Villa Juarez, SLP
Encyclopedia
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....
. It was founded in 1643 as Santa Gertrudis de Carbonera. In 1928 the name was changed to Villa Juárez to honor 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...
, one of México's most admired presidents.
Location
Its geographic location is 22°19′18"N 100°15′55"W and its altitude is 1100 meters above sea level. The municipality extends throughout 18 small villages including El Granjenal, Palo Seco, and Puerta del Río. Villa Juarez is surrounded by CerritosCerritos, San Luis Potosí
San Juan de los Cerritos, commonly known as Cerritos, is a city located in the central part of San Luis Potosí, a state of Mexico. It was founded in 1826 by the state's congress. It is within the mid zone of the state called La Zona Media. Within its municipality it holds 100 villages...
to the north, Rio Verde to the east and south, and with 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...
to the west.
History
Economy
Agriculture made up most of Villa Juárez's economy. Hot peppers (mainly serrano) and corn were the major elements of this economy. Lack of capital to invest in farming has recently declined production.Culture
Villa Juárez, like many other Mexican towns and cities, hosts a traveling carnival in honor of its patron saint, Santa Gertrudis. It begins about two weeks before the main day which is November 16th. This carnival is made up of dozens of booths that sell artifacts, ceramics and artifactsArtifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
, regional delicacies, food, drinks, games, literature, and small widgets among other things. Rides are also a main attraction of the carnival. A stage is also assembled for shows, regional and national folklore dances, musicians, speeches, and plays. Aside from this festival, Villa Juarez and its surrounding municipalities, often hold events known as "Jaripeos" which involve the riding of bulls without much, if any, protection gear. Many tourists come from all parts of the state of San Luis Potosí and from the United States (such as Texas, Illinois, Georgia,California, Wyoming and Nebraska) for this traditional event. These tourists also Vacation in Villa Juarez mainly in the Summer and Winter time. Many of the natives like to go back to Villa Juarez to get married, baptize children etc. around this time as well.
Within this municipality there still live indigenous groups of people such as the Pame (Xiu). This municipality has been a victim of mass migration to the U.S. Most of the remaining inhabitants are small children, middle-age females, and senior citizens. Several internationally known musical bands have come from this municipality: Grupo Bryndis
Grupo Bryndis
Grupo Bryndis is an internationally known Mexican musical group. Originated in Santa Paula, California, U.S.A . by their leader, guitarist and song-writer Mauro Posadas in 1983. Grupo Bryndis is also a Latin Grammy Award winner for best album in 2007...
, Agua Azul, and Vagón Chicano.
People that have migrated to the United States of America from Villa Juárez are so proud of their town, that they have founded various organizations and clubs throughout the States to send help to their town. Some of these clubs include: Fundación Villa Juárez de Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
; Club Social Villa Juárez en Dallas, Texas; Club Social Villa Juárez en Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
; and Club Social Villa Juárez en Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. There are comments that clubs will form in Gonzáles, Texas and in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. These clubs have made many contributions to Villa Juárez. For example, Fundación Villa Juárez de Houston, Texas took the initiative to construct 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"...
(Mercado Municipal).
Municipal Presidents