Nicolás Romero, México
Encyclopedia
Ciudad Nicolás Romero is the largest city and municipal seat of the municipality
of Nicolás Romero in Mexico State, Mexico
. It is located 58 km from the city of Toluca
, the state capital and lies in the north-central part of the state, just northwest of the Federal District (Mexico City)
. The seat/municipality's current name is to honor Nicolás Romero
, who fought for Benito Juárez
during Reform War
and the French intervention in Mexico
. He was executed there by the French. The town adopted this name in 1898. The area was settled by the Otomi
and named Azcapotzaltongo ("among the ant hills" in Náhuatl
) by the Aztec
s after conquering it. During colonial times, it was known as San Pedro Azcapotzaltongo. It was then called Monte Bajo from 1821 to 1898, when the current name was adopted. Both the municipality and city are commonly referred to as Nicolás Romero.
The city had a 2005 census population of 242,798 inhabitants, representing 79% of the municipality's population.
The municipality has a total area of 233.51 square km (90.16 sq mi) and a population of 350,000. It borders the municipalities of Villa del Carbón
, Tepotzotlán
, Atizapán de Zaragoza
, Isidro Fabela, Cuautitlán Izcalli
, Jiquipilco
and Temoaya
.
(who called themselves the "hñahñu"), who had been nomadic. The area the current municipality is located in became a tributary state of the Aztec Triple Alliance
, in 1430, with the district's seat at Cahuacán subject to Tlacupan in what is now Tacuba. In the current municipality, four prehispanic towns still remain:
Azcapotzaltongo, Cahuacán, Tlillan and Magú. After the Conquest, land here was redistributed among the conquering Spanish; however, starting in 1537 indigenous leaders began to struggle to regain the lost lands and water rights, a fight that has continued for over 400 years to the beginning of the ejido
reform. In the cases of Ejido San Miguel Hila and Ejido Los Comuneros, the issues are still not resolved. In 1820, the municipality of Monte Bajo was created, which included what is now Nicolás Romero and parts of Atizapán de Zaragoza.
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...
of Nicolás Romero in Mexico State, 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 located 58 km from the city of 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...
, the state capital and lies in the north-central part of the state, just northwest of the Federal District (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 seat/municipality's current name is to honor Nicolás Romero
Nicolás Romero
Nicolás Romero was a Mexican military figure.He had agricultural and textile businesses in what is the modern-day state of Hidalgo...
, who fought for Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
during 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...
and the French intervention in Mexico
French intervention in Mexico
The French intervention in Mexico , also known as The Maximilian Affair, War of the French Intervention, and The Franco-Mexican War, was an invasion of Mexico by an expeditionary force sent by the Second French Empire, supported in the beginning by the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of Spain...
. He was executed there by the French. The town adopted this name in 1898. The area was settled by the Otomi
Otomi people
The Otomi people . Smaller Otomi populations exist in the states of Puebla, Mexico, Tlaxcala, Michoacán and Guanajuato. The Otomi language belonging to the Oto-Pamean branch of the Oto-Manguean language family is spoken in many different varieties some of which are not mutually intelligible.One of...
and named Azcapotzaltongo ("among the ant hills" in Náhuatl
Nahuatl
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...
) by the Aztec
Aztec
The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
s after conquering it. During colonial times, it was known as San Pedro Azcapotzaltongo. It was then called Monte Bajo from 1821 to 1898, when the current name was adopted. Both the municipality and city are commonly referred to as Nicolás Romero.
The city
Industrialization began here in the middle of the 19th century with factories like the “Molino Viejo” (now La Colmena), "Rio Grande" and "San Ildefonso" textile factories as well as the thread manufacturer Barrón, all of which are still in operation. This would continue through the 20th century with paper products and other types of production. In 1898, the seat was named "Villa Nicolás Romero", after achieve town status. In 1998 the town was elevated to city status and its current name is "Ciudad Nicolás Romero".The city had a 2005 census population of 242,798 inhabitants, representing 79% of the municipality's population.
The municipality
As municipal seat, Ciudad Nicolás Romero has governing jurisdiction over the following communities: Colonia 5 de Febrero, Colonia Buena Vista, Los Manantiales, El Puerto, Quinto Barrio (Ejido Cahuacán), Santa María Magdalena Cahuacán, Caja de Agua, Colonia Morelos, Progreso Industrial, Puerto Magú, San Francisco Magú, San José el Vidrio, San Juan de las Tablas, San Miguel Hila, Transfiguración, La Concepción (El Escobal), Ranchería los Duraznos, El Tanque, Paredeño (Rancho Paredeño), Loma del Río, Joya del Tejocote, Loma Larga, Colonia el Mirador, Puentecillas, Cahuacán, Ejido Magú, El Esclavo, Las Espinas, Miranda, Pueblo Nuevo, San José, Barrio de la Luz, Loma de Guadalupe (La Biznaga), Colonia Llano Grande (Nuevo Ejido), Veintidós de Febrero, Colonia los Tubos,Barrio de Guadalupe, Los Pilares, Loma de San José, Las Milpitas, La Cantera, La Estancia, San José los Barbechos (Los Barbechos), Colonia San Miguel, Ampliación el Rosario, and Loma de Chapultepec.The municipality has a total area of 233.51 square km (90.16 sq mi) and a population of 350,000. It borders the municipalities of Villa del Carbón
Villa del Carbón
Villa del Carbón is a town and municipality located in the northern part of Mexico State, just northwest of Mexico City. While the town of Villa del Carbón is the largest in the municipality, it is not the oldest. The municipality contains a number of villages of Otomí and Nahua origins, in which...
, Tepotzotlán
Tepotzotlán
Tepotzotlán is a city and a municipality in the Mexico state of Mexico. It is located 115 km northeast of Mexico City about a 45-minute drive along the Mexico City-Querétaro at marker number 41. In Aztec times, the area was the center of a dominion that negotiated to keep most of its...
, Atizapán de Zaragoza
Ciudad López Mateos
Ciudad López Mateos is a city in the State of México, México, and the seat of the municipality called Atizapán de Zaragoza. The municipality takes its name from the nahuatl word Ātīzapan, which is formed by three words: "ā-tl", which means "water", "tīza-tl", which means "white clay" and "īpan",...
, Isidro Fabela, Cuautitlán Izcalli
Cuautitlán Izcalli
Cuautitlán Izcalli is a city and municipality in Mexico State, Mexico. The name comes from Náhuatl and means 'your house between the trees.' -City and municipal seat:...
, Jiquipilco
Jiquipilco
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,...
and Temoaya
Temoaya
Temoaya is a town and municipality in Mexico State, Mexico, It is located from Toluca and from Mexico City. It is known for its large ethnic Otomi population, the Centro Ceremonial Otomí and its tradition of making Persian style rugs using Mexican designs....
.
History
The area was occupied by the OtomiOtomi 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...
(who called themselves the "hñahñu"), who had been nomadic. The area the current municipality is located in became a tributary state of the Aztec Triple Alliance
Aztec Triple Alliance
The Aztec Triple Alliance, or Aztec Empire began as an alliance of three Nahua city-states or "altepeme": Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan...
, in 1430, with the district's seat at Cahuacán subject to Tlacupan in what is now Tacuba. In the current municipality, four prehispanic towns still remain:
Azcapotzaltongo, Cahuacán, Tlillan and Magú. After the Conquest, land here was redistributed among the conquering Spanish; however, starting in 1537 indigenous leaders began to struggle to regain the lost lands and water rights, a fight that has continued for over 400 years to the beginning of the ejido
Ejido
The ejido system is a process whereby the government promotes the use of communal land shared by the people of the community. This use of community land was a common practice during the time of Aztec rule in Mexico...
reform. In the cases of Ejido San Miguel Hila and Ejido Los Comuneros, the issues are still not resolved. In 1820, the municipality of Monte Bajo was created, which included what is now Nicolás Romero and parts of Atizapán de Zaragoza.
External links
- Ayuntamiento de Nicolás Romero Official website