating
Hidalgo. The following year, in 1811, the town of Jocotitlán was attacked by royalist forces under Juan Bautista de la Torre, eliminating the nascent insurgency here and leaving much of the town destroyed. However, a number of residents would still participate in the insurgency during the war, mostly under Francisco López Rayón.
The adoption of the Cadiz Constitution
in Spanish controlled lands was formally recognized in Jocotitlán on 7 July 1820. However, this constitution required the naming of municipal authorities although there was yet no municipality. This was rectified on 19 July, with the formation of an “ayuntamiento” or municipal council and the marking of territory which contained 1,000 people. The municipality was created by joining the haciendas of Tiacaque, Villeje, Pasteje, Nenanci and Caro. The towns and villages at that time were mostly communities of laborers on these haciendas. The first municipal president was C. Antonio del Valle. In 1823, some of its territory, called Tapaxco, was separated from the municipality. The State of Mexico ratified the establishment of the municipality in 1825.
In the 19th century, political sentiment in the municipality leaned towards centralized government (as opposed to a federalist system), opposing Liberal leaders such as Valentín Gómez Farías
. During the Reform War
, they adhered to the Plan of Tacubaya, and Liberal forces sacked the town in 1859. That same year, there was also an uprising of the Mazahua population as well. During the reign of Maximilian I
, a number of individuals gained control of large areas of land in the municipality. In the latter part of the century, there was a push to provide education, telegraph and telephone to the area, along with a number of public works. At the end of the century, it was the fourth most populous municipality in its district and participated in the World’s Fair in Chicago
, exhibiting its cereals production, along with others from the State of Mexico.
No major battles of the Mexican Revolution
occurred here, but a number of people who went to fight for the various rebel forces. However, the war caused widespread hunger in the area as the economy suffered. It also suffered epidemics and an earthquake in 1912. In 1913, a merchant and city official by the name of León Paniagua managed to get the town spared from an attack by a rebel group looking for sack the area. However, in 1915, a group of 200 Zapatistas
attacked taking money and supplies.
After the war, the haciendas of the area were broken up and the land redistributed. The rest of the 20th century is dominated by economic change with the introduction of technology and industrialization a well as the urbanization of the municipal seat. From the 1930s to the 1960s, electricity was introduced, along with water pipes and the construction of schools. A theatre and library were also constructed.
In the 1960s, a company named IUSA bought much of the former hacienda of Pasteje, as part of a move of its operations away from Mexico City
. The property was about five percent of the municipality’s territory, but it had no water or electrical services. The company had to drill its own wells and negotiate with authorities to get connected to the grid. The workers of the area at that time had no experience working in industry. The company set wages lower than the national average, but also opened schools and training courses to workers. Workers at that time were forbidden to travel to Toluca
or Mexico City, likely to prevent them from knowing how low their wages were. Despite, the initial difficulties, this was the beginning of the Pasteje Industrial Park, and the start of the industrialization of the area’s economy. In the 1970s, the company established a school, which would eventually offer classes from high school/technical school level all the way to preschool for local area youth, with much of the cost of attending paid for by local industries. The growth of the industrial park became the main impetus for the area’s population growth from then to the present.
In 1983, the village of Jocotitlán was officially declared to be a town, with several smaller communities in the municipality elevated to village status. Starting from the 1990 Census, the municipality ceased to be officially considered a rural farming area, and considered to be industrial. Today, both are still part of the municipality’s economy. Infrastructure remains a problem as it lags behind need. The number of those with professional studies have increased due to the improvement of the area’s educational system.
, with some formations as a result of being on the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt
. Elevation varies from 2,530 masl next to the Lerma River
on the far south to 2,900, on one side of the Jocotitlán volcano, with an average of 2,770. However, much of the land in the area is relatively flat and covers much of the Ixtlahuaca Valley. The municipal seat is on the side of the volcano, with the rest of the municipality on the valley floor. Other elevations include hills in San Miguel Tenochtitlán, and Santiago Casandeje.
The Jocotitlán volcano or Xocotépetl is an isolated volcano and is the tallest peak in the immediate area. It is inactive with an altitude of 3,928 meters above sea level at its peak, rising 1,300 meters above valley floor. The volcano developed during the Pleistocene
of andesitic-to-dacitic lava flows. The most prominent feature of the volcano is a horseshoe-shaped escarpment open to the northeast that formed as a result of gravitational failure of the summit during the early Holocene
. The resulting debris-avalanche deposit covers an eighty sq km area to the northeast, although much of soils all around contain volcanic residues. The last known eruption occurred about 700 years ago, but there is still a possibility of it reactivating and should be monitored. The volcano is part of an ecological reserve as part of the Isidro Fabela State Park . On the road that leads up the volcano, there is a statue of the Virgin Mary. This road leads to a lookout point at the top, which allows for a view of about forty km in all directions. Visible from the valley floor are the radio and television transmission towers that are at the top.
The rest of the municipality is basically flat, with a number of small ponds and lakes such as Santa Elena, San Clemente, Hierbabuena, La Soledad, El Toril, Los Árboles, San Jacinto, Cuendo, La Redonda, La Gorupa and Pasteje. There are also fresh water springs such as Las Fuentes, which supplies the municipal seat with its potable water. In areas without springs or ponds, there are wells, the largest of which is called Mavaro at the Lic. Andres Molina Enriquez Technical School. The climate is classified as temperate and semi humid with rains in the summer. The average annual temperature is 13.2°C, with high reaching about 31°C and lows to 4°C. There can be frosts in late December and early January with the occasional snow, especially on the volcano. Tree species in the area include pine, oyamel, holm oak
, cedar, eucalyptus
and willow
, but most trees are located on the volcano. The valley area is mostly farmland with some areas of grass, nopal cactus
and other arid area plants. There are a large number of wild herbs, many of which are used for cooking and medicine. Most flowers in the area are cultivated. Wildlife includes rabbits, coyote
s, bobcat
s, skunk
s, opossum, armadillo
s, squirrels, bats and foxes. Bodies of water often contains carp
.
The Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Jocotitlán was established in 1998 as a public institution for the north of Mexico State. Since its establishment, it has contributed to the economic development of the Atlacomulco region by allowing access to higher education in the sciences and technology. This has helped create a workforce to sustain and encourage development of industry in the area. The school began with two majors and seventy nine students. In 2010, it had six majors and over 2,100 students from thirty one of the state’s municipalities. These majors are electro-mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, computer systems engineering, architecture, accounting and business development. The campus covers twenty hectares with several classroom buildings, an engineering method laboratory, a library, and various sporting facilities.
In addition to the various local public schools, IUSA
and other industrial enterprises have established and sponsor a school for local youth from preschool to technical training above the high school level. These began as technical training programs when the industrial park was first established in the 1960s, which the included classes to get diplomas for primary and middle school levels. This training developed into a formal school for local children, even negotiating with the Secretariat of Public Education for a reduction of the number of years needed to graduate primary, secondary and technical schools, in order to meet the demands of the industry. Primary school could be done in four instead of six years, with eight hour school days, and no vacation time. Much of the technical training has been provided by engineers brought in from Mexico City and Toluca. This school is known as the Escuela de Capacitación Técnica Industrial.
The Escuela de Bellas Artes (School of Fine Arts) was established in 1991 in the town by artists such as Jorge Monroy Martínez, Antonio Cardoso, Ignacio Cedillo Martínez and Ricardo Rocha. It offers classes in history, dance, theater, music and painting for both children and adults. It also offers a bachelor’s in regional dance.
of Mexico City, which includes most of the State of Mexico. The metropolitan area has shifted industry away from the Federal District
itself and the cities that border it into further outlying areas, as these areas have shifted from agriculture to industry and commerce. Jocotitlan is one of a number of areas which have industrialized as companies move out of the central core of the megalopolis. Much of what has made this possible is the lowering of the cost of transportation.
Today, about half of the municipality’s employed population works in industry, with the rest divided between agriculture and commerce. The municipality has 26,000 hectares of cultivable land. Most of this is used for crops only during the rainy season, with only about 5,000 hectares irrigated. Principle crops include corn, wheat, barley
, animal feed, peas, potatoes and beans. Crops are grown for both auto consumption and for sale. Livestock includes cows, pigs, sheep and domestic fowl. There are a few major livestock producers such as the Pasteje and Santiago Yeche ranches. There are 2,470 hectares of forest.
In 2003, a company called Bionatur Ivernaderos Biologicos established a greenhouse facility on 200 hectares in the Pasteje Industrial Park to grow tomatoes. It consists of 100 hectares of greenhouses and five plants to process and pack the tomatoes. The greenhouses produce sixty five kilograms of tomatoes per square meter, while conventional farming methods only produce five. The tomatoes are grown under very strict conditions watered by a drip system, all of which is monitored by computers. Since it opened, the enterprise has employed over 45,000 workers, with about half of the tomatoes exported.
Industry is the major employer, with most of it concentrated at the Pasteje facility. It was established in the 1960s and by the 1990s there were about fifty industrial enterprises employing over 7,000 people. Industry generates 94.54% of new employment in the municipality. Before the 1980s, about seventy percent of the municipality’s population was dedicated to agriculture. The major shift away from this occurred in the 1980s, because of the complex, but the trend continues. Eighty eight percent of workers who are not self employed work in manufacturing. The industrial complex has been attracting migration to the area, mostly settling in the town of Jocotitlán and the community of Santiago Yeche.
The industrial park has its origins in the arrival of IUSA to the former Pasteje hacienda in the 1960s, and this company continues to be the most important enterprise. The park has succeeded because of its proximity to the cities of Toluca and Mexico City, as well as easy access to the Toluca-Atlacomulco highway. Most of the products produced in the industrial park are for export, with most going to the United States, Cuba
, Nicaragua
and Venezuela
. Roughly 12,000 people work at the various enterprises of Pasteje, commuting from Atlacomulco, San Mateo Reyes, Concepción de los Baños, San Pedro de los Baños, Ixtlahuaca, Toluca and Santiago Yecha. Those who are unionized belong to an organization completely separate from the state level unions.
Near the complex, a shopping center called Plaza Mariana was built to sell merchandise to workers, and offer them credit, which could be deducted directly from their salaries. It also offers discounts to those working at certain enterprises such as IUSA.
Other enterprises in the municipality are limited. The percentage of people employed in commerce has grown in response to the growth in population. The municipality has a number of minor tourist attractions such as the Xocotepetl Volcano, the colonial look of the town center, and the Jesus Nazareno church which its important atrium cross. Mining is limited to building stone such as tezontle
. San Juan Coajomulco, San Miguel Tenochtitlán y Santiago Casandejé are known for their pottery. In Jocotitlan and Mavaró, there are knit items, with woolen textiles found in Coajomulco, Casandeje, Citendeje, San Miguel Tenochtitlán and Mavoro, especially blankets, wraps and huipil
s.
The overwhelming majority of the population is Catholic, with a small Evangelical community
in San Miguel Tenochtitlán. Many of the religious traditions are a fusion of Catholic and Mazahua rituals. Aside from the parish in the municipal seat, other important churches include those in Santiago Yeche (built in the 17th century), San Miguel Tenochtitlán, San María Citendeje, Santiago Casandeje, Santa María Endare and San Francisco Cheje.The most important religious events are during Holy Week
. In Santiago Yeche, Endare, Los Reyes and San Miguel Tenochtitlán the Passion
is recreated with live actors. In the town of Jocotitlán, they use images from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Procession of Silence takes place on Maundy Thursday
, during which around 5,000 men walk in the center of the town with a candle in hand in silence.
. It also has a facility for raising trout
. Surrounding the lake, there is a small forest with ash, holm oak and tejocote trees, along with a number of fresh water springs and a water fall. Wildlife seen at the park includes rabbits, squirrels and armadillos. Activities include boating, hiking and fishing. There are also three cabins for rent and a camping area. The constructions on this land are made of adobe and other rustic materials and include a restaurant, which specializes in trout. The project benefits about eighty indigenous families, and it overseen by a committee from the community.
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...
located in the northwestern part of the State of Mexico on the central highlands
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...
of the country 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...
. The town is located at the foot of the Jocotitlán or Xocotépetl volcano, while most of the rest of the municipality is in the Ixtlahuaca Valley. The area has culturally been Mazahua
Mazahua
The Mazahua are an indigenous people of Mexico, inhabiting the northwestern portion of the State of Mexico and northeastern area of Michoacán, with a presence also in the Federal District owing to recent migration...
since the pre-Hispanic period, with this indigenous group’s traditions strongest in a number of smaller communities in the municipality. Jocotitlán is also home to the Pasteje Industrial Park, which was established in the 1960s, and began the industrialization of the economy. Today, about half of the municipality is employed in industry.
The town
The town of Jocotitlán is located at the foot of the Jocotitlán or Xocotepetl volcano in the northwest part of the State of Mexico, near the cities of AtlacomulcoAtlacomulco
Atlacomulco is a city and municipality located in the northwest of the State of Mexico in central Mexico, 63 km from the state capital of Toluca. The name is derived from the Nahuatl phrase "atlacomulli" which means "where there are wells." The city, with a population of 20,477 is...
and Ixtlahuaca
Ixtlahuaca de Rayón
Ixtlahuaca de Rayón is a city and municipality north of Toluca in the northwest part of the State of Mexico, in Mexico. The distance between Mexico City and Ixtlahuaca is 32 km. The name Ixthahuaca comes from Náhuatl and means plains without trees...
. It looks over a relatively flat area which is the Ixtlahuaca Valley. The center of this town has cobblestone
Cobblestone
Cobblestones are stones that were frequently used in the pavement of early streets. "Cobblestone" is derived from the very old English word "cob", which had a wide range of meanings, one of which was "rounded lump" with overtones of large size...
streets and houses with red tile roofs. The social center of the community is the main plaza, with the parish church on the east side. The main plaza has two levels. The upper level contains a kiosk
Kiosk
Kiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward...
and a number of trees. Next to the plaza and the church, there is a enclosed rink for futbol rápido
Indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
(fast soccer).
The parish church is named the Jesús Nazareno (Jesus the Nazarene) Church. The church was established in the 1575, and since then, it has had three phases of construction. The atrium
Atrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
cross is from the original 16th century construction, which was built by the Franciscans . The current building was begun in the 1860s, built in black sandstone with brick accents in Neoclassical style
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
. However, the bell towers were not completed until 1983, over a century later. The interior has a single nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, and contains a monolithic baptismal font which is probably from the 16th century. On the south side of the church, there is a large chapel decorated in white and gold in Neoclassical style called the Santísimo.
Across the street from the main plaza on the south side, there is a commercial center called the “portales.” One of the structures here serves as the cultural center for the community, called the Casa de Cultura Lic. Diego de Nájera Yanguas. It is named for a former parish priest who published a book in the Mazahua language
Mazahua language
The Mazahua language is an indigenous language of Mexico, spoken in the country's central states by the ethnic group widely known as the Mazahua but who refer to themselves as Hñatho. Mazahua is a Mesoamerican language and shows many of the traits which define the Mesoamerican Linguistic Area...
. This cultural center offers classes in dance, painting, English and other subjects.
The municipal market
Traditional fixed markets in Mexico
Traditional fixed markets in Mexico go by a variety of names such as "mercados públicos" , "mercados municipales" or even more often simply "mercados"...
is located a bit further south at the intersection of Jesus Cardozo and Rivapalacio Streets. The market mostly sells staple products for local consumption. It also contains food stands which sell local and regional specialties such as barbacoa
Barbacoa
Barbacoa is a form of cooking meat that originated in the Caribbean with the Taíno people, from which the term "barbecue" derives. In contemporary Mexico it generally refers to meats or a whole sheep slow-cooked over an open fire, or more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with...
, mole
Mole (sauce)
Mole is the generic name for a number of sauces used in Mexican cuisine, as well as for dishes based on these sauces...
, quelites (a name for various types of edible greens), and dishes which contains local specialty ingredients such as wild mushrooms, escamoles
Escamoles
Escamoles are the larvae of ants of the genus Liometopum, harvested from the roots of the agave or maguey plant in Mexico. In some forms of Mexican cuisine, escamoles are considered a delicacy and are sometimes referred to as "insect caviar"...
, maguey flowers, ant eggs and “cupiches” (a kind of butterfly larvae) .
The municipality
As municipal seat, the town of Jocotitlán is the governing authority for about eighty other named communities, which together cover a territory of 276.77 km². This territory is also Jocotitlán. The municipality has a total population of over 26,000 people, but only about 3,600 live in the town proper. It borders the municipalities of Atlacomulco, Ixtlahuaca, JiquipilcoJiquipilco
Jiquipilco is a town and municipality located in State of Mexico in Mexico. It is north of the Valley of Toluca, part of the region consisting of the southern and western slopes of Cerro La Catedral, which has a concentration of speakers of the Otomi language. It is about 40 km from Toluca,...
, San Bartolo Morelos
Morelos, Mexico
Morelos is a town and municipality in Mexico State in Mexico. The municipality covers an area of 222.76 km².As of 2005, the municipality had a total population of 26,430....
, El Oro, Temascalcingo
Temascalcingo
Temascalcingo de José Maria Velasco is a town and seat of the municipality of Temascalcingo in the State of Mexico, Mexico. It is located in the northeast of the state. The temazcal was very common in Temascalcingo. The name Temascalcingo has its roots in Nahuatl. It means place of the little...
and San Felipe del Progreso
San Felipe del Progreso
San Felipe del Progreso is a town and municipality in the northwest of the State of Mexico. It is in the western part of ths state, 59 km from the state capital of Toluca and 72 km southwest of Atlacomulco. In colonial times, the village was founded as "San Felipe" or "San Felipe...
. Only the town proper is considered to be urbanized, the rest of the territory is still relatively rural. This municipality is divided into three zones: the east centered on Santiago Yeche, the center centered on the town of Jocotitlán and the west centered on San Miguel Tenochtitlán. The city council is made up of a municipal president and representatives from the various communities of the municipality.
History
The name Jocotitlán is from 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...
and means “among the sour fruit trees.” 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...
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....
for the municipal contains an image of the god Otonteuctli. It is not known if the Mazahuas worshipped the deity before Aztec domination, but this deity was recognized by neighboring Otomis
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...
and Tepanec
Tepanec
The Tepanecs or Tepaneca are a Mesoamerican people who arrived in the Valley of Mexico in the late 12th or early 13th centuries. The Tepanec were a sister culture of the Aztecs as well as the Acolhua and others—these tribes spoke the Nahuatl language and shared the same general pantheon, with...
s.
By the Classic period (200 to 600 CE), there were sedentary agricultural villages in the area, which had contact with Teotihuacan
Teotihuacan
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...
, and whose inhabitants spoke a language of the Oto-mazhaua family. However, Teotihuacan’s influence in the area came late in the period, as the area was on the margin of the city’s sphere. For the period of 600 to 900 CE, there is a lack of archeological evidence and ceramics do not show a great deal of sophistication. Jocotitlán was part of an area called Mazahuacan, or land of the Mazahua, and the town was originally a Mazahua settlement. This settlement, along with the rest of the area, was conquered by the Aztecs in 1478.
After the Spanish subdued the area in 1520, lands were portioned out among the conquistadors as encomienda
Encomienda
The encomienda was a system that was employed mainly by the Spanish crown during the colonization of the Americas to regulate Native American labor....
s. The area of Jocotitlán, then spelled Xocotitlán, along with Atlacomulco, was given to Francisco de Villegas. The Spanish town of Jocotitlán was officially established by royal decree in 1540. Diego Nájera was assigned as the area’s priest in 1592, and by the time he died in 1635, was highly regarded by the Mazahuas. He learned both the culture and the language of the Mazahua people he served. Nájera wrote “La Doctrina y Enseñanza en la Lengua Mazahua” as a guide for priests to teach the Catholic faith in the Mazahua language. It was published in 1637. It is the only known book published in this language.
During the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence
Mexican War of Independence
The Mexican War of Independence was an armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial authorities which started on 16 September 1810. The movement, which became known as the Mexican War of Independence, was led by Mexican-born Spaniards, Mestizos and Amerindians who sought...
, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and his army passed through the municipality on his way to Mexico City. The parish priest of Jocotitlán, José Ignacio Muñiz y Acosta issued the formal edit excommunicating
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
Hidalgo. The following year, in 1811, the town of Jocotitlán was attacked by royalist forces under Juan Bautista de la Torre, eliminating the nascent insurgency here and leaving much of the town destroyed. However, a number of residents would still participate in the insurgency during the war, mostly under Francisco López Rayón.
The adoption of the Cadiz Constitution
Spanish Constitution of 1812
The Spanish Constitution of 1812 was promulgated 19 March 1812 by the Cádiz Cortes, the national legislative assembly of Spain, while in refuge from the Peninsular War...
in Spanish controlled lands was formally recognized in Jocotitlán on 7 July 1820. However, this constitution required the naming of municipal authorities although there was yet no municipality. This was rectified on 19 July, with the formation of an “ayuntamiento” or municipal council and the marking of territory which contained 1,000 people. The municipality was created by joining the haciendas of Tiacaque, Villeje, Pasteje, Nenanci and Caro. The towns and villages at that time were mostly communities of laborers on these haciendas. The first municipal president was C. Antonio del Valle. In 1823, some of its territory, called Tapaxco, was separated from the municipality. The State of Mexico ratified the establishment of the municipality in 1825.
In the 19th century, political sentiment in the municipality leaned towards centralized government (as opposed to a federalist system), opposing Liberal leaders such as 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...
. During the Reform War
Reform War
The Reform War in Mexico is one of the episodes of the long struggle between Liberal and Conservative forces that dominated the country’s history in the 19th century. The Liberals wanted a federalist government, limiting traditional Catholic Church and military influence in the country...
, they adhered to the Plan of Tacubaya, and Liberal forces sacked the town in 1859. That same year, there was also an uprising of the Mazahua population as well. During the reign of Maximilian I
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
, a number of individuals gained control of large areas of land in the municipality. In the latter part of the century, there was a push to provide education, telegraph and telephone to the area, along with a number of public works. At the end of the century, it was the fourth most populous municipality in its district and participated in the World’s Fair in Chicago
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
, exhibiting its cereals production, along with others from the State of Mexico.
No major battles of 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...
occurred here, but a number of people who went to fight for the various rebel forces. However, the war caused widespread hunger in the area as the economy suffered. It also suffered epidemics and an earthquake in 1912. In 1913, a merchant and city official by the name of León Paniagua managed to get the town spared from an attack by a rebel group looking for sack the area. However, in 1915, a group of 200 Zapatistas
Liberation Army of the South
The Liberation Army of the South was an armed group formed and led by Emiliano Zapata that took part in the Mexican Revolution. The force was commonly known as the Zapatistas....
attacked taking money and supplies.
After the war, the haciendas of the area were broken up and the land redistributed. The rest of the 20th century is dominated by economic change with the introduction of technology and industrialization a well as the urbanization of the municipal seat. From the 1930s to the 1960s, electricity was introduced, along with water pipes and the construction of schools. A theatre and library were also constructed.
In the 1960s, a company named IUSA bought much of the former hacienda of Pasteje, as part of a move of its operations away from 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...
. The property was about five percent of the municipality’s territory, but it had no water or electrical services. The company had to drill its own wells and negotiate with authorities to get connected to the grid. The workers of the area at that time had no experience working in industry. The company set wages lower than the national average, but also opened schools and training courses to workers. Workers at that time were forbidden to travel to Toluca
Toluca
Toluca, formally known as Toluca de Lerdo, is the state capital of Mexico State as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. It is the center of a rapidly growing urban area, now the fifth largest in Mexico. It is located west-southwest of Mexico City and only about 40 minutes by car to the...
or Mexico City, likely to prevent them from knowing how low their wages were. Despite, the initial difficulties, this was the beginning of the Pasteje Industrial Park, and the start of the industrialization of the area’s economy. In the 1970s, the company established a school, which would eventually offer classes from high school/technical school level all the way to preschool for local area youth, with much of the cost of attending paid for by local industries. The growth of the industrial park became the main impetus for the area’s population growth from then to the present.
In 1983, the village of Jocotitlán was officially declared to be a town, with several smaller communities in the municipality elevated to village status. Starting from the 1990 Census, the municipality ceased to be officially considered a rural farming area, and considered to be industrial. Today, both are still part of the municipality’s economy. Infrastructure remains a problem as it lags behind need. The number of those with professional studies have increased due to the improvement of the area’s educational system.
Geography and environment
The municipality is located between Ixtlahuaca and Atlacomulco, fifty four kilometers north of the state capital of Toluca. This area is in the northwest of the state, in the Ixtlahuaca Valley, which is formed by small mountain chains that belong to the Sierra Madre OccidentalSierra 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...
, with some formations as a result of being on 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...
. Elevation varies from 2,530 masl next to the Lerma River
Lerma River
The Lerma Santiago River is Mexico's second longest river. It is a river in west-central Mexico that begins in Mexican Plateau at an altitude over above sea level, and ends where it empties into Lake Chapala, Mexico's largest lake, near Guadalajara, Jalisco...
on the far south to 2,900, on one side of the Jocotitlán volcano, with an average of 2,770. However, much of the land in the area is relatively flat and covers much of the Ixtlahuaca Valley. The municipal seat is on the side of the volcano, with the rest of the municipality on the valley floor. Other elevations include hills in San Miguel Tenochtitlán, and Santiago Casandeje.
The Jocotitlán volcano or Xocotépetl is an isolated volcano and is the tallest peak in the immediate area. It is inactive with an altitude of 3,928 meters above sea level at its peak, rising 1,300 meters above valley floor. The volcano developed during the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
of andesitic-to-dacitic lava flows. The most prominent feature of the volcano is a horseshoe-shaped escarpment open to the northeast that formed as a result of gravitational failure of the summit during the early Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
. The resulting debris-avalanche deposit covers an eighty sq km area to the northeast, although much of soils all around contain volcanic residues. The last known eruption occurred about 700 years ago, but there is still a possibility of it reactivating and should be monitored. The volcano is part of an ecological reserve as part of the Isidro Fabela State Park . On the road that leads up the volcano, there is a statue of the Virgin Mary. This road leads to a lookout point at the top, which allows for a view of about forty km in all directions. Visible from the valley floor are the radio and television transmission towers that are at the top.
The rest of the municipality is basically flat, with a number of small ponds and lakes such as Santa Elena, San Clemente, Hierbabuena, La Soledad, El Toril, Los Árboles, San Jacinto, Cuendo, La Redonda, La Gorupa and Pasteje. There are also fresh water springs such as Las Fuentes, which supplies the municipal seat with its potable water. In areas without springs or ponds, there are wells, the largest of which is called Mavaro at the Lic. Andres Molina Enriquez Technical School. The climate is classified as temperate and semi humid with rains in the summer. The average annual temperature is 13.2°C, with high reaching about 31°C and lows to 4°C. There can be frosts in late December and early January with the occasional snow, especially on the volcano. Tree species in the area include pine, oyamel, holm oak
Holm Oak
Quercus ilex, the Holm Oak or Holly Oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It takes its name from holm, an ancient name for holly...
, cedar, eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
and willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
, but most trees are located on the volcano. The valley area is mostly farmland with some areas of grass, nopal cactus
Nopal
Nopales are a vegetable made from the young cladode segments of prickly pear, carefully peeled to remove the spines. These fleshy pads are flat and about hand-sized. They can be purple or green...
and other arid area plants. There are a large number of wild herbs, many of which are used for cooking and medicine. Most flowers in the area are cultivated. Wildlife includes rabbits, 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...
s, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
s, skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
s, opossum, armadillo
Armadillo
Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...
s, squirrels, bats and foxes. Bodies of water often contains carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
.
Education
There are 119 schools in the municipality, which provide education from preschool to high school. However, the illiteracy rate is relatively high at 11.2%. There are libraries in the town of Jocotitlán, Los Reyes, Santa María Citendeje and San Miguel Tenochtitlán, as well as two reading rooms in Mavoro and San Francisco Cheje. There are two cultural centers, one in the municipal seat and another in San Miguel Tenochtitlan.The Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Jocotitlán was established in 1998 as a public institution for the north of Mexico State. Since its establishment, it has contributed to the economic development of the Atlacomulco region by allowing access to higher education in the sciences and technology. This has helped create a workforce to sustain and encourage development of industry in the area. The school began with two majors and seventy nine students. In 2010, it had six majors and over 2,100 students from thirty one of the state’s municipalities. These majors are electro-mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, computer systems engineering, architecture, accounting and business development. The campus covers twenty hectares with several classroom buildings, an engineering method laboratory, a library, and various sporting facilities.
In addition to the various local public schools, IUSA
Iusacell
Grupo Iusacell is Mexico's #3 mobile operator.-Services:The company provides cellular services reaching about 90% of Mexico's population, including Mexico City and received more licenses to cover the remaining regions in early 2005. It has more than 3.5 million subscribers...
and other industrial enterprises have established and sponsor a school for local youth from preschool to technical training above the high school level. These began as technical training programs when the industrial park was first established in the 1960s, which the included classes to get diplomas for primary and middle school levels. This training developed into a formal school for local children, even negotiating with the Secretariat of Public Education for a reduction of the number of years needed to graduate primary, secondary and technical schools, in order to meet the demands of the industry. Primary school could be done in four instead of six years, with eight hour school days, and no vacation time. Much of the technical training has been provided by engineers brought in from Mexico City and Toluca. This school is known as the Escuela de Capacitación Técnica Industrial.
The Escuela de Bellas Artes (School of Fine Arts) was established in 1991 in the town by artists such as Jorge Monroy Martínez, Antonio Cardoso, Ignacio Cedillo Martínez and Ricardo Rocha. It offers classes in history, dance, theater, music and painting for both children and adults. It also offers a bachelor’s in regional dance.
Economy
The municipality belongs to Economic Region V of Atlacomulco. The level of economic marginalization in the municipality is considered to be low. Jocotitlán is within the megalopolisMegalopolis
Megalopolis may refer to:* Megalopolis , an extensive metropolitan area or a long chain of continuous metropolitan areas.** See also, Megacity, Agglomeration, or Ecumenopolis....
of Mexico City, which includes most of the State of Mexico. The metropolitan area has shifted industry away from the Federal District
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...
itself and the cities that border it into further outlying areas, as these areas have shifted from agriculture to industry and commerce. Jocotitlan is one of a number of areas which have industrialized as companies move out of the central core of the megalopolis. Much of what has made this possible is the lowering of the cost of transportation.
Today, about half of the municipality’s employed population works in industry, with the rest divided between agriculture and commerce. The municipality has 26,000 hectares of cultivable land. Most of this is used for crops only during the rainy season, with only about 5,000 hectares irrigated. Principle crops include corn, wheat, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
, animal feed, peas, potatoes and beans. Crops are grown for both auto consumption and for sale. Livestock includes cows, pigs, sheep and domestic fowl. There are a few major livestock producers such as the Pasteje and Santiago Yeche ranches. There are 2,470 hectares of forest.
In 2003, a company called Bionatur Ivernaderos Biologicos established a greenhouse facility on 200 hectares in the Pasteje Industrial Park to grow tomatoes. It consists of 100 hectares of greenhouses and five plants to process and pack the tomatoes. The greenhouses produce sixty five kilograms of tomatoes per square meter, while conventional farming methods only produce five. The tomatoes are grown under very strict conditions watered by a drip system, all of which is monitored by computers. Since it opened, the enterprise has employed over 45,000 workers, with about half of the tomatoes exported.
Industry is the major employer, with most of it concentrated at the Pasteje facility. It was established in the 1960s and by the 1990s there were about fifty industrial enterprises employing over 7,000 people. Industry generates 94.54% of new employment in the municipality. Before the 1980s, about seventy percent of the municipality’s population was dedicated to agriculture. The major shift away from this occurred in the 1980s, because of the complex, but the trend continues. Eighty eight percent of workers who are not self employed work in manufacturing. The industrial complex has been attracting migration to the area, mostly settling in the town of Jocotitlán and the community of Santiago Yeche.
The industrial park has its origins in the arrival of IUSA to the former Pasteje hacienda in the 1960s, and this company continues to be the most important enterprise. The park has succeeded because of its proximity to the cities of Toluca and Mexico City, as well as easy access to the Toluca-Atlacomulco highway. Most of the products produced in the industrial park are for export, with most going to the United States, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. Roughly 12,000 people work at the various enterprises of Pasteje, commuting from Atlacomulco, San Mateo Reyes, Concepción de los Baños, San Pedro de los Baños, Ixtlahuaca, Toluca and Santiago Yecha. Those who are unionized belong to an organization completely separate from the state level unions.
Near the complex, a shopping center called Plaza Mariana was built to sell merchandise to workers, and offer them credit, which could be deducted directly from their salaries. It also offers discounts to those working at certain enterprises such as IUSA.
Other enterprises in the municipality are limited. The percentage of people employed in commerce has grown in response to the growth in population. The municipality has a number of minor tourist attractions such as the Xocotepetl Volcano, the colonial look of the town center, and the Jesus Nazareno church which its important atrium cross. Mining is limited to building stone such as tezontle
Tezontle
Tezontle is a porous, extrusive, igneous, volcanic rock used extensively in construction in Mexico. It is usually reddish in color.-Uses:Tezontle can be mixed with concrete to form lightweight concrete blocks, or mixed with cement to create stucco finishes. Tezontle is often used as the top...
. San Juan Coajomulco, San Miguel Tenochtitlán y Santiago Casandejé are known for their pottery. In Jocotitlan and Mavaró, there are knit items, with woolen textiles found in Coajomulco, Casandeje, Citendeje, San Miguel Tenochtitlán and Mavoro, especially blankets, wraps and huipil
Huipíl
A huipil is a form of Maya textile and tunic or blouse worn by indigenous Mayan, Zapotec, and other women in central to southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and western Honduras, in the northern part of Central America. Some are also worn by men, particularly in Guatemala...
s.
Demographics
Its population has grown from 19,920 in 1960 to 55,403 in 2005; however its growth rate is 0.25%, about half of that of the State of Mexico. The area is still identified as being Mazahua, although in 2005, there were 1,408 who spoke an indigenous language, down from 1735 in 1995. Mazahua traditions are strongest in the communities of Santiago Casandeje, Citendeje, Coajomulco, San Miguel Tenochtitlán and Concepción Caro, which are known for their traditional music, wool textiles and ceramics.The overwhelming majority of the population is Catholic, with a small Evangelical community
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
in San Miguel Tenochtitlán. Many of the religious traditions are a fusion of Catholic and Mazahua rituals. Aside from the parish in the municipal seat, other important churches include those in Santiago Yeche (built in the 17th century), San Miguel Tenochtitlán, San María Citendeje, Santiago Casandeje, Santa María Endare and San Francisco Cheje.The most important religious events are during Holy Week
Holy Week
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter...
. In Santiago Yeche, Endare, Los Reyes and San Miguel Tenochtitlán the Passion
Passion (Christianity)
The Passion is the Christian theological term used for the events and suffering – physical, spiritual, and mental – of Jesus in the hours before and including his trial and execution by crucifixion...
is recreated with live actors. In the town of Jocotitlán, they use images from the 17th and 18th centuries. The Procession of Silence takes place on Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great & Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels...
, during which around 5,000 men walk in the center of the town with a candle in hand in silence.
Tiacaque
The Parque Ecológico Tiacaque(Tiacaque Ecological Park) is an recreational park and reserve established on what was the Tiacaque Hacienda. Since 2002, the operation of the park has been in the hands of a local Mazahua community, most of which lives in the nearby village of San Félix. The park extends over twenty seven hectares and is centered on a lake called San Félix, which was created by a dam. The lake contains carp and a fish called “charal”Chirostoma
Chirostoma is a genus of fish in the Atherinidae family.It contains the following species:* Chirostoma bartoni* Chirostoma regani...
. It also has a facility for raising trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
. Surrounding the lake, there is a small forest with ash, holm oak and tejocote trees, along with a number of fresh water springs and a water fall. Wildlife seen at the park includes rabbits, squirrels and armadillos. Activities include boating, hiking and fishing. There are also three cabins for rent and a camping area. The constructions on this land are made of adobe and other rustic materials and include a restaurant, which specializes in trout. The project benefits about eighty indigenous families, and it overseen by a committee from the community.