Villa Guerrero, Mexico State
Encyclopedia
Villa Guerrero is a town and municipality
in the State of Mexico, Mexico
. It is located on the southern slopes of the Nevada de Toluca, which is also known as "Xinantecatl", is 50 minutes/58 km from Toluca. Its original name was Tequaloyan, which in Náhuatl
means "place where there are wild beasts that devour men". The original name comes from the previous existence of wild animals called "tecuani" (tē=someone, people; cuā=eat; ni=habitual suffix) as now noted in the coat of arms shield. Its name was changed in 1867 to honor Vicente Guerrero
, the second president of Mexico.
s in the seventh century. Starting in the tenth century, it came under the influence of the Toltec
and Teotihuacan
civilizations. From 1221 to 1295, it was part of the Cuitlach Teuhctli domain. In 1472 the area was conquered by the Aztec Empire under Axayacatl
. During this period, the town of Tequaloyan, along with some other communities rose in importance.
After the Spanish Conquest, the town became an administrative and political center, with the surrounding lands distributed to various conquistador
s who created a number of hacienda
s including San Miguel, San José, and San Nicolás Buenavista. The natives were evangelized by Augustinians who came from neighboring Malinalco
. While one of the first secular governors was Don Lucas de Caballero, true separation of ecclesiastical and secular powers came about between 1692 and 1744 finalizing with the naming of Juan de la Cruz as Governor of Tequaloyan, with ecclesiastical authority in the area remaining with Malinalco and Tenancingo
.
During the Mexican War of Independence
, one battle between the insurgents and royalist forces took place here on January 3, 1812. Rosendo Porlier of the royalist forces attacked José María Oviedo of the rebels, who fortified the town and helped to defend it. Porlier returned on January 17 to attack Tequaloyan as the nearby ravine of the Texcaltenco River, leading to Oviedo's death. This hastened the arrival of José María Morelos
, who along with Hermenegildo Galeana
, Nicolás Bravo
and Mariano Matamoros
gathered a force of 3,200 men to defeat the royalist forces on the 19th and 20th of the same month, allowing the insurgents to win again at Tenancingo two days later.
Because of it size at the time (over 1,000 inhabitants), Tequaloyan was designated officially as a town with the promulgation of the Constitución Española de Cádiz in 1812, with Don Francisco Hernández as its first mayor; however it belonged first to the municipality of Apatzingán then to the municipality of Toluca from 1814 to 1826 when the town voted to secede. This is considered to be the foundation of the town's municipal seat status.
During the Mexican Revolution
, on August 18, 1914, Constitutionalist forces under Lt. Col. Bruno Neira entered the town to confront those sympathetic to the Zapatista
cause.
According with the results presented by INEGI in 2005, the town has a total of 8,437 inhabitants.
El Carmen, Cruz Vidriada, La Finca, El Islote, El Izote, Jesús Carranza (Rancho de Jesús), La Loma de la Concepción (La Loma), Matlazinca, El Moral, Porfirio Díaz, Potrero de la Sierra, Potrero Nuevo, El Progreso Hidalgo, San Bartolomé (San Bartolo), San Diego, San Felipe, San Francisco, San Gaspar, San José, San Lucas, San Mateo Coapexco, San Miguel, San Pedro Buenos Aires (San Pedro), Santa María Aranzazú (Santa María), Santiago Oxtotitlán, Tequimilpa, Totolmajac, Zacango, Coxcacoaco, Ejido de la Finca, La Joya, El Peñón, Ejido de San Mateo Coapexco, Los Ranchos de San José, La Merced (Ex-hacienda la Merced), El Potrero
Loma del Capulín, Los Arroyos (La Baja de San Felipe), Cuajimalpa (Los Cuervos), Presa Tecualoya, Loma de Zacango (El Aventurero), San Martín, El Venturero Santa María Aranzazú, La Alta de Santiago Oxtotitlán, La Loma de Santiago Oxtotitlán, El Potrero de Santiago Oxtotitlán, Potrerillos Santa María Villa Guerrero, and Zanjillas San Bartolomé.
The municipality is 267.8 square kilometers, and has a total population of 52,090.
Villa Guerrero is bordered to the north by Zinacantepec, Toluca
, Calimaya
and Tenango del Valle
; to the east by the municipalities of Tenancingo
and Zumpahuacán
, to the south by Ixtapan de la Sal
and west with the same Ixtapan de la Sal and Coatepec Harinas
.
Its two major geographical features (aside from the view of the Nevado de Toluca) are the Cerro (Hill) Cuate or of Cuaximalpa with an altitude of 3,760 meters above sea level, followed by the Cerro Cuexcontepec at 3,330 meters. A chain of hills called the Chignahuitecatl divides the municipality on the east from Ixtapan de la Sal and Coatepec Harinas. It is noted for its deep ravines and jagged cliffs and has been compared to Riasa, in Spain
. As part of the Alto Balsas basin, it has a number of rivers including the Texcaltenco, the Chiquito de Santa María, the San Gaspar, the Los Tizantez, the Tequimilpa, the Cruz Colorada or San Mateo and the Calderón. Many of these contain waterfalls such as the Salto de Candelitas, the Atlaquisca the Maquilero; the Salto del Río Grande de San Gaspar, and the Salto de la Neblina. The territory also possesses natural springs such as La Estrella, La Piedra Ahuecada, El Coponial, Los Chicamoles, and El Agua de la Pila as well as a thermal spring popularly-known as El Salitre.
The economy of the municipality is based on agriculture with about half of the territory dedicated to such and about half is left as forest. In the 1940s, Mexico State governor Wenceslao Labra introduced 300,000 avocado
trees to the area. Avocados, along with peaches are extensively grown, most of which are sold at the Mercado Merced in Mexico City
. However, the most important economic development occurred from the 1930s to the 1950s when large numbers of Japan
ese immigrants settled in the area, initiating floriculture. Rose
s in various varieties, are the primary flower grown, followed by the "gerbera", the "casablanca", the "stargeiser", chrysanthemum
and the Dutch tulip
as well as other ornamental plants such as the dollar eucalyptus
, aster and most recently the royal palm which is in danger of extinction. The level of quality of Villa Guerrero's flowers have allowed them to penetrate the national and international flower markets, exporting flowers to the United States
, Canada
and various European countries. This floriculture is said to be the "pride of the Villaguerrenses" and is now the main economic staple of the municipality. Other economic ventures such as industry and tourism are negligible are nacient.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the State of Mexico, 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 on the southern slopes of the Nevada de Toluca, which is also known as "Xinantecatl", is 50 minutes/58 km from Toluca. Its original name was Tequaloyan, which 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...
means "place where there are wild beasts that devour men". The original name comes from the previous existence of wild animals called "tecuani" (tē=someone, people; cuā=eat; ni=habitual suffix) as now noted in the coat of arms shield. Its name was changed in 1867 to honor Vicente Guerrero
Vicente Guerrero
Vicente Ramón Guerrero Saldaña was one of the leading revolutionary generals of the Mexican War of Independence, who fought against Spain for independence in the early 19th century, and served briefly as President of Mexico...
, the second president of Mexico.
The town
Tequaloyan started out as a dominion that was founded 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...
s in the seventh century. Starting in the tenth century, it came under the influence of the Toltec
Toltec
The Toltec culture is an archaeological Mesoamerican culture that dominated a state centered in Tula, Hidalgo in the early post-classic period of Mesoamerican chronology...
and 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...
civilizations. From 1221 to 1295, it was part of the Cuitlach Teuhctli domain. In 1472 the area was conquered by the Aztec Empire under Axayacatl
Axayacatl
Axayacatl was the sixth Aztec Emperor, a ruler of the Postclassic Mesoamerican Aztec Empire and city of Tenochtitlan, who reigned from 1469 to 1481.He is chiefly remembered for subjugating Tlatelolco, Tenochtitlan's sister city, in 1473....
. During this period, the town of Tequaloyan, along with some other communities rose in importance.
After the Spanish Conquest, the town became an administrative and political center, with the surrounding lands distributed to various conquistador
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 who created a number of hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
s including San Miguel, San José, and San Nicolás Buenavista. The natives were evangelized by Augustinians who came from neighboring Malinalco
Malinalco
Malinalco is a town and municipality located 65 kilometers south of the city of Toluca in the south of the western portion of the Mexico State. Malinalco is 115 km southwest Mexico City....
. While one of the first secular governors was Don Lucas de Caballero, true separation of ecclesiastical and secular powers came about between 1692 and 1744 finalizing with the naming of Juan de la Cruz as Governor of Tequaloyan, with ecclesiastical authority in the area remaining with Malinalco and Tenancingo
Tenancingo
Tenancingo may refer to:* Tenancingo, Mexico State* Tenancingo, Tlaxcala...
.
During 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...
, one battle between the insurgents and royalist forces took place here on January 3, 1812. Rosendo Porlier of the royalist forces attacked José María Oviedo of the rebels, who fortified the town and helped to defend it. Porlier returned on January 17 to attack Tequaloyan as the nearby ravine of the Texcaltenco River, leading to Oviedo's death. This hastened the arrival of José María Morelos
José María Morelos
José María Teclo Morelos y Pavón was a Mexican Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary rebel leader who led the Mexican War of Independence movement, assuming its leadership after the execution of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla in 1811...
, who along with Hermenegildo Galeana
Hermenegildo Galeana
Hermenegildo Galeana was a hero of the Mexican War of Independence.Hermenegildo Galeana may also refer to:*Hermenegildo Galeana, Chihuahua, a town named in his honour*Hermenegildo Galeana, Puebla, a municipality...
, Nicolás Bravo
Nicolás Bravo
Nicolás Bravo was a Mexican politician and soldier. He distinguished himself in both offices during the 1846–1848 U.S. invasion of Mexico....
and Mariano Matamoros
Mariano Matamoros
Mariano Matamoros y Guridi was a Mexican Roman Catholic priest and revolutionary rebel soldier of the Mexican War of Independence, who fought for independence against Spain in the early 19th century....
gathered a force of 3,200 men to defeat the royalist forces on the 19th and 20th of the same month, allowing the insurgents to win again at Tenancingo two days later.
Because of it size at the time (over 1,000 inhabitants), Tequaloyan was designated officially as a town with the promulgation of the Constitución Española de Cádiz in 1812, with Don Francisco Hernández as its first mayor; however it belonged first to the municipality of Apatzingán then to the municipality of Toluca from 1814 to 1826 when the town voted to secede. This is considered to be the foundation of the town's municipal seat status.
During the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, on August 18, 1914, Constitutionalist forces under Lt. Col. Bruno Neira entered the town to confront those sympathetic to the Zapatista
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....
cause.
According with the results presented by INEGI in 2005, the town has a total of 8,437 inhabitants.
The municipality
As municipal seat, the town of Villa Guerrero is the governing authority for the following communities: BuenavistaEl Carmen, Cruz Vidriada, La Finca, El Islote, El Izote, Jesús Carranza (Rancho de Jesús), La Loma de la Concepción (La Loma), Matlazinca, El Moral, Porfirio Díaz, Potrero de la Sierra, Potrero Nuevo, El Progreso Hidalgo, San Bartolomé (San Bartolo), San Diego, San Felipe, San Francisco, San Gaspar, San José, San Lucas, San Mateo Coapexco, San Miguel, San Pedro Buenos Aires (San Pedro), Santa María Aranzazú (Santa María), Santiago Oxtotitlán, Tequimilpa, Totolmajac, Zacango, Coxcacoaco, Ejido de la Finca, La Joya, El Peñón, Ejido de San Mateo Coapexco, Los Ranchos de San José, La Merced (Ex-hacienda la Merced), El Potrero
Loma del Capulín, Los Arroyos (La Baja de San Felipe), Cuajimalpa (Los Cuervos), Presa Tecualoya, Loma de Zacango (El Aventurero), San Martín, El Venturero Santa María Aranzazú, La Alta de Santiago Oxtotitlán, La Loma de Santiago Oxtotitlán, El Potrero de Santiago Oxtotitlán, Potrerillos Santa María Villa Guerrero, and Zanjillas San Bartolomé.
The municipality is 267.8 square kilometers, and has a total population of 52,090.
Villa Guerrero is bordered to the north by Zinacantepec, 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...
, Calimaya
Calimaya
Calimaya is a town and municipality located just south of Toluca, the capital of the State of Mexico in central Mexico. The settlement was probably established around 800 BCE, when the city of Teotenango was in existence. It remained an important town through the colonial period, part of the vast...
and Tenango del Valle
Tenango del Valle
The municipality of Tenango del Valle and its seat, Tenango de Arista, are located in the southern portion of the Valley of Toluca in Mexico State, about 72 km southwest of Mexico City and 25 km south of Toluca. While the seat is officially named Tenango de Arista, it is more commonly...
; to the east by the municipalities of Tenancingo
Tenancingo
Tenancingo may refer to:* Tenancingo, Mexico State* Tenancingo, Tlaxcala...
and Zumpahuacán
Zumpahuacán
Zumpahuacán is a town and municipality in México State. The name “Zumpahuacán” comes from the Nahuatl language "Tzompahuacán". Tzompahuacán means "place of the strawberry tree" Zumpahuacán is a town and municipality in México State. The name “Zumpahuacán” comes from the Nahuatl language...
, to the south by Ixtapan de la Sal
Ixtapan de la Sal
Ixtapan de la Sal is a town and municipality located in the State of Mexico, Mexico. It is 60 km south of Toluca, the state capital. The word Ixtapan comes from Nahuatl. There are two theories as to the origin of the name. The first one states that it is composed of iztal, which means salt,...
and west with the same Ixtapan de la Sal and Coatepec Harinas
Coatepec Harinas
Coatepec Harinas is a town and municipality in Mexico State, Mexico. The original name is "Coauhtepetl" which means 'serpent hill' in Náhuatl. Around 1825 because of a boom in flour production, the name "Harinas" was added.-The town:...
.
Its two major geographical features (aside from the view of the Nevado de Toluca) are the Cerro (Hill) Cuate or of Cuaximalpa with an altitude of 3,760 meters above sea level, followed by the Cerro Cuexcontepec at 3,330 meters. A chain of hills called the Chignahuitecatl divides the municipality on the east from Ixtapan de la Sal and Coatepec Harinas. It is noted for its deep ravines and jagged cliffs and has been compared to Riasa, in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. As part of the Alto Balsas basin, it has a number of rivers including the Texcaltenco, the Chiquito de Santa María, the San Gaspar, the Los Tizantez, the Tequimilpa, the Cruz Colorada or San Mateo and the Calderón. Many of these contain waterfalls such as the Salto de Candelitas, the Atlaquisca the Maquilero; the Salto del Río Grande de San Gaspar, and the Salto de la Neblina. The territory also possesses natural springs such as La Estrella, La Piedra Ahuecada, El Coponial, Los Chicamoles, and El Agua de la Pila as well as a thermal spring popularly-known as El Salitre.
The economy of the municipality is based on agriculture with about half of the territory dedicated to such and about half is left as forest. In the 1940s, Mexico State governor Wenceslao Labra introduced 300,000 avocado
Avocado
The avocado is a tree native to Central Mexico, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel...
trees to the area. Avocados, along with peaches are extensively grown, most of which are sold at the Mercado Merced in 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...
. However, the most important economic development occurred from the 1930s to the 1950s when large numbers of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese immigrants settled in the area, initiating floriculture. Rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s in various varieties, are the primary flower grown, followed by the "gerbera", the "casablanca", the "stargeiser", chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums, often called mums or chrysanths, are of the genus constituting approximately 30 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae which is native to Asia and northeastern Europe.-Etymology:...
and the Dutch tulip
Tulip
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
as well as other ornamental plants such as the dollar 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...
, aster and most recently the royal palm which is in danger of extinction. The level of quality of Villa Guerrero's flowers have allowed them to penetrate the national and international flower markets, exporting flowers to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and various European countries. This floriculture is said to be the "pride of the Villaguerrenses" and is now the main economic staple of the municipality. Other economic ventures such as industry and tourism are negligible are nacient.