Santa Maria del Rio, San Luis Potosi
Encyclopedia
Santa Maria del Rio is one of the 58 municipalities
that make up the Mexican
state of San Luis Potosi
. The municipality is located in the southern part of the state, approximately 48 kilometers east of the city of San Luis Potosi
. Santa Maria del Rio has a land area of 1,655 square kilometers, with 37,290 inhabitants , 12,000 of whom live in the town of Santa Maria del Rio. The area is famous for its rebozo
s, being the cradle of the blue and white rebozo de bolita The Rebozo Caramelo is woven there.
, San Nicolás Tolentino
and Ciudad Fernández
, to the east is San Luis Potosi, to the south is Tierra Nueva
and to the west is Villa de Reyes
.
Santa Maria del Rio lies on the Mexican Mesa del Centro on the western edge of the Sierra Madre Oriental
and consequently has a mountainous terrain, with various hills: the Membrillo, the Rincón Pilitas, the Duraznillo, San Pablo, the Platanito, San Antonio, the Banqueta, the Pachona, the Joya, the Mesa Prieta, the Barbechos, as well as the Sierra de Bagres. The area rests on Mesozoic
rocks. The land is mainly used for livestock, forestry and agriculture, in that order.
The rocks in Santa Maria del Rio are mineral rich, and several mines have operated there. The locale is noted for its cinnabar
, an ore of mercury
.
Santa Maria del Rio lies in the Tamuin River basin, a tributary of the Panuco River. Its major drainage is the Santa Maria River. The thermal springs in the hills at Blameario de Lourdes provide the state with its sparkling mineral water, Agua de Lourdes.
Because of its elevation, Santa Maria del Rio has a dry, temperate climate, cooler in the highlands and warmer in the lowlands. Almost all of the rain falls between May and September, the total annual average rainfall for those months is 362 mm (14¼ in.). It never freezes, the record low was 4.5 °C in January and the record high was 37 °C in May, with an average annual temperature of 18.5 °C
nomads invaded the area and there were no existing settlements when the Spanish came. However, after the fall of Tenochtitlan, the Otomi
began to move north as allies of the Spanish. Otherwise, the semi-nomadic Guachichil
were the local inhabitants at the time of the founding of the municipality.
The date of the founding of the town has been controversial. It is often listed as 1589, citing noted historian Primo Feliciano Velázquez
's pamphlet Descubrimiento y Conquista de San Luis Potosí (Discovery and Conquest of San Luis Potosi); however, there is a Franciscan baptismal document dated 15 August 1542 for some Guachichil indicating that the settlement was already in place, and that instead of founding the town Viceroy Luis de Velazco
merely gave it the name: Santa Maria del Rio. The Franciscan Convent was built in 1604. The settled inhabitants were Guachichil and Otomi, with the lands being divided between them by a road and the church.
Cinnabar mining started with the general opening of mines in the province; however their mining techniques were labor-intensive, and the mines were subject to frequent flooding.
The bridge over the Santa Maria river was begun in 1844, but it was not completed until the French intervention in Mexico
. By the year 1853, the town of Santa Maria del Rio had twenty thousand inhabitants. In 1866 telegraph service was instituted, mostly through the efforts of General Tomás Mejía
. In May 1914, the town of Santa Maria del Rio was the site for fierce fighting between the 150 occupying huertistas
and the Constitutionalists
. The 400 Constitutionalists captured the town. Electrification of the municipality began in 1927, under the direction of Governor
Dr Abel Cano.
(PRI). The town Santa María del Río is the administrative seat. The municipality has 302 other settlements, among which are:
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...
that make up the Mexican
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 of San Luis Potosi
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....
. The municipality is located in the southern part of the state, approximately 48 kilometers east of the city of San Luis Potosi
San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí, commonly called SLP or simply San Luis, is the capital of, and most populous city in the Mexican state of the same name. The city lies at an elevation of 1,850 meters...
. Santa Maria del Rio has a land area of 1,655 square kilometers, with 37,290 inhabitants , 12,000 of whom live in the town of Santa Maria del Rio. The area is famous for its rebozo
Rebozo
A rebozo is a woman's garment used in Mexico. Rectangular in shape, rebozos vary in size from 1.5 to upwards of three metres, and can be made of cotton, wool, silk, or articela. They can be worn as scarves or shawls, and women often use them to carry children and take products to the market. It is...
s, being the cradle of the blue and white rebozo de bolita The Rebozo Caramelo is woven there.
Geography
Santa Maria del Rio is located in the center of the southern part of the San Luis Potosi, at an average altitude of 1,710 meters above sea level. The municipality is bordered on the north by the municipalities of ZaragozaZaragoza, San Luis Potosí
Zaragoza is a town and municipality in San Luis Potosí in central Mexico....
, San Nicolás Tolentino
San Nicolás Tolentino
San Nicolas Tolentino is a town located in central San Luis Potosí, that was founded in 1614. It consist of many small towns which include La Barranca De San Joaquin, Los Morenos, Ojo de Agua, Ocampo and Santa Catarina which is the largest town in the region...
and Ciudad Fernández
Ciudad Fernández
Ciudad Fernández is a town and municipality in San Luis Potosí in central Mexico.-References:...
, to the east is San Luis Potosi, to the south is Tierra Nueva
Tierra Nueva, San Luis Potosi
Tierra Nueva, San Luis Potosi is a town and municipality in San Luis Potosí in central Mexico....
and to the west is Villa de Reyes
Villa de Reyes
Villa de Reyes is a town and municipality in San Luis Potosí in central Mexico.-References:...
.
Santa Maria del Rio lies on the Mexican Mesa del Centro on the western edge of 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...
and consequently has a mountainous terrain, with various hills: the Membrillo, the Rincón Pilitas, the Duraznillo, San Pablo, the Platanito, San Antonio, the Banqueta, the Pachona, the Joya, the Mesa Prieta, the Barbechos, as well as the Sierra de Bagres. The area rests on Mesozoic
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic era is an interval of geological time from about 250 million years ago to about 65 million years ago. It is often referred to as the age of reptiles because reptiles, namely dinosaurs, were the dominant terrestrial and marine vertebrates of the time...
rocks. The land is mainly used for livestock, forestry and agriculture, in that order.
The rocks in Santa Maria del Rio are mineral rich, and several mines have operated there. The locale is noted for its cinnabar
Cinnabar
Cinnabar or cinnabarite , is the common ore of mercury.-Word origin:The name comes from κινναβαρι , a Greek word most likely applied by Theophrastus to several distinct substances...
, an ore of mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
.
Santa Maria del Rio lies in the Tamuin River basin, a tributary of the Panuco River. Its major drainage is the Santa Maria River. The thermal springs in the hills at Blameario de Lourdes provide the state with its sparkling mineral water, Agua de Lourdes.
Because of its elevation, Santa Maria del Rio has a dry, temperate climate, cooler in the highlands and warmer in the lowlands. Almost all of the rain falls between May and September, the total annual average rainfall for those months is 362 mm (14¼ in.). It never freezes, the record low was 4.5 °C in January and the record high was 37 °C in May, with an average annual temperature of 18.5 °C
History
The area where the municipality of Santa Maria del Rio now is, was a contact zone between various Mesoamerican cultures. Archaeological evidence shows that the region was once occupied by people of advanced culture, sedentary farmers who built permanent structures. However, sometime prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadorsConquistador
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...
nomads invaded the area and there were no existing settlements when the Spanish came. However, after the fall of Tenochtitlan, 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...
began to move north as allies of the Spanish. Otherwise, the semi-nomadic 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...
were the local inhabitants at the time of the founding of the municipality.
The date of the founding of the town has been controversial. It is often listed as 1589, citing noted historian Primo Feliciano Velázquez
Primo Feliciano Velázquez
Primo Feliciano Velázquez Rodríguez was a Mexican journalist, attorney and historian who specialized in regional history. He was a translator of Nahuatl and Latin and a connoisseur of local literature...
's pamphlet Descubrimiento y Conquista de San Luis Potosí (Discovery and Conquest of San Luis Potosi); however, there is a Franciscan baptismal document dated 15 August 1542 for some Guachichil indicating that the settlement was already in place, and that instead of founding the town Viceroy Luis de Velazco
Luis de Velasco, marqués de Salinas
Luis de Velasco, marqués de Salinas , Spanish nobleman, son of the second viceroy of New Spain, and himself the eighth viceroy. He governed from January 27, 1590 to November 4, 1595, and again from July 2, 1607 to June 10, 1611...
merely gave it the name: Santa Maria del Rio. The Franciscan Convent was built in 1604. The settled inhabitants were Guachichil and Otomi, with the lands being divided between them by a road and the church.
Cinnabar mining started with the general opening of mines in the province; however their mining techniques were labor-intensive, and the mines were subject to frequent flooding.
The bridge over the Santa Maria river was begun in 1844, but it was not completed until 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...
. By the year 1853, the town of Santa Maria del Rio had twenty thousand inhabitants. In 1866 telegraph service was instituted, mostly through the efforts of General Tomás Mejía
Tomás Mejía
Tomás Mejía was a Mexican soldier, born in Pinal de Amoles, Sierra Gorda, Querétaro. He fought as a Cavalry General on the side of Maximilian I of Mexico during the war between Monarchists and Republicans following the French intervention in 1862 and rise of the Second Mexican Empire in...
. In May 1914, the town of Santa Maria del Rio was the site for fierce fighting between the 150 occupying huertistas
Huerta's Federal Army
Huerta's Federal Army, also known as the Federales in popular culture, was the force headed by Victoriano Huerta during his 1913–1914 reign as president of Mexico....
and the Constitutionalists
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...
. The 400 Constitutionalists captured the town. Electrification of the municipality began in 1927, under the direction of Governor
Governor of San Luis Potosí
The governor of San Luis Potosí solely exercises the role of the executive branch of government in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí, per the Political Constitution of the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí...
Dr Abel Cano.
Sites of interest
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Government
The current president of the municipality is Pedro Reyna Rosas, of the Institutional Revolutionary PartyInstitutional 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...
(PRI). The town Santa María del Río is the administrative seat. The municipality has 302 other settlements, among which are:
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External links
- "Estado de San Luis Potosí - Santa María del Río" Enciclopedia de los Municipios de México Instituto Nacional para el Federalismo y el Desarrollo Municipal, Secretaría de Gobernación (2005) , in Spanish, accessed 29 December 2008
- Map of Villa de Reyes and Santa Maria del Río Maps of Mexico, accessed 29 December 2008